Twitter for Dummies - Laura Fitton [43]
One of the first of these community Twitter accounts was 140Story (@140story), tiny stories told in 140 characters. Other Twitter accounts have popped up that aggregate tweets into short stories, like a giant Mad-Lib.
But no list of community Twitter accounts would be complete without SecretTweet (@secrettweet). Similar to the popular Web site PostSecret (@postsecret), SecretTweet gives Twitter users a place to share their deepest, darkest secrets on Twitter’s public timeline without divulging their identities. Twitter users can get something off their chests and read the secrets of others. SecretTweet has been called everything from addicting to brilliant to sad.
Small Business, Big Community: NYC’s @shakeshack
Small businesses wanting to use Twitter to build loyalty, take note. Here’s what Jason Schwartz (@jschwa), the gentleman who implemented the @shakeshack bot (see figure), has to say about the Twitter community built by twittering fans of the Shake Shack, one of New York City’s most social eateries.
The heart of Silicon Alley is designated by the ShakeShack, a burger joint in Madison Square Park. Lunchtime lines stretch around the Manhattan refuge for the fabled burgers and shakes. It is the favorite meeting place of NY-based tech startups to discuss business, social media, and how to push the medium forward.
To facilitate tweetups (impromptu meetings facilitated by Twitter), the @shakeshack bot was created. This is how it works:
1. Someone (say, me, @jschwa) decides to head to the ShakeShack and tweets
@shakeshack I’m in line, come join me for lunch
2. The @shakeshack bot then automatically retweets this message, saying:
Via @jschwa I’m in line, come join me for lunch
3. People who follow @shakeshack see the tweet and join their colleague, who is likely close to ordering by the time they arrive.
The @shakeshack bot is regularly used to report the length of the line, organize snow ball fights, and as part of the networking fabric of Silicon Alley (a nickname given to the area of Manhattan where a concentrated number of tech startups are located).
Hundreds, if not thousands of NYC area twitterers are now more aware of the Shake Shack, and it’s become a must-visit for Twitter enthusiasts when in NYC for meetings or pleasure.
For the curious and technically-inclined, the code for the @shakeshack bot can be found here: http://smr.absono.us/2008/04/anatomy-of-a-twitter-bot.
Part III
Twittering in High Gear
In This Part . . .
If you’re reading this part, you’ve probably already established a bit of a presence on Twitter and have some friends and followers. In this part, we kick it up a notch.
We go over the tools and tricks that can make your Twitter experience more efficient, more rewarding, and more accessible for you, such as third-party applications and mobile updating.
Chapter 7
Tricks of the Twitter Gurus
In This Chapter
Minding your Twitter manners
Adding links to your Twitter updates
Exploring your Twitter activity
Tweeting like a pro with shorthand codes
The more you use Twitter, the more you’ll notice how complex the potential uses of this deceptively simple service have become. Celebrities, companies, and all sorts of everyday Twitter users are discovering their voices on Twitter, creating a whole new culture in the process. Yet at the same time, each twitterer has a slightly different way of using Twitter.
In this chapter, we provide an overview of protocol, etiquette, and culture that have developed on Twitter. This chapter can help you figure out what tends to be more effective and what tends to not go over well on Twitter, plus ways to be efficient. Keep in mind, though, you’re going to come up with your own rules and standards while you tweet.
Following Twitter Protocol
Many Twitter neophytes want to know what the rules are or whether Twitter has standard protocol and