Twitter: Who I Follow & Why I Tweet
I don’t remember why I created a Twitter account back in March of this year, but I certainly can’t imagine my life without it now.
Are you one of those people who are online (via cell or computer) during most waking hours? Do you ever wonder what some of your friends and family are up to, or where they are, but don’t feel like calling or emailing to find out? If so, I highly recommend that you either sign up for a free Twitter account or find out which of your loved ones and buddies already use the service so you can follow them.
I casually refer to Twitter as ‘cyber-stalking with permission,’ but in reality it is a quick social networking message system. When you have an account, you have up to 140 characters to answer the question, “What are you doing?” in real-time, as often as you like. Some people offer very specific and personal details, while others are purposefully mysterious or controversial. You also have the option to reply to someone’s update, often resulting in a tweetversation.
So why do I use Twitter? Several reasons…
- It is a shorter, easier & more frequent method of sharing w/o blogging
- Post links to new entries from this blog & my LOST blog
- Networking
- Idea sharing/brainstorming
- Live event updates (i.e. Comic-Con)
- Discover new blogs & sites, as well as fellow LOST & film/TV fans
I am ‘following’ just over 600 people on Twitter right now, so I obviously don’t have time to read every update. And because there almost 360 people following me, I try not to inundate or bore them by ‘tweeting’ too often. Frankly, most of my life is pretty mundane. I tend to post updates via Twitter when they pertain to pop culture (rather than over-share with personal details; even though I am all over the map online, I still try to maintain a degree of privacy).
Here are just a few favorites from the hundreds I follow:
Whitney Matheson: USA Today columnist (Pop Candy)
Greg Grunberg & Brea Grant: Heroes actors
J.R. Orci: writer/producer, Fringe
Jesse Alexander: writer/producer, Alias/Lost/Heroes
Mo Ryan: Chicago Tribune columnist (The Watcher)
TheODI, DocArzt & DarkUFO & Ryan from The Transmission: Lost scoop
DuckyDoesTV, GiveMeMyRemote, Ramblings of a TV Whore, theTVaddict: TV bloggers
SlashFilm, FirstShowing, Cinematical, AintItCool: movie news, interviews
Brill, Hanh, Rick, Andy, Sarah, Ryan, Korbi: Zap2It TV team
You have the option to link Twitter to your Facebook status updates, but I’m not a fan of that particular option for my page (I update far less on Facebook). On my iPhone, I use the free application Twitteriffic to catch up and post new updates on the go.
If you’re interested in following me, feel free to bookmark my Twitter profile: http://twitter.com/jopinionated. If you already have an account or create a new one, make sure to click ‘follow’ under my LOST icon (and I will follow you in return).
When in doubt, exercise caution before drunk-tweeting or sharing specific work and life details via Twitter. Before I post anything, I keep in mind that my mom follows me; it can be a tad disconcerting to receive calls from her with a specific question about or statement regarding something I forgot that I had posted on Twitter…but it is one of the many ways for her to keep in touch and involved from across the country.
So…do you tweet, and if so – who do you enjoy following on Twitter?