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[Liu Kang Baking A Pie]

Twitter is the world's best Word Search, like Google has the best Image search. http://search.twitter.com. Search anything and find out what people are saying about it. For something that relates to GAF, think about typing in a title of a new game and getting impressions about it from the world rather than just from who's posting on GAF.

Smart companies take advantage of this. They search for words related to them and do customer support, polling, and converse with their customers on Twitter. Comcast is probably the most famous for their ComcastCares account, which is always checking Twitter. If you say something about them that needs attention, you'll likely get a response. Think about it like customer support e-mail, except everyone gets to see what's going on.

Other people live-blog events on Twitter. I've seen people go to conferences and continually update their Twitter on what's happening. You'll get a lot more detail than you would on post-event blog posts.

It's also useful as a mass text message. If you're doing something and want to invite all your friends right at the moment, Twitter it.

I remember during the election Twitter had election.twitter.com which was a continually updating stream of what people were saying about Obama and McCain. It just looked for keywords like Obama, McCain, vote, voted, politics, etc and continually updated a stream like it was a national chat room.

I don't see anything different about Twitter compared to forums like GAF. The cynicism towards people communicating with others on a communication device like the Internet is hilariously unfounded. Like any service, Twitter can be abused by sad narcissists and boring douches, but it's been extremely valuable.

Edit: Someone stole Lance Armstrong's bike. Would there be a better way to find this out than Twitter? http://twitpic.com/1i8t1

 

[D4Danger]

Twitter is the world's best Word Search, like Google has the best Image search. http://search.twitter.com. Search anything and find out what people are saying about it. For something that relates to GAF, think about typing in a title of a new game and getting impressions about it from the world rather than just from who's posting on GAF.

Searched for "neogaf"

:|

http://tweetfu.com/fights/298

 

[Liu Kang Baking A Pie]

Or how about Major Nelson and Reggie going to the same gym? http://twitter.com/majornelson/status/1213134971

 

[Haly]

Like all other social networking sites and search engines, the slow and methodical destruction of privacy.

 

[Liu Kang Baking A Pie]

Like all other social networking sites and search engines, the slow and methodical destruction of privacy.

No one makes you sign up.

 

[Tim-E]

No one makes you sign up.

Your friends

Spoiler

who work for the government

make you!

 

[Haly]

No one makes you sign up.

Peer pressured to get a Facebook account says otherwise.

I'm neither for nor against sites like Twitter, I just like to point stuff out.

 

[Liu Kang Baking A Pie]

Peer pressured to get a Facebook account says otherwise.

It isn't privacy's fault that you're a pushover.

 

[wenis]

Just one more outlet where my penis get's to make an appearance.

 

[Burger]

It's also useful as a mass text message. If you're doing something and want to invite all your friends right at the moment, Twitter it.

How does this work if only say, 45% of my friends use Twitter ?

Then I would have to Twitter the message, monitor that for responses, as well as txt/phone people and so on.

I'm not that anal about my social life, but it sounds like a bit of chicken / egg scenario.

 

[gofreak]

Your friends miss out. And then probably join twitter so not to miss out in the future :lol

Hence why these sites are so viral.

There's an oft-cited example of some dude who runs a wine community site twittering that he was gonna have a party at a local bar after seeing the length of the queue for the Google party at a conference..within 15 minutes there was a large group with him, and they had an 'alternate' party for those who couldn't be arsed waiting for the Google party.

Lots of 'flash mobs' organise themselves now via things like twitter and facebook.

It's not that twitter has comprehensive coverage of your friends, necessarily, but that - if you're well connected - it can keep you in touch with enough people to make interesting stuff happen.

 

[GDJustin]

Some people are good twitter users, some are not. It's as simple as that.

Don't tweet about the ham sandwich you're making. Don't tweet about generalities (ie "work is so busy today omg"). DO tweet about specific plans "Headed out to bar ____ come join us if you're around." DO tweet your brief thoughts on whatever movie/book/game you're working your way through.

