XionTawa's Space

Forgive the poorly written title, but this post is about how to use Twitter the best you can depending on why you use it, and the common mistakes people make that either make them stop using twitter or cause them to "abuse" it.

So, you have a Twitter account, eh? Why do you have a Twitter account? Is it for following the latest news/game/celeb/etc? Or is it more for personal reasons, for sharing with family and friends in a simple way? Or is a both?

First, stop. If you do not plan on checking Twitter at least 3-5 times throughout the day, then just log off now. A serious tweeter, posts 9-15 times a day, if you are following just 10 people, that would be 150 tweets to read through at the end of the day, which to just too much to be useful.

Now, take a second, and think about why you are using twitter, then simply go to the bold title that best fits why you are using it.

1.) I use Twitter because I want to stay up with the latest news/game/celeb/etc.

Well then, Twitter makes an excellant news reader, however, this is not recommended, since celebs and news sites sometimes post 20-50 tweets a day, and your average user probably follows well over 50 sources, that is too many tweets to follow.

Now you might be asking "but Sean, how the heck do I use it as an excellant news reader??" simple, just follow thes steps.

1. Only follow the crap you care about, don't follow every news site or celeb just because you like them, that creates clutter you do not need, and you are just ruining your Twitter experiance. (however, if you MUST follow every single person you come accross on twitter, it can be okay, just follow the rest of the steps)
2. ALWAYS use lists! Since you are choosing to use Twitter as a news reader, it would be safe to say you will be following 50-100+ tweeps. In which you will need to use lists to organize these people. List can be found on your profile page here:
   
   
   And then create lists to organize the people are you following so that you can better catch every tweet.
3. Use a Read Later service such as Read It Later or Instapaper to save links/tweets you want to read at a later time.

And that's about it. You are all set.

2.) I use Twitter because I want to follow friends and family.

Twitter is great for keeping up with friends and family, and them keeping up with you, but like mentioned eariler, it takes frequent checking to be useful.

1. Make your profile private.
   
   
2. Get notifacations. Either via a smartphone app such as the official Twitter app, or Tweetbot, etc. Or if you do not have a smartphone, sign up for text alerts and tweeting. This option can be found in your settings here:
   
   
3. Use and check it frequently. If someone is using Twitter they want to hear about you just as much as you will be hearing about them. I post every 1-3 hours, posting 5-12 times a day, and I want to see that from you too :) (just please don't tell us when you are taking a crap)
4. Use the "favorite" button, it is like the "like" button in Twitter, and can be a way of saying "I like your tweet but have nothing really to say about it."
   
   
5. Do not follow people you do not want to hear from. If you have a LOT of people you want to hear from, use lists to sort them into groups, or by importance.

3.) I use Twitter because I want to follow friends and family, AND news/games/celebs/etc.

Simply mix the previous 2 together, but with one major change: Never follow any news/games/celebs/etc. just add them to lists. You can add someone to a list without following them. So you follow your friends and family, and you list your news/games/celebs/etc. :)

If you follow both your friends and family and all that other junk, you will find it would be impossible to read even half of what is on your Twitter timeline.

Tip

If you only care about a hand full of people, and don't have the time or motivation to check twitter all the time, simple click this:

Twitter for SMS Basic Features

Conclusion

Well, there you have it, it's a bit shorter than I planned, and really just covers the basics, but I hope you find this post helpful. :)

Facebook, Twitter, Google Plus, just pick one.

I have always really enjoyed social networks. And one thing I have always believed "a social network is only as good as the people who use it". Personally I really don't care which social network I use, as long as those I care about, and those that care about me use it.

Social Networking is a great way to share you and those around you with anyone else. It's a great way to keep long distance friendships, and kept families together who live all over the world. But lately, I have noticed an issue with all social networks.

The Problem

Before smartphones were in the hands of just about everyone in the US ages 16-40 (hyperbole), we checked out email, Facebook (or MySpace LOL), etc, usually 1-2 times a day, and usually always before bed. Due to limited access to the net, it became a "ritual" to spend a little while reading through the feeds seeing what your friends and family were up to, and to comment and share with them.

This worked great! Most read most, things were shared and viewed, everything was working perfectly for those who enjoyed social networking. But then manufacturers made smartphones they could crap out at an affordable cost to just about anyone.

And then, everyone had access to their social networking anywhere they went, and whenever they wanted. This, completely not making sense, killed the every one reads and everyone shares social networking. Social networking became more about us, and less about the people we were following. Most now, instead of about 90% reading/viewing and 10% writing/posting, spent most of their social networking time posting about themselves or playing games, rather than reading or actually caring about the people they are following.

This new way of using social networks, is killing them. Less and less people are commenting, but those same people are posting, and demanding comments. You cannot expect people to read your crap, if you don't read theirs.

(and just like in a REAL network, you need data going both ways for it to work)

The Excuse?

Now, some may make excuses about time, but the truth is, if you manage your "friends" right, you could read, comment, and make someones day in less than 15 minutes. If you cannot offer 15 minutes a day to your friends, then you don't really have any friends. xD

I follow 12 people rather closely on Facebook and Twitter, and it takes less than 15 minutes a day to read all their posts and tweets. It's really not that hard people.

The Solution!

Simple, choose a time in the day when you have 15 minutes to offer your "friends", get on and read all their posts/tweets, and comment/reply accordingly. Even by commenting/replying with a emoticon or even just a "Cool!" shows people you are interested, and may even make their day. Many people feel lonely, and only posting if you have something to say can only hurt them, why not take a second to "like/favorite" the post/tweet?

Let's take a little time to think about others, eh? You might be surprised how commenting a "Cool!" could completely turn someone's day around.

Conculsion

Now, there was so much more I wanted to say, and so much I forgot to say, but I have already given you a lengthy read. I hope you find this helpful or something.

Thanks for reading! ^_^

First, something you should know. When I Jailbroke my phone, I was expecting a whole new iPhone experiance, I was wrong. Jailbreaking, for the most part, simply adds more convienent ways of doing things, and some better replacement apps for your "built in" apps (such as messages). Now before I begin, if you want to Jailbreak your iOS device, use Lifehacker's Always up to Date Guide.

Now, on to the fun. I am going to show you the 3 things I found worth Jailbreaking for. I am going to start with the meh, and move into the awesome.

Theme-ing your iOS device. There are a lot of options, but this one was the most fun. Complete with animated weather and widgets. (Dreamboard)

Sweet-action shortcuts! Just see for yourself. (SBsettings)

And the best, a better SMS app! (biteSMS)

And that is about it. Of course there are a TON of apps and what not on Cydia, but these 3 things are (so far) the reason I like the Jailbreak. Be sure to check out Geek.com's The best Cydia apps. (talks about tethering and other cool stuffz)

I will close with 2 useful articles: Why You Should NOT Jailbreak and Why Jailbreaking is AWESOME! (scroll down a little to see their "Wonders of Jailbreaking")

Thanks for reading! :)