The Road to Becoming a Twit, Part 1

“I don’t get what Twitter is.”

 I have heard this so many times in different conversations.  Especially when we meet people who find out what our company does.  It is like the definition of whether you really get mainstream technology or not.  Facebook seems to be a given – everyone and their grandmas are on Facebook, but what about Twitter.  Well, that is my mission – get an answer for those of us not on Twitter to find out “what Twitter is”.

 Twitter’s slogan on their website is:

“Share and discover what’s happening right now, anywhere in the world.”

If you check out Twitter’s About Us section, you will read:

“Twitter is a real-time information network powered by people all around the world that lets you share and discover what’s happening now.” and

“Twitter asks “what’s happening” and makes the answer spread across the globe to millions, immediately.”

They tell you that by using Twitter, you can make better decisions since you have the most up-to-date information.  Using it will enable businesses to stay better connected to their customers.

Simply, in 140 characters, or about the length of a sentence including punctuation, you can relay information that others could use or find interesting.  It is very effective when sharing basic information like a great book that you are reading or a restaurant to steer clear of, and since it is such fast paced information, news hits faster to more people .  For example, when basketball star Shaquille O’Neal was getting traded, he found out from Twitter before any person actually told him.  Another example, is the speedy information transfer to the public when a child has been abducted making rescue efforts more effective.

Now that we know the theory behind Twitter, step 1: Sign up.  On my computer and on my iPhone. 

Next time I will let you know how it is going.  Find me on Twitter under the username lisacjervis.

There’s an app for … the Olympics

Here at SureFire we are all getting fired up for the Vancouver Olympics just like the rest of the country.  Our hearts are soaring with pride over the current medal status and the great effort put in by all those who are involved at the games.  But to keep in touch with what is current while maintaining our top level customer support to our clients, we depend on apps while on the go. [Disclaimer: I use an iPhone because the apps are just really, really cool but other mobile devices may have similar options.]

Currently on my iPhone to keep me in touch I have the Vancouver 2010 Guide brought to you by Bell.  This is a Free app that gives me the following categories to browse through:

• Schedule
• Events
• Venues
• Headlines (including medal count)
• Favourites

Great Feature: For each event that is on the schedule, there is a explanation for how the event works.  This could be very helpful in explaining that in curling when they say they are throwing the rock, they are really just sliding along the ice. 

The other very fun app that I have is the CowBell app from Bell (Free).  Just shake it and you have a great noise maker.  Perfect whether you are at the games or participating from your couch.  Bell has also made this accessible to BlackBerry users, but you will need to press a button for the ringing (not quite as much fun).

The CowBell 2010 1.1 App ($0.99) combines the functionality of both of the above PLUS you can customize the flag design of your cowbell (Bell’s just has their logo on it).  I personally prefer Free, but convenience is nice.

CTV has their own app, but so far the reviews are not so great if you go for the free version.  The tone so far is that you can get a lot further with other free apps than CTVs.  NBC also has an app, but not all functionality is available in Canada.

Greg Gazin on www.canoe.ca has a blog that lists 11 apps for the 2010 games.  Check it out.

What apps are you using to keep up-to-date at the Olympics? Let us know.  Leave a comment.