How do you use Twitter? We asked dozens of our users that exact
question. What resulted from their responses is a series of quirky and
inspiring articles. We call them Twitter Tales.
Frankly, @thebloggess
was hesitant to even sign up for Twittereven perhaps a bit hostile
toward the idea that in addition to blogging she should somehow produce
"tweets." What were these tweets? What did they do? Was it inappropriate
to tweet in public? Would it stop her even if it was? Was the entire
world watching?
The Bloggess Comes to Twitter
A number of her friends attempted to convince @thebloggess
to join by showing her tweets talking about her blog postswhat better
way to encourage her to join than to show that other people were talking
about her behind her e-back, after allbut she remained resistant.
Ultimately, in 2008, a friend opened an account in her name and
threatened to tweet in her place. Concessions were begrudgingly made and
@thebloggess started her Twitter journey.
Her goal was both simple and terrifying: "If I am going to do this,
I am going to entertain myself." Her Twitter account would become the
"behind the scenes" commentary to her blog. It would also become an
irreverent, rebellious, oddly wig-filled, and utterly hilarious
documentation of an otherwise normal(ish) life.
The Highlight Reel
Highlights of @thebloggess' two-year tweet rampage include three awesome events:
As part of a campaign to bring silliness back into the world, @thebloggess
tweeted about her adventures at a sandwich shop where she put the name
"wolverines!" on her order, thereby making an employee have to shout out
"Wolverines!" when her food was ready. The idea caught on like
wildfire, and a few blog posts and a few hundred tweets (not all by her)
later, #wolverines was a trending topic on Twitter.
After a surprise nomination in the "government" category in the Shorty Awards that was later rescinded due to @thebloggess
not actually being in the government, she tweeted her outrage and was
officially appointed the "Czar of Nothingness" in Martindale, Texas, so
she would be eligible for another Shorty Award in government. However,
due to the unfortunate technicality of her not having been in government
at all prior to the nomination, she won't be eligible until next year.
After an argument with her husband that led to him stating that he
would only be impressed by her Twitter presence if she was "famous
enough to get William Shatner to come over for dinner," @thebloggess
embarked (with the full, joyous support of her followers) on a Twitter
campaign to get William Shatner to come to her house to "save her
marriage."
William Shatner, perhaps perplexed by the preponderance of
messages, blocked her; this led to another, even more widespread
campaign to get Shatner to unblock @thebloggess. He did, though he's yet to come over for dinner.
The group of followers who supported her efforts became known as the "Bloggess Army" and went on to start another account, @thegoodbloggess, that helps individuals who are in a tough place in life.
Viva la Twitter!
As her voice evolved on Twitter, @thebloggess always focused on tweets that are fun for everyone
(though especially her). This has included posting photos, videos, and
retweeting other users she found amusing to her stream. She also has
used Twitter as a personal support tree, noting
mid-conference-inspired-possible-anxiety-attack that "I love Twitter.
I'm still alone but no longer lonely. #mom2summit."
After a 2009 anxiety attack left her alone in a hotel room and
unable to physically be around another person, she reached out via
Twitter and, thousands of replies later, was awed at the level of
connection she'd achieved.
Despite her initial resistance to Twitter, @thebloggess
found much more than just an extension of her blog or a wider audience
on Twitter. She found a group of wry misfits to connect with, a
"bloggess army" to help other people with, and a unique way to share her life with her followers and friends.
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Twitter information throughout workday commute
Twitter Tales: Our Users, Their Stories
How do you use Twitter? We asked dozens of our users that exact
question. What resulted from their responses is a series of quirky and
inspiring articles. We call them Twitter Tales.
Many Bay Area commuters know how it feels to stand for
hours on a Caltrain platform wondering where in Gods name their train
is. The train system, which is the main mode of public transportation
from San Francisco to Silicon Valley, is notorious among riders for its
lack of communication about delays caused by mechanical problems or
accidents. Getting any real-time information was nearly impossible. That
is, until Ravi Pina created the Twitter account, @Caltrain.
