Twitter made the mainstream news headlines with the New York plane crash/rescue where a passenger took several photographs on his pocket camera phone. Ssing Twitter, it was sent around the world before the "traditional" news agencies were on the scene.Barack Obama also used twitter to update followers on his campaign activities.So what is twitter?Twitter is an online microblogging service.Pardon'OK, in everyday terms, it's a combination of a blog a text message and a conversation that everyone else in the world can hear.Anyone can register and it is free."Twitterers" can post short messages (up to 140 characters in length) which can be read by their "followers" (people who chose to receive updates from this person or organisation).Think for a second of the power of this - and bear in mind that an update can contain a hyperlink, a photograph, a video clip etc etc. It's like being able to send a message to the world...So why should I create a learning environment in twitter?Well, one of the advantages of online training is that both participants don't have to be present at the same time for an event to take place. That's the same in twitter.Sending an email is full of problems, people may use several computers, over active spam filters block genuine updates - in short, don't rely on email...With twitter though, everything is displayed on a webpage and (subject to user remembering user name & password) can be displayed anywhere in the world.So, a teacher or trainer can send a booklist or reading list to students the week before an event via twitter.How do I do this?, I don't want the whole world hearing my conversationWhen you go into twitter to set up your account, you can specify that your updates are protected (made private)This is how to do itWhen you register at twitter.com - go to the top right hand corner of the account screen & check the "settings" option.Then, tick the "protect my updates" option. This means that your updates, (posts) will not be published in the "public timeline" - messages that are entered by twitterers all over the world.protectedWhen someone you haven't approved, visits your homepage, they will see a prompt asking them to effectively be a "friend".Just click on the "send request" button" to email a request.So, organising learners to protect updates - you can, to some extent use twitter to create a free learning (or any other) environment.
If you aren't aware of what Twitter is, here is a brief description. Twitter lets you post (the catch is 140 characters total or less) what you are doing, thoughts on a subject, a plug for a product, or a hello to your friends. You follow Twitter users and they can follow you as well.
Here is where I have found a new use of the site. One of the exercises I am currently teaching is how to say what you need to in articulate sentences while still staying in the 140 character restriction.
Yes, there are ways to circumvent the limitations such as using u for you or 4 and not 4 but when you can get a full impact to the reader without having to abbreviate your thoughts, you have learned a valuable tool.
When you speak or write the key is to keep the attention of those that you are communicating with. We often find ourselves endlessly explaining something that could be stated in more concise patterns.
The exercise is can be advantageous for the sports commentator that has to get his point across between each pitch of a baseball game or in between downs of a National Football League broadcast. It can help somebody on a job interview think faster and better their choice of words. Maybe you are a business owner and need to get the attention of a future client in a couple of sentences, or you are writing a headline for a blog post.
Whatever the reason why not try this. Think of a message you want to get across to friends, family, co-workers, and so on. Start to write the contents in Microsoft Word. When you have finished check the character count and if it is over 140 try to condense it without using abbreviations and losing the meaning of your thoughts. The next thing you can do is to take something that you have already posted or written that is over 140 characters and see if you can truncate this as well. It is not always feasible to be effective with a word or character limitation but for practice it can only benefit your speaking and writing capabilities today, tomorrow, and further down the road. What have you got to loose but a few words. Good luck!
Both Jonathan Senior & Craig Fenton are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
Jonathan Senior has sinced written about articles on various topics from Writing, Video. This short report was brought to you by Sharp End Training. The UK's leading workplace assessment company.We can help you get more value from your training budget and spending by helping you accurately target where you spend money.Using our range of onlin. Jonathan Senior's top article generates over 1900 views. to your Favourites.
Craig Fenton has sinced written about articles on various topics from Writing, Dogs and Writing. Craig Fenton is the creator of Painting My Room In A Colorful Way (the ultimate speaking and writing course with written, audio, and phone coaching). He is the author of the Jefferson Airplane book Take Me To A Circus Tent and the Jefferson Starship Have. Craig Fenton's top article generates over 2900 views. to your Favourites.