Get your tweet on
A short form of electronic communication is taking the world by storm, leaving facebook and email in it’s wake. Twitter is a social networking and micro-blogging service that allows its users to send and read other users' updates (otherwise known as tweets), which are text-based posts of up to 140 characters in length.
Updates are displayed on the user's profile page and delivered to other users who have signed up to receive them. Senders can restrict delivery to those in their circle of friends. Users can receive updates via the Twitter website, SMS, RSS, or through applications such as TwitterMobile, Tweetie, Twinkle, Twitterrific, Feedalizr, Facebook, and Twidget, a widget application. Four gateway numbers are currently available for SMS: short codes for the United States, Canada, and India, and a United Kingdom-based number for international use. Several third parties offer posting and receiving updates via email. By September 2008, Twitter had well over 5 million visitors.
TV host Jonathan Ross and Stephen Fry are both keen twitterers. They discussed the joys of tweeting (correct verb, according to a recent discussion on Twitter) on Ross’s recent comeback show, where Ross also recommended it to Hollywood start Tom Cruise who might just start. Barack Obama famously tweeted throughout his campaign. John Cleese is a regular. Even Britney Spears is at it. But what exactly is Twitter? And do we care?
According to web experts, this so called “micro-blogging service” is the new facebook. Facebook, in case you missed it, was (until Twitter came along) the new email; a social networking website on which you talk to friends, put up pictures and, increasingly, advance your career. Recent figures show 974 per cent increase in Twitter traffic over the past year making it the 291st most visited site among UK visitors by mid-January this year. Industry analysts are now saying that more than 2.25 million tweets are now posted everyday worldwide.
Famous Twitterers from the top 50 celeb list along with their recent tweets:
1. Stephen Fry: 98616 followers
Read his Twitter feed at: http://twitter.com/stephenfry
Type of celebrity: Comedian, Actor, TV presenter, Wit
Typical Tweet: “600 people went to the theatre, not to to see Oliver but to compete in a paper & chocolate wrapper rustling competition. Others came to cough”
3. Britney Spears: 53290
http://twitter.com/britneyspears
“I love Japan! I think all the tiny cars are so cute! –Britney”
6. John Cleese: 44142
http://twitter.com/JohnCleese
Actor, Comedian
“Thank you everyone for the messages. Remember I am practically dead, barely functional. Your patience is appreciated. Will blog again soon”
7. Jonathan Ross: 43432
http://twitter.com/Wossy
Tv Presenter, Comedian
“You can lead a celeb to twitter but you can't always make them tweet.”
18. Arnold Schwarzenegger: 11147
http://twitter.com/schwarzenegger
Governor of California, former actor
“This is about clean air, saving drivers' money at the gas pump, and about reducing dependence on foreign oil”
35. Boris Johnson: 2281
http://twitter.com/MayorOfLondon
Politician: Mayor of London, Columnist
“Sorry everyone for my radio silence. Not been sking but in Davos. Wall to wall bankerfest and crazy busy schedule. Promise to twitter mo ...”