Archive for December 5th, 2008

Tarrant Social Media “Twend” — Meet Local Folks on Twitter.com #1

5th December

2008

written by the Editor

Social media is huge these days, with so many applications and sites open that even veteran social media “gurus” aren’t using them all. One utility that’s getting a lot of buzz lately is the micoblogging website www.Twitter.com. When you log in and send a “tweet” to your network firends, it’s got to be short and sweet — no more than 140 characters.

One great aspect of Twitter is that you don’t have to know anyone, really, to join — unlike apps like LinkedIn and Facebook which assume you know the folks with whom you want to network, Twitter caters to those who plan to expand their contacts list. On Twitter, you can go from nowhere to somewhere on the social-netosphere fairly quickly. And if you’re veteran social networker, it’s more fun that ever.Think of it as a cross between blogging and texting.

When you join, you’ll be offered to add everyone on your email list, but I’d also like to suggest a few of my favorite Tweeps – no I did not make that up, and it means Twitter People — so you can get in the swim of things quickly. I’ll introduce the first of these this morning.

Add Richie Escovedo on Twitter.com at @vedo

Richie Escovedo, a school communications and public relations guy in Texas; is also a husband, father, and occasional social media strategist when needed.

Twitter Handle: follow him at @vedo for opinions on PR, sports, and parenthood, among other topics. He’s followed by slightly over 400 people.

Blog: Next Communications. Most recent: He thinks the NHL should thank Sean Avery for being a … jerk. Why? Read the post.

Who or what got you started on Twitter, and why? Twitter was one of the first in a set of web 2.0 tools/communities I participated in to get a feel for social media. I wanted to see how to to engage and experiment with social media at first to see how I could transfer what I learned into my professional life as a Communications/PR practitioner.

How did you come up with your Twitter “Handle?” My Twitter handle is simply the last four letters in my last name. Plus, it is an old nickname that I’ve had since high school. I’m glad I chose such a short handle b/c when you only get 140 characters, space is at a premium so I think it might be easier to re-tweet (that’s when you forward someone’s message on to your own network) some of my stuff since it doesn’t take much space to include me.

What twitter applications do you use, if any? Twhirl, Twello, Twitter Search, Tweet Scan, TweetDeck.

Are you on other social networks? Facebook, LinkedIn, various Ning networks, MySpace.

What would you miss most if you were forced to quit? The connections and new people I’ve met and being able to get inside, up-to-date, and breaking information faster than through the MSM.