If anything, Twitter is LESS narcissistic than something like a personal blog. Fuck-all if I wanna read someone's multi-paragraph blog entry on what they thought about the God of War III trailer. But reading one sentence from a dozen of my friends to get a snapshot of popular opinion is something genuinely valuable.

If you have a large social circle, its an invaluable tool. Twitter search is a GREAT way to get a snapshot of popular opinion on any given subject:

http://search.twitter.com/search?q=Coraline
http://search.twitter.com/search?q=kindle
http://search.twitter.com/search?q=neogaf

It's just another way for people to be more connected to the wider world, in a (closer to) realtime manner. If you don't wanna be that connected and open, you don't have to be. But to not see the value other people see in the service is short-sighted.

 

[hey_monkey]

Definitely agree that it's less narcissistic than a personal blog, in which someone can write the equivalent of three pages about the cookies they made and how they're all snotty. Who cares? The five people who read your blog because you read theirs do, sure, but that's way too much minutiae about someone else's daily life for me. But I don't mind little tweets about similar things. It's just a little personal flavor in the midst of links and more useful things.

I love Twitter for quick movie reviews, or when people are all watching the same show. I don't really come to gaf for the tv show threads, because they end up being so huge and bloated, but streaming past in my Twitter window, it's easier to manage. And there's a nice sense of community there when people are all doing the same thing.

I've also learned of every major news event in the past four months via Twitter, before it was up on sites like CNN. Better coverage, too, because you get straight news (this happened!), and the human element (this happened on my street, dust everywhere, holy shit!!), and everything else, without the news chans pandering for viewers or repetition of the same five one-liners on the ticker.

 

[Liu Kang Baking A Pie]

There's something to be said for people on GAF hating on Twitter while GAF has "what are you listening to," "what are you playing right now," "what movies have you seen recently," and "show off your gaming setup" threads.

 

[Musashi Wins!]

Hey guys, Rhianna got beat up, someone stole Lance Armstrong's bike and Reggie and Major Nelson go to the same gym!

Again, lightheartedly, but it's like the People magazine of rss feeds. I'm not offended by it and I'm sure there are deeper uses for it, but it seems to definitely hover on the most shallow of surfaces.

 

[Terrell]

There's something to be said for people on GAF hating on Twitter while GAF has "what are you listening to," "what are you playing right now," "what movies have you seen recently," and "show off your gaming setup" threads.

Except that those threads don't make up the entirety of the NeoGAF experience.

 

[Liu Kang Baking A Pie]

Except that those threads don't make up the entirety of the NeoGAF experience.

Nor does Twitter make up the entirely of the lives of the people that use it. (At least the sane ones.)

 

[DjangoReinhardt]

I use Twitter as a notepad and it's pretty great.

 

[Terrell]

Nor does Twitter make up the entirely of the lives of the people that use it. (At least the sane ones.)

No, but there is a severe limitation to how Twitter can be used as opposed to NeoGAF, and it's this limitation of it being a life-snippet service that just doesn't appeal to people.

 

[ZeoVGM]

In a nutshell.:lol

Blogs are bad enough but updating every little facet of your life is egoistical.

Do you people really think something so ridiculous?

You're not forced to look at Twitter. It's for you and your friends, and it's fun. Nothing more.

Why take it so seriously?

Another fun thing is the Twitter search. For example, after a TV show ends that you just watched, type it in, and see what other people thought about it.

 

[NimbusD]

Searched for "neogaf"

:|

http://tweetfu.com/fights/298

Use GAF instead of NeoGaf, and GAF wins by large margin.

EDIT: Recently I had to make a twitter page for my internship. I was really confused up til now, looking at this thread has given me some good ideas to how I can actually utilize it.

 

[NotWii]

To me, Twitter is just a public mini conversation.
Not quite a blog, not quite a forum.

 

[shintoki]

Being a tool, there you go.

Its actually nice and useful for a few things, but same applies to myspace, texting, and other things like it. Just becomes another form of whining, arguing, showing off, or anything else about your life.

 

[Meier]

Entertainment?

 

[Liu Kang Baking A Pie]

Apparently everything is serious business to some people at GAF.