Tired of delays
Ive been a Caltrain commuter since I moved here in 2006, says
the techy 32-year-old who travels daily to work in Silicon Valley from
San Francisco. Like many other riders, Ravi quickly grew tired of
unpredictable delays. Coming home was a particular pain-point,
especially in 2007 with a spike in delays sometimes up to two hours or
more. Something had to be done.
When Ravi started tweeting from @Caltrain,
his idea for the account was simple: technology-equipped riders could
send an email from their phone or computer to a special address Ravi
managed. The first 140 characters of the emails subject line would be
broadcast from @Caltrain
as a Tweet to all of the accounts Twitter subscribers. Im a huge
nerd, Ravi adds. So, I have resources available to me to create this
system. The barrier of entry for me was low. I thought, make it simple
send an email to one account, figure out how to limit abuse.
It worked. Ravi initially asked coworkers to test the system,
submitting real-time messages about delays affecting the trains they
were currently riding or waiting for. Riders up the line could catch the
Tweets, ask questions, and submit their own updates. I make no
assertions that this is an official service account. The philosophy I
had was to provide an easy solution to the community that could help
them help each other, says Ravi. I wanted to see where the community
would take it.
Information throughout workday commute
With over 4,000 followers and more than 400 approved contributors,
the account has clearly taken off. For some, its become an invaluable
source of information throughout their workday commute. Rider response
has been all spectrums of positive, everything from this is cool! to
thanks for the great service to people who use it religiously. For
some, the service has become part of their way of life. They are so
grateful, Ravi says.
Ravi adds that his mornings are now much less stressful. When he
wakes up to his phone vibrating off the dresser with SMS messages from
the @Caltrain
account, he hits snooze on his alarm clock and drives to work or takes a
later train. Reflecting Twitters own belief in communication and the
open exchange of information, he adds, Theres a huge value in the
aspect of community in this and having that constant and reliable feed
of relevant data. Anyone willing to embrace this is one step ahead of
the curve in terms of communication.
Ironically, official Caltrain employees have fully embraced @Caltrain
and the updates its riders contribute. But, theyve yet to reach out to
Ravi and create or maintain something like it themselves. If Caltrain
ever said, Look, we want to officially do this now, they definitely
could, Ravi laughs. Until then, stranded riders can text Follow
Caltrain to 40404 and immediately become a part of the community.
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Twitter is Sweet
Twitter Tales: Our Users, Their Stories
How do you use Twitter? We asked dozens of our users that exact
question. What resulted from their responses is a series of quirky and
inspiring articles. We call them Twitter Tales.
The woman behind @cakespy's
cute and quirky Twitter commentary is just as sweet as you'd imagine.
In fact, her lifes mission is to make the world a sweeter place
through art and baked goods. How is she accomplishing this goal?
Through her artwork, her passion for local bakeries, and her Twitter
account.
A writer, illustrator, and small business owner with a penchant for
baked goods, Jessie Oleary spends her time creating artwork inspired by
cupcakes, cakes, pies, and the like, and seeks out sugary inspiration
wherever she goes. She sells her work out of a small shop (CakeSpy Shop)
that she opened this year in Seattle, which grew from a website she'd
built. I actually noticed that Twitter is one of the most powerful
tools in generating traffic to my online store, says Jessie, who was
more than happy to leave her day job in full-time pursuit of desserts
and art. I can promote, engage with people, and have fun.
I actually noticed that Twitter is one of the
most powerful tools in generating traffic to my online store. I can
promote, engage with people, and have fun."
Using Twitter as her primary marketing tool, Jessie has mastered the
art of creating clever, entertaining updates and understands how to make
Twitter work for her. I think that people see through it and get tired
of it really quickly when all you do is push your product, she
explains. It's often more interesting to give them some of the
backstory via Twitter in addition to updating them about relevant news
and products."
With this in mind, Jessie uses Tweets to gather feedback on art
projects shes working on, survey customers and gather ideas from
like-minded Twitter users, document her adventures sampling baked goods,
and to drive traffic to her blog and store. I seek out sweetness in
everyday life, Jessie adds. Sometimes thats literal in terms of
visiting bakeries; sometimes its figurative in terms of my art. I
report on it, and share it. And the world or at least Twitter is a
little sweeter for it.
