(Updated post)

How to use Twitter

If you’ve spent a lot of time on the internet recently you have probably heard a lot about Micro-blogging and more specificaly, Twitter. I’ve noticed that a lot of people have heard of, but don’t know how to use Twitter. I’ve been using it for a while now so I thought I would share what I’ve learned. Im not expert but I think this covers all the basic, plus there are some links to some other, slightly more in-depth articles.

What is it?

In a recent attempt to define Twitter is came up with the idea that if traditional blogging is like writing a diary then twitter is more like logging and sharing SMS messages. It allows you to post messages comprised of text (140 characters max) to your page on the Twitter site i.e www.twitter.com/your-user-name. As Eric notes Twitter is open and transparent rather than private like email or text.

Whilst others can subscribe to this feed and have it presented to them on their twitter homepage, it can also be viewed by anyone (unless you wish to hide your updates).

Those who already use Facebook will find that Twitter is similar to the ’status update’ displayed below their name on their profile page ie ‘Thomas is…’ In fact as DiscoBeta notes it is now possible to integrate your Twitter updates with your Facebook status. Once you have joined Twitter you can ‘follow’ people which means that you receive their updates. They can then choose to follow you back. You update your status whenever you feel like it. You can say what you are doing, post a link or just get something off your mind. You can update via www.twitter.com/home or by mobile.

Mobile updates

Twitter can be updated via your mobile phone in two ways. You can text your Tweet (message) to their number (see below) or, if you have wap enabled, you can visit the mobile version of their site at m.twitter.com. Most blogging sites offer this kind of service, allowing you to update when you’re not at your computer. This is, after-all, the best time for you to answer the question which appears above the input area on Twitter: What are you doing?

Twitter also allows you to receive updates about those you are following direct to your mobile phone. In the UK these are limited to 250 a week due to the cost involved This is no longer an option. (in the US most users pay to receive SMS messages so we have it much better here!). Updates can be turned on or off at any time. You can also choose to follow some users on the web but not via your mobile.

Uses

To make the most of Twitter you need to get your friends using it. You can send out messages directly to certain people or to everyone at once. You can update people regarding you whereabouts and stay in touch cheaper than by using text messages as you only need to send your message once and Twitter distributes it for you.

I can imagine that Twitter would be particularly useful to people who are traveling away from home (depending on overseas text charges) as you could give your friends and family your homepage url and keep them updated without them needing to register. You could update your micro-blog without needing access to an internet connection.

DoshDosh has some other useful ideas about how to use Twitter for those who are a little more advanced.

Commands

These command are sent to +44 762 4801423 from the UK and 40404 from the US. Before doing this you need to link up your account with your mobile. To do this click on ’settings’ >> ‘phone & im’ and enter your mobile number.

invite [john's number] john sends a text invite to john

follow username you will get phone updates from this person (requires initial approval)

on enables twitter updates

get gets recent updates from all your friends

get username gets this person’s last update

nudge username encourages this person to update

leave username disables updates from this person

off disables twitter updates

stats a few statistics about your Twitter account

help sends back a list of twitter lingo commands

followers sends back a list of your followers

d username message sends a direct message to this person.

Who to follow

Here are some interesting blogs to follow:

TwitterLit – The first lines of great books.

Cookbook – Recipes in under 140 characters.

BBC – News updates.

JKottle – Of Kottle.org fame.

wordsREthings – My Twitter page

Just a quick heads-up for those looking to make their summer holidays a little cheaper (aren’t we all?) Here are some summer car hire discount codes for easyCar. Enter these codes at www.easycar.com for up to 15% discount on summer car hire. I think this covers all areas but I have only checked car hire from Aberdeen airport and car hire at Heathrow airport so far. This discount depends on the month – the earlier you book the cheaper it is. Codes are entered in the ‘get a quote’ section of the site. These end at midnight tomorrow (22/06) so you will have to be quick!

5% off all cars in July – promo code HOT

up to 10% off in August – promo code HOTTER

up to 15% off in September – promo code SCORCHIO

easyCar Car Hire

I’ve just read that young people in the UK spend 34 hours online each week. This seems like a lot especially when you consider that their parents spent 0 hours a week online. I can remember back as far as dial up (back in the bad old days) when it would take you 34 hours to load a basic website. We are the first generation to grow up online and I wonder what effect this will have. Other than the inability to communicate or function in the real world probably not much. Actually we must benefit greatly from being connected. We can communicate with people from all over the world and we have a platform to make our voices heard. We can also share photos of kittens!

In the future the Internet we probably wont think about logging on as we will be permanently connected via a multitude of devices. In fact that is possible now. For instance with Three you can have a pay as you go mobile broadband connection without a phone line. 3g mobile phones already mean that we can connect when we are on the move meaning we don’t need to ever be offline.

I have a 3g enabled mobile phone and I love having Google at my fingertips. Being able to use Google Maps with gps positioning is very handy. As well as this you can look up prices of things online whilst in shops to see if it is any cheaper online!

Peter Eastgate is a 22 year old from Denmark how dropped out of college because he preferred playing online poker. This story has a happy ending however as Peter as just become the youngest ever WSOP champion.

Eastgate taught himself to play Texas Hold ‘em at high school and has never looked back since. His win against Ivan Demidov won him $9.45 million. The final poker game took place last Tuesday in Las Vegas.

