So my last post on Twitter titled Human Aggregation has started some really good conversations and some even better e-mails.
Jeff Nugent left a comment with some questions that I tried to answer the best I could. I like it when people comment and stretch my thinking and make me think even deeper about a subject.
Scott McLeod offered up some more suggestions on how to help teachers and administrators get started with Twitter.
Melinda Jurus followed me on Twitter shortly after the article and then sent me a direct message asking if she could ask some questions…again pushing my thinking. I asked Melinda if I could share her questions and my answers to them on the blog as I’m sure others are thinking the same.
Jeff,
Thanks for offering to answer my questions.
Here goes…take your time 
1) I’ve signed up and followed a few people. I see that their posts (twitters? updates?) are on my screen now. Does that mean that if I follow 900 people as you are, that I will have 900 people’s updates showing up on my screen every time they post? So that I will have pages and pages to read? Do you have that?
Yes, that’s correct. When Twhirl updates every two minutes for me I’ll get between 20 and 50 updates (depending on the time of day) Do I read them all? No. Do I skim them? When I have time. Do I ignore them? Most of the time.
Being in China most of the people I’m following are in America so I miss 1000s of tweets a day and I never go back and read them. Here’s my routine: In the morning I come into work Twhirl starts up and loads the last 20 tweets. I’ll skim those. I then look at any replies that people might have sent me while I was not on. I then check my direct messages (although you get an e-mail too). I respond to those that need a response and start my day. Throughout my day I’m in and out of Twitter even though Twhirl is aways running. I ignore it when I don’t have time and post and reply when I do.
I explain it as: I use the network for me…..I don’t follow it like a conversation, I don’t worry if I missed something. I use it when I have time and when I need it, it’s there for me.
That’s how it works for me…and everyone finds how it works for them.
2) I followed you, and you followed back. No one else did. So that means that when I post, you will be the only one who automatically sees it? It will show up on your screen? Others will have to physically come to my page to get my updates?
Correct. Like all networks they take time to build. Put a link on your blog in your signature to your e-mail if you would like and be an active twitterer. What I have found is that people follow others that they see replies too. For example someones does an @jutecht reply to something I post and their followers see that as well and click on my name, read my last tweets and some start following me. That’s how it starts, next thing you know you have 50 people following you and you follow how many and who you want. There is no right or wrong way to use Twitter….you just need to find where this network of educators fits into your day/life/professional development.3) How did you get people to follow you?
There is a setting in Twitter that allows others to see anytime somebody replies to them using the @ sign. So besides what I have mentioned above repling to others in a meaningful way gets your tweets out there and they respond to you and others see that and follow links. Look for the setting in Twitter to receive all replies.
4) Is there a way to follow a particular thread? Or do you just have to scan for the right conversation?
No, the converstion is disjointed more like a chat room than a conversation. The use of the @ sign is important when responding to people to create these conversations within the twitter world, but there is no way to follow a particular thread in twitter (that I know of anyway).
Tags: twhirl, Twitter
A great twitter conversation! /U Tech Tips/ – So my last post on Twitter titled Human Aggregation has … http://tinyurl.com/6r456xQuote
[...] conversation that has been going on around Twitter over at Utechtips.com both here and here has lead to other e-mails and discussions around building networks and specifically how do you get [...]