Tag Archive for 'Twitter'

An Ocean of Messaging via Twitter

Published
by
Jason
on March 30, 2008
in Tips and Resources
. 2 Comments

What is all this twit?

When visiting the cephaloblog you may have noticed the purple squircle on the right side near the top. It’s a little Flash app that loads messages from my Twitter account. Twitter is a free service that allows anyone to send micro-messages of 140 characters or less out into the world wide Web.

It is easy to be skeptical about this tool and it is difficult at first to describe the utility of the service. The best explanation that I have found so far is this video from Common Craft:


Twitter in Plain English, by Lee LeFever of Common Craft


An Ocean of Messages