This one time...
@cakespy
received a Tweet from a fan asking if she could illustrate an Andy
Warhol quote: My ideal wife would have a lot of bacon, bring it all
home, and have a TV Station besides. She jumped at the challenge,
created a masterpiece,
and used it to propel more artwork. People loved it! Jessie recalls.
I started posting weekly Andy Warhol illustrations on Twitter.
How do you use Twitter? We asked dozens of our users that exact question. What resulted from their responses is a series of quirky and inspiring articles. We call them Twitter Tales.
When Merlin Mann created his best-known Twitter account (@hotdogsladies) in early 2007, he immediately fell in love with one notorious aspect of the online service: what he calls “the happy constraint of 140 characters.” “As someone who talks about creative work all day, you learn to love constraints,” says Merlin, who's often described as "a reluctant productivity guru," infamous for his unconventional presentations on personal productivity and knowledge work.
“My friends and I try to rise to the challenge of seeing how far we can go with just those 140 characters. It ended up that it was a perfect medium for a certain kind of humor and observation,” he adds.
“It’s just the right amount of space to make a small joke, with a twist.”
As it turns out, almost 100,000 followers (and counting) think @hotdogsladies rises to the challenge in his short, clever messages. He tweets about funny things he sees on the street, posts snarky pop culture commentary, and makes hilarious and often very nerdy jokes.
“I want to tell a little story,” Merlin says of each Tweet. “I want to create a little world in there where you have to figure out what the missing piece is, and where it’s not obvious what I’m saying – like a puzzle you have to figure out.”
Merlin is straightforward about the way he uses Twitter: not as a social media platform. “I use it as a self-publishing platform. Much the same way I'd use a blog,” he explains. “For a long time, I kept a running file with jokes and ideas that I might want to someday transform into a joke for Twitter.” He publishes these short quips every day or so, and doesn’t worry much about whether his fans get it or not. “Half the people who follow me are there because they get the jokes; I suspect the the other half probably aren't even sure WHY they're there,” laughs Merlin. “Truthfully, I don’t craft stuff to be retweeted. Not a fan.”
In fact, Merlin is probably the only person on Twitter to say that, once in a while, he feels like he has too many followers. “I’ll realize I dislike that pressure of facing a big, half-interested audience. So, yeah, I'll try to get the fence-sitters to dump me,” he says with a laugh. “I’ll post something that will totally piss people off, like ‘Nice hat, Justin Bieber—do they make it for men?’ and then, in brackets, show my current number of followers. Just so everyone could track how many people I could persuade to split.”
Ironically, it’s precisely this attitude that seems to make Merlin so popular. He understands what many others seek on Twitter, and he delivers it daily. “No one really cares about my life, or your life; what they care about is being amused. Twitter is a place to have fun,” he says.
Merlin spends much of his professional life helping people find the time and attention to do their best work (check out his upcoming book Inbox Zero). “With email,” he explains, “I have no control over what people put in my inbox and no control over what my expectations are about it. But the great thing about Twitter is that you don’t have to repeatedly see anything you don’t want to see; I have 100% control over what lands in my Twitter stream.” That observation has led Merlin to develop some pretty insightful tips on how best to use Twitter. Among them is: “If they aren’t amusing you, unfollow.” Certainly, Merlin offers that exact advice to all of his own followers. Even still, the numbers just keep climbing.
His best tweets:
“If the LOST guys redid The Bible, there'd be 3 Marys, a subplot about Job's imaginary spaceship, and zero resolution on who Jesus's Dad is.”
“James Carville always looks like he's struggling to remember whether he just ate a ferret.”
"Joining a Facebook group about creative productivity is like buying a chair about jogging."
“Chili's is America's lonely ex-girlfriend. You arrive starved and confused; you leave sad and gravely clear on why things never worked out.”
“Innovation is a lot like risotto. The few who make it well just go make it; the many who can't yammer about it until you want to stab them.”
“Look: it's not journalism unless it's printed on costly paper you throw out one hour after some guy literally drives it to your door. Daily.”
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