Eastgate called Demidov’s bluff with a diamond flush. He said that he would have been happy with a top 5 position but was pleased to have won.

Friday links: Sea kittens, Mitch Hedberg and other odds and ends.

Strictly Come Dancing Odds. Because a celebrity dance competition is worth betting on. My money is on John Sargent and the Marilyn Monroe look-alike.

Apparently fish should be rebranded as ‘Sea Kittens‘. I think that P.E.T.A might have been taken over by the staff of The Onion.

“I put Spot Remover on my dog and now he’s gone.” A whole bunch of Mitch Hedberg live sets and interviews available for your listening pleasure.

a giant Spider eating a bird. Warning: may traumatise sensitive readers (everytime I close my eyes I see giant spiders).

How to confuse an idiot. I was just glad it wasn’t a Rickroll.

Mobile Banking

You can probably access your Bank account in several different ways. Online banking has taken off in a big way in recent years and most banks offer this service. You can even use telephone banking if you don’t have regular access to the internet. Now there may be another way to keep your finances in order: via your mobile phone.

Mobile updates on the balance of your account have been available for some time now. This services is sometimes offered in conjunction with Online saving accounts. Soon mobile banking will become more sophisticated allowing you to actually transfer your funds to other accounts.

A study by Lloyds TSB has discovered that 60% of internet banking users would like to be able to monitor their money through their mobile phone. The ability to organize your Current account whilst out and about would certainly be useful. As mobile phones begin to be able to display traditional webpages (following the IPhone’s lead) the need for banking by SMS message may vanish however.

Uganda to ban miniskirts?

Uganda’s ethics and integrity minister Nsaba Buturo has said that miniskirts should be banned as they can cause drivers to lose their concentration and crash. Buturo compared wearing a miniskirt to appearing in the street naked saying “These days you hardly know who is a mother from a daughter, they are all naked.”

Also on Mr Buturo’s list of things threatening the fabric of Ugandan society are “Theft and embezzlement of public funds, sub-standard service delivery, greed, infidelity, prostitution, homosexuality [and] sectarianism…”. Proving that if the minister gets his way there will be no fun to be had in Uganda.

Under the proposed new laws anyone caught wearing a miniskirt would be prosecuted for being dressed indecently. The short skirts may be considered lethal weapons leading to a possible amnesty. Fears have been rased that this ban could spread around the world leading to a lack of morale amongst the male population.

Glen Lampshade for president

Anyone who listens to Stuart Maconie and Mark Radcliffe’s BBC2 radio show will know the enigma that is Glen Lampshade. For those who are unaware of the man, (the legend) here is a little primer.

On each show Radcliffe and Maconie play three records and discuss the connections that link them, asking members of the public to phone in with suggestions. The name of the item is The Chain. Last week was the turn of Glen Lampshade who now passes into radio folklore.

I attempted to explain the joy of hearing a man talk about his problems with his noisy neighbours in a brummy accent to my girlfriend but she just looked at me slightly puzzled. However The Glen Lampshade Appreciation society on Facebook proves that I’m not the only one who was crying with laughter at the Lampshade.

“Is there a reason you are called Glen Lampshade?” “Well yes and no, but mainly no.”

For the full audio play the video below which someone Beth has kindly uploaded to Youtube.

And now the nation waits with baited breath (or perhaps just haliatosis) for an update on the Lampshade’s employment troubles, over to you Glen…

Itunes Genius Playlist Generator

Itunes version 8.0 features a new peice of software designed to autonmaticlly create playlist of similar sounding music. The new feature is called (with characteristic modesty) Genius. So far the feedback has mostly suggested that it is incorrectly named.

Those who have already downloaded Itunes 8 can try out the feature for themselves. When a song is playing, click on the Genius icon which looks like this:

Itunes then picks out other supposededly similar songs from your collection which might go together well. Persuamly this is based on the Genre tag and the tempo of the song.

I would be able to tell you how well it copes with Venietian Snares or Naplam Death but I don’t have a Itunes store account. That’s right folks, you need an account in order to use this new feature. I only use Itunes for it’s Podcast handleing skills as I have a brain to think for myself and therefore I have a proper mp3 player not an Ipod. (Oh how I love to insults vast sections of society at once).

So far those who have tried out Genius and then gone on to blog about it (not a very fair test) have found it a bit unreliable: Itunes Genius blog search.

The Genius sidebar also analyses your musical taste and suggests songs you might like. The difference is that the sidebar suggests song you might like to buy rather than songs you already own.

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Do Bad Carpets Make People Gamble More?

Have you ever noticed that Casinos always have bright, gaudy carpets? They tend to have swirling patterns of clashing colours which have never been considered tasteful. We all know why you wont find a clock in the Circus Circus but why the crappy carpets?

Here are some possible answers:

• To keep your eye line up where the action is.
• To produce a wild, hyper real atmosphere.
• To stimulate people who may be getting tired and thinking of quitting.
• To hide stains.
• To not get old. If they are never in fashion they will never go out of fashion.
• To produce a sense of vibrancy and action.

Has this attempt at subliminally effecting the action of potential gamblers been passed on to online gambling? A cursory glance at a few online casinos would suggest not. Perhaps sites offering online poker should have bright, gaudy backgrounds?