Twitter and my 140 Characters or Less Dilemma
Posted 01-25-2009 at 01:43 PM by D_Victoria_Virtual_Assistance
I had been hearing about Twitter online and on some of the podcasts my husband and I listen to together, so I decided it was well time to check out this new site that was all the buzz.
So, I typed twitter.com into my web browser, clicked the Get Started Now button and I was on my way.
Once logged into the site, I quickly realized that in order to tell people "what I was doing" I had to do it in 140 characters or less. What?!?! Anyone that knows me, knows I have a tendency to talk (and type) a lot. How on earth was I going to get the hang of this?
It was slow going in the beginning and lots of -20, -50 and -60 text appearing bright red on my screen. I did however get the hang of it.
So, if you are new to Twitter and are wondering how to say what you want to say in 140 characters or less - I want to share two adages that I think seem to fit Twitter to a T.
1. Think before you speak. Think about what you want to type into the text box and re-read what you typed before you hit the Update button. This is good for a variety of reasons -- you can check for typos, read your tweet for clarity and for some, re-consider what you are about to send to thousands of people all across the internet.
2. Less is more. Before Twitter, I did not think it was possible to say what I wanted to say in 140 characters or less. However, I realized it could be done and sometimes, the less you say the better. Also, Twitter is all about the Less is More Concept. You get to interact with people in real time and the conversation can flow really quickly because of this.
Now, I must admit, sometimes I still do find fitting everything into one tweet a bit challenging, but it can be done! Not only is Twitter a great social media tool, but done right, it can help you with your proofreading and editing skills too!
Happy Tweeting
So, I typed twitter.com into my web browser, clicked the Get Started Now button and I was on my way.
Once logged into the site, I quickly realized that in order to tell people "what I was doing" I had to do it in 140 characters or less. What?!?! Anyone that knows me, knows I have a tendency to talk (and type) a lot. How on earth was I going to get the hang of this?
It was slow going in the beginning and lots of -20, -50 and -60 text appearing bright red on my screen. I did however get the hang of it.
So, if you are new to Twitter and are wondering how to say what you want to say in 140 characters or less - I want to share two adages that I think seem to fit Twitter to a T.
1. Think before you speak. Think about what you want to type into the text box and re-read what you typed before you hit the Update button. This is good for a variety of reasons -- you can check for typos, read your tweet for clarity and for some, re-consider what you are about to send to thousands of people all across the internet.
2. Less is more. Before Twitter, I did not think it was possible to say what I wanted to say in 140 characters or less. However, I realized it could be done and sometimes, the less you say the better. Also, Twitter is all about the Less is More Concept. You get to interact with people in real time and the conversation can flow really quickly because of this.
Now, I must admit, sometimes I still do find fitting everything into one tweet a bit challenging, but it can be done! Not only is Twitter a great social media tool, but done right, it can help you with your proofreading and editing skills too!
Happy Tweeting
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I can so relate to this! I'm constantly editing down my Tweets but you're right, it's been a great exercise in *concise communication* AND makes me all the more aware of typos - when you've only got 140 characters with which to convey an idea, every single one counts!
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