Twitter and RSS Feeds: How to start?

"I am on Twitter, now what?" Isn't that what many new Twitter users think? The abandon rate of Twitter accounts is extremely high (around 60%), as is the rate of 'inactive' users, (56% not following anyone, 55% never tweeted, 53% no followers) (Hubspot stats, June 2009). One of the problems might be the lack of a fancy web site with a lot of movement or flashy stuff. It's not like a new TV channel that you can switch on and watch for awhile, and decide whether or not it's something for you.

Twitter doesn't come easy. When I started out with Twitter awhile back, it finally sunk in after six or eight months, and I understood what Twitter could mean to me. I still have a hard time explaining Twitter to a novice, though. And, my stream is so geared towards my own personal preferences, that it is hardly of use as an example to change most peoples' perceptions. Acute nerd alert!
Detour for Twitter Beginners:
Before you continue, read the New York Times' article David Progue's Twittering Tips for Beginners

All I can do now is provide a starter kit for working with feeds and Twitter applications, and a set of 'trusted people' to get everyone started. "Follow" recommendations are marked with an '@' sign, followed by a short name. This is the syntax convention when referring to a person's twitter account. This blog's twitter account is @SoMeTech (read 'some tech').

Everytime you see what looks similar to an email address in a twitter stream, it is referring to another Twitter user. When you click on it you will arrive at that user's twitter profile and latest tweets (= posting). The new language alone must drive novices nuts!


What can you see in the pictures:
1) Four Twitter Apps: Twitter.com Account administration and web interface for posting, follow, friends list and favorites. Now also with search box and Twitter Trends
TWitPic.comshare snapshots on Twitter
Tweetdeck.com a desktop application that allows for multiple panes, grouping and multiple accounts.
tweetfeed.com an online service for auto-posting of feeds to twitter
List/graphic: courtesy of @Mashable (http://www.mashable.com/).


2) RSSFriends allows you to look at your followers, friends and favorites differently. The twitter.com web site is so rudimentary, that there are literally hundreds of twitter applications out there that make up for the short comings of twitter.com.
Many people actually do not speak of twitter as a web site, but as a platform, and there are rumors that extending the API (application programming interface) for commercial use might be a better business model than plastering advertising all over it.



3) Twitterfeed.com will auto-post any RSS feed you deem fit to post, and will do so automatically. The feed can be from your blog, from a client's blog or from any other RSS feed.
Twitterfeed allows you to prefix and postfix the tweets.
If you have an account and an API key for your url shortener (i.e. bit.ly, Twitterfeed will use it to shorten your blog url, and allow you to keep click-through stats for your posted Twitter links.




4) TwitterSearch is probably the best way to familiarize yourself with Twitter, by searching for a topic of interest. Just entering a few keywords will show you a set of Twitter users, talking about your chosen topic. Click on their Avatar (= profile picture) to check out the "ppl" (= twackrynom for "people"), and their other tweets (= posts to Twitter).

Sometimes a group of people (ppl) tweeting about a topic agree on a so-called hash (#) tag and a twackrynom, to post together on a particular topic. Southwest Florida Twitterers (also called "tweeple") post under #swflorida or #swfl. A trending topic right now is "#iranelection". Tomorrow starts the AAUW Bi-Annual National Convention, and you can follow #aauw09. If you would like to review the Google I/O conference (end of May, 2009), search #googleio.

List of Trusted People...

If you are interested in technology news, follow @mashable or @techcrunch and or @CNETnews and @Wired

I have found http://www.muckrack.com/ to be a great resource for finding journalists online. MuckRack is a directory of journalists that are on twitter, and it follows them providing a twitter stream outside of the twitter website.

For social media topics, you can follow a subset of trusted sources: From a list of New Jersey News @chrisbrogan @pgillin @PaulDunay @dmscott @charleneli @jdlasica @mitchjoel. If you would like to recommend someone, please leave their twitter handle in the comment section.

In January 2009, Amarendra Bhushan of CEOWorld magazine (@ceoworld) posted a list of Top Technology Celebrity on Twitter.

And, if you search with the right keywords, you might find other people that come up with useful lists or directories. If you find some, please post them as comments to this post.

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