The very first message from Twitter® ran “just setting up my Twttr”, and what followed is history. The original name that Twitter started off with used to be called Odeo, which was a podcasting company. The basic idea was to use SMS to convey messages that had to be in short codes containing not more than five characters. Twitter, which is a description of the chirping of birds that come in short, sharp notes, was an appropriate name as the messages sent through Twitter were supposed to be short and crisp. It was originally meant to be used as a means of communication among the employees of Odeo, however as it became very popular the company promoted it in a big way and in the year 2007 the tweeting, as the messaging is called, reached 60,000 per day and ultimately touched 400,000 in a quarter.
Tweets can generally be viewed by all members. However, if you wish to allow just your followers to be able to view your messages, you may block all the others. It is possible to monitor the tweets of fellow users, which is generally referred to as ‘following’ and the people following are called ‘followers’ or tweeps, which is a combo of twitter and peeps. You can access Twitter using your smartphone and by using certain apps that are released periodically. Posts are classified according to a particular topic or by prefixing either with a hash or an ‘at’ symbol which is followed by a username selected by the users.
There are certain topics that get tagged more than the others and these are called ‘trending topics’, probably because they set a trend for others to follow. There are raging discussions that can have multiple participants when a topic gets really hot. There are ways to find out how a casual topic got converted to a raging trending topic. Unlike Facebook® which has a lot of teenagers and pre teens (though not permitted officially) as users, Twitter has more adult users. Now that several celebrities from the music world and Hollywood have become avid Tweeters, the younger generation has started showing a keen interest in using Twitter.
Twitter Redesign
With the introduction of the redesigned Twitter app for iPad that has given it a new look, Twitter is set to test more territory. You can now upload a new header photo to your profile which will be more prominent. The photo can be viewed on all interfaces with a single upload. Your photo will start appearing just below your tweets that were sent recently. You can easily scan all the pictures quickly and select any by clicking and view a full screen version along with the tweet. Videos can now be viewed better in the timeline. The Connect and Discover regions have been spruced up and are now easier to use than before.
Screenshot of the redesigned Twitter layout of @BreakingNews.
The Discover tab can now be used for accessing topics classified as trending topics. The activity tab highlights all the new favorites and retweets. The new app also has a feature which is animated in 3D and rotates to let you view the account you have chosen. The Connect tab lets you find out which of your tweets have been ‘favorited’ and if anyone has retweeted you tweets. You also get to know about tweets meant for you and the latest of your new followers.
I agree completely. Using this added space to your full advantage can only help. Good post and I really like the fact that a traditional medium is being heavily introduced into a digital format.