Thing 14: Twitter

This is one of those things that I read about a lot, know is important to be aware of, but have absolutely zero interest in, personally.

I've read that Twitter was helpful for attendees at recent library conferences, who were able to follow other attendees' tweets from presentations that they couldn't attend or to see others' opinions, in real time, during a presentation. I think I would find that distracting (reading tweets while trying to follow a presentation), but I understand why some people would like to participate this way.

I've started following a few libraries and librarians and have found that the tweets I'm interested in either duplicate blog content I've seen in my RSS reader, or is information I would rather get in my RSS reader.

If I were use microblogging personally, and follow the tweets of friends/family, I suppose I would find it fun. There is a similar function in Facebook called "status" where friends say what they are "doing now." Many of my friends use it to out-obscure-film-or-song-reference each other, which is amusing. But I don't need these witticisms pushed to my mobile device as soon as they are written. I'm satisfied with finding them, after the fact, when I check my facebook every few days.

One professional use that I have found useful/interesting: I subscribed to the RSS of a Twitter search for "Evanston Library." Anytime someone writes a public Twitter post with those words, I see it in my RSS Reader. There have only been a few so far, but I think it is good to keep an eye on what people are saying about us in this forum. It supplements my regular Google Alert, which sends me a daily email with any new website or blog posts that mention the library.