Really, as long as you post at GAF or anywhere on the Internet, you're no better than Twitter users. We're all just communicating on the Internet, and some people like to do it in ways different than your own.

 

[SpeedingUptoStop]

Some people can be so bitter about things they don't even use.

 

[faceless007]

There's something to be said for people on GAF hating on Twitter while GAF has "what are you listening to," "what are you playing right now," "what movies have you seen recently," and "show off your gaming setup" threads.

I don't participate in any of those threads and think they're just as dumb as random twitters.

 

[Liu Kang Baking A Pie]

I don't participate in any of those threads and think they're just as dumb as random twitters.

k

 

[faceless007]

k

l

 

[Kung Fu Jedi]

Peer pressured to get a Facebook account says otherwise.

I'm neither for nor against sites like Twitter, I just like to point stuff out.

Seriously? That's your response? Simply don't give in if you don't want to use it. Simple as that. I resisted Facebook forever until my work actually required several of us to start using it. That's a legitimate excuse, but peer pressure? Please.

 

[killertofu]

I use it kinda as a bulletin board. Instead of having to call random people, I just send out a Tweet.
"I'm in _____, who wants to grab dinner?"
Etc etc.


Also a fun way to give random observations in the day. Or twitter voting.

 

[mj1108]

Part useful tool, part random noise.

 

[Terrell]

I use it kinda as a bulletin board. Instead of having to call random people, I just send out a Tweet.
"I'm in _____, who wants to grab dinner?"
Etc etc.


Also a fun way to give random observations in the day. Or twitter voting.

In that first example, wouldn't that only work if these same people you'd normally have to be calling or texting actively use Twitter or are near a device that makes it accessible to them?

 

[gutter_trash]

LOL at mob-guys who use Twitter, they police will have a bread-crumb trail right there

 

[Liu Kang Baking A Pie]

In that first example, wouldn't that only work if these same people you'd normally have to be calling or texting actively use Twitter or are near a device that makes it accessible to them?

Twitter text messages people and has mobile versions.

 

[Brofist]

Another time killer for people with low attention span.

 

[Meier]

To the OP...

caffrin needs restaurant recommendations in D.C.--relatively inexpensive, could easily accommodate a group of 10-12. Help??
about 1 hour ago from web

Random guy followed me at one point from DC after I mentioned being a LEED AP -- thought of him when I saw this.

abellwillring @chrischeatham [Sugg?] @caffrin needs restaurant recommendations in D.C.--relatively inexpensive, could easily accommodate a group of 10-12.
9 minutes ago from web in reply to chrischeatham

chrischeatham @caffrin great built2spill reference. DC restaurant - if you are adventurous, check out Etete - great ethiopian and very cheap for DC
6 minutes ago from TweetDeck

chrischeatham @caffrin Also pizzeria paradiso or two amys are great pizza places.
5 minutes ago from TweetDeck

chrischeatham @caffrin finally, my favorite restaurant is coppis - organic italian restaurant
5 minutes ago from TweetDeck

caffrin @chrischeatham You're the 2nd person to suggest pizzeria paradiso - will definitely check it out. Thanks so much! (you too, Jon!)
4 minutes ago from web

Problem solved. Twitter = awesome

 

[Agent Dormer]

I have a good example: companies have started using Twitter to search for customer complaints or concerns. Earlier, I tweeted:

@dandormer: UPS hasn't updated the tracking information for my Flip, but it's scheduled to arrive today. I'm a prisoner of archaic shipping practices.

A few moments later, TweetDeck informed me I had a reply to my Tweet:

@ThomasAtUPS: @dandormer Good Afternoon. This is Thomas with UPS Interactive Communications. Anything I can do to help?

While the UPS site ended up updating with information I needed, I was able to provide feedback to someone who could take action with the information. Comcast has a similar service in @comcastcares. That, and being able to stay in touch with friends and hear their opinions on things definitely makes it a must use for me.

 

[LCfiner]

twitter is great because of posters like lonelysandwich, fireland, AinsleyofAttack and (when he starts posting again) hotdogsladies

they all post great little jokes and observations that make for quick, funny reading while waiting in checkout lines.

