Twitter Mania!

Once upon a time my main purpose for Twitter was to socialize and snoop as much as possible. Twitter for me was live updates on the latest news. This project has made me realize the other benefits and uses of Twitter. When you tweet you are basically tweeting what is on your mind. Whether it is a question, an idea or just something you thought of. You tweet in hopes to get a response to your comments or an answer to your question. Prior to this project I only expected responses from my friends because I only used this to communicate with them. 

1.     How has Twitter been used beyond socializing?

          Besides socializing I think the most important and maybe sometimes overlooked use of Twitter is outreach. Artist and Politicians use this method of outreach to talk to their supporters and keep them updated on their every move. Twitter has also been used as way to self promote. Artists promote their music, album releases and tour dates on Twitter and Politicians use Twitter to promote their platforms. Another way Twitter is used is to stay relevant. When you tweet and you have hundreds and thousands of followers you must tweet every so often to stay fresh in their minds. Otherwise they will think you fell off the face of the earth and even worst they might unfollow you. Being unfollowed on Twitter can be detrimental to everything you stand for because the loss of followers can mean the loss of supporters.

2.       In what ways can Twitter be useful as a journalistic, political and/or organizational tool?  Name and specify these reasons why.

          Journalistic – Journalist write articles and editorials for a living, but what is the purpose of doing this if people may or may not be reading them? Twitter lets Journalist promote their work but challenges them as well. People who are Journalist are skillful writers who have had word limit restrictions in the past but none compares to the 140 word limit imposed on you by Twitter. A Journalist must get down to the basics and tell the reader why they should bother reading their articles. This helps Journalist become better writers in my opinion because it forces them to “spit it out” and possibly improve their writing overall.

          Political/Organizational – Politicians and Organizations can use Twitter for anything. Both can use Twitter to promote and attract people to their political party or business. Twitter is extremely effective for these two types. Also another key use is interaction with their followers. By interacting I mean simply just by tweeting. It does not necessarily mean to tweet followers. Twitter allows them to interact without specifically speaking to one person. Generalizing tweets and speaking to all of their followers will boost their image and support.

3.       What topics/subjects did you choose to follow on Twitter and why?

          Barack Obama – I am a big supporter of Barack Obama. This year’s election was a very meaningful one to me because I was able to vote. My passion for politics runs extremely deep since I keep updated to the politics I follow. I followed President Obama because for one he is our President. Following him on Twitter gives me access to his updates and it lets me know if he is being the good President I believe he is. Seeing his tweet about going to examine New York after hurricane Sandy was reassuring.

          Michelle Obama – I am a huge fan of the first lady. I became a fan after she launched her initiative to stop obesity in kids. I think that she used her status to promote good and shed light on an issue that was not being taken serious. There has been a rise in health initiatives in schools since she spoke out. I also followed her because she is a woman that I admire. She stands behind her husband but she also is strong and does her own thing. I think she is the epitome of a woman.

          Beyonce – I absolutely love Beyonce. She is the Michelle Obama to Jay-Z. She manages her career while having a family.  When I was a little girl I use to sing along to all of Destiny Child’s songs. When Beyonce became a solo artist my fascination with her was taken to another level. She made hit after hit after hit. Beyonce keeps her life private and it makes people want to know more. Following her on Twitter she shares tiny glimpses of her personal life but not too much. I personally believe her level of disclosure is one that we all should follow. The final reason I decided to follow her was because of her and her husband’s support to the presidential campaign. She made people who were not into politics or did not care about politics care.

          Cadillac – The best car maker in my opinion is Cadillac. I am extremely biased because my dad has only ever brought Cadillacs. I am very Pro-America and I tend to shy away from luxury cars because a good amount of them are made in other countries but Cadillac is one of the few American made luxury cars we can be proud of. My dream car is a brand new Cadillac. I just had to follow them to keep updated on the new models they are coming out with.

          Women in Communications in New York is an organization that I have been researching for some time. I first learned about them in an advertisement in the New York Times to attend their annual Matrix award ceremony. I want to be a member one day and I figured what better way to learn about the organization more than by following them on Twitter.

4.       How has this experience using Twitter differentiated from blogging?  From any social media?

          Blogging and using Twitter is very similar. Both allow you to say what is on your mind and gives ample opportunity for others to comment and answer your questions. I think the difference is the word limit and that could either be easy to deal with or tough to deal with. I think all social media has the same purpose but the differences are very technical such as word limits and posting capabilities. Instagram is a good example of this. This form of social media is restricted to posting pictures.

          After using Twitter for this class project and seeing the different ways it can be used I probably will change the way I use Twitter. I thought that I was getting the most out of Twitter but in all reality I was not. This project allowed me to start a clean slate. I was extremely excited because Cadillac replied to my tweet and New York Women in Communications made my tweet a favorite.