 

[Meier]

I have a good example: companies have started using Twitter to search for customer complaints or concerns. Earlier, I tweeted:

@dandormer: UPS hasn't updated the tracking information for my Flip, but it's scheduled to arrive today. I'm a prisoner of archaic shipping practices.

A few moments later, TweetDeck informed me I had a reply to my Tweet:

@ThomasAtUPS: @dandormer Good Afternoon. This is Thomas with UPS Interactive Communications. Anything I can do to help?

While the UPS site ended up updating with information I needed, I was able to provide feedback to someone who could take action with the information. Comcast has a similar service in @comcastcares. That, and being able to stay in touch with friends and hear their opinions on things definitely makes it a must use for me.

I saw your response to the UPS guy but didn't get a chance to dig further. Neat service. I knew about the ComcastCares one from Mike and Major Nelson. Twitter is probably my #1 site on the web these days (along with GAF and Warchant).

 

[Liu Kang Baking A Pie]

Another clever use of Twitter: Infinity Ward asked people what they wanted in the next Call of Duty game, and they made a site that displays everyone's Twitter response. It actually updates in real-time, so you see new responses slide in at the top of the list as they happen. You can also vote up or down everyone's suggestions.

http://twitter.infinityward.com/

 

[Skellig Gra]

It's mainly about self glorification.

 

[Expendable.]

Twitter is instant news, reactions, responses, and discussion about anything.

For example, the recent plane crash near Buffalo, NY. It happened about 5 miles from my apartment. I was one of the first on twitter to start 'tweeting about it'. I was gathering information and news way before and local news media got to it. I became the number one user on twitter spreading information in a mere couple of hours.

It's really profound how much better it is than any other source of news. I can ask a question on twitter and any number of my 200+ followers, or anyone searching about the topic can respond in seconds.

EDIT: Right after I posted this, this news story popped up on my RSS Feed: Twittering Surgery

Surgeons have found a new way to send updates to other doctors, medical students, and the public during surgery -by using the social networking site Twitter! Last week, doctors at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit “Tweeted” an operation to remove a tumor from a kidney.

Dr. Craig Rogers, the lead surgeon in the Henry Ford surgery, said the impetus for his Twittering was to let people know that a tumor can be removed without taking the entire kidney.

“We’re trying to use this as a way to get the word out,” Rogers said.

Observers say Twittering about a procedure is a natural outgrowth of the social networking media revolution.

“Doing this removes a real communication barrier. It helps make something scary much more comprehendable,” said Christopher Parks, co-founder of the Web site changehealthcare.com. “It brings us closer together and makes us more engaged.”

Awesome.

 

[Liu Kang Baking A Pie]

These two guys met Shaquille O'Neil through Twitter: http://sesquipedalis.blogspot.com/2009/02/finally-use-for-twitter.html

 

[ZeoVGM]

Wait.

...

You're telling me the Shaq I follow on Twitter isn't a joke account?

That's how he actually thinks?

:lol :lol :lol

 

[Kitsuné]

I have a good example: companies have started using Twitter to search for customer complaints or concerns. Earlier, I tweeted:

@dandormer: UPS hasn't updated the tracking information for my Flip, but it's scheduled to arrive today. I'm a prisoner of archaic shipping practices.

A few moments later, TweetDeck informed me I had a reply to my Tweet:

@ThomasAtUPS: @dandormer Good Afternoon. This is Thomas with UPS Interactive Communications. Anything I can do to help?

While the UPS site ended up updating with information I needed, I was able to provide feedback to someone who could take action with the information. Comcast has a similar service in @comcastcares. That, and being able to stay in touch with friends and hear their opinions on things definitely makes it a must use for me.

Yes, a similar thing happened to me. I had a beta for the Mac application Fontcase, but it wouldn't work on my mac os 10.4, so I tweeted this (in Dutch):

"Is de FontCase beta enkel voor Leopard of zijn het mijn gedachten? Ik krijg hem niet in werking op 10.4. Straks eens op 10.5 proberen." (Is it just me or does the FontCase beta only work on leopard? I can't start it up on 10.4, will try again on a 10.5).

Half an hour later I got this reply from fontcase: "@ThoV Fontcase only works on 10.5 yes. Sorry we forgot to mention that"

I thought it was pretty amazing.

 

[FF_VIII]

The point is for people to see what I'm doing on my newly created page!

https://twitter.com/JarOfFliesJC

 

[Souldriver]

The point is for people to see what I'm doing on my newly created page!

https://twitter.com/JarOfFliesJC

OMG you're going to sleep now?!

Subscribed!!

 

[FF_VIII]

OMG you're going to sleep now?!

Subscribed!!

No, you see I'm not! I'm just lying!

I'm keeping my fanbase on edge. They don't know what I'm going to do next!

Tomorrow I'm gonna tell them I'm watching Godfather Part 2...BUT I WON'T REALLY WATCH IT!

 

[Lv99 Slacker]

This thread reminds me of an article I came about across two weeks ago:

10 Examples of Creative Twitter Uses

When you think of Twitter, you probably think of a microblogging tool that helps you connect with friends across the world. But not every Tweeter uses their account just to chat back and forth with their online friends. Some have come up with truly creative ways to use their account.

What follows is a list of the 10 most creative uses of Twitter I’ve seen.

1. Laundryroom- The laundry room Twitter account helps residents at Olin College’s West Hall check on the availability of washing machines at the campus Laundromat. Anytime a washer or dryer is available, a Tweet is automatically sent out to the local residents following the Laundryroom account. Not only is this pretty neat, but it also improves the overall efficiency of the Laundromat.

2. Coffeegroundz Fundraiser- The Coffee Groundz is a Houston-based café that uses Twitter to interact with the local community. However, they recently had a very creative use for their Twitter account when they asked their followers to donate non-perishable food items to the Houston Food Bank. Their Twitter-based fundraiser helped them collect over 260 pounds of food to donate to the Houston Food Bank.

3. Askastripper- Yes, even strip clubs are getting on the social media bandwagon. This Twitter account is linked from a blog of the same name. Essentially, users have the opportunity to ask a stripper anything. Whether you have a question about the intricacies of their job or you just want their opinion on a random topic, the stripper will answer all of your questions.

4. JetBlue- This is another great example of businesses getting the most out of their Twitter account. This airline has different employees man their Twitter account throughout the day. If a customer has any question—whether about potential flight delays or how big their carry-on can be—the JetBlue account will Tweet a quick answer.

5. Missingchildren- But you don’t always have to use Twitter for personal gain. This profile sends out Tweets any time a child goes missing. The Tweet usually includes the child’s name, city, and a link to a picture with more information. They also send updates whenever a lost child is recovered.

6. TvGuide- When’s the last time you actually flipped through a TV Guide? It’s been years for me. This Twitter profile sends a Tweet out each day of all the new shows that will be on that night. You’ll never forget to watch your favorite shows again!

7. Liver4carole- It really is amazing to see all the great causes that people use Twitter for. This account is trying to accomplish exactly what its name implies—to get a liver for Carole. They regularly Tweet links to stores whose proceeds go directly to Carole, as well as updates about Carole herself.

8. GoodCaptain- I must confess, the writer in me is torn on whether this is really cool or a disgrace to literature. Whatever it is, it’s certainly creative. The Good Captain is a book written one Tweet at a time. Simply click back to the beginning, and you can read the entire book, Tweet by Tweet, online.

9. ProjectVino- For the most part, the Project Vino account is just like any other. It’s filled with chats to various friends, and there doesn’t appear to be anything unique about it. However, this social wine site holds wine tastings over Twitter occasionally. They send wine out to various popular Twitter users, and the testers microblog their thoughts live as they taste the wine. Where can I sign up?

10. Amazon- When you first land on the Amazon Twitter page, you might think the account is inactive. It’s not. The point of this profile is for followers to DM a book title or ISBN number, and then, they’ll receive a Tweet with the average price range on Amazon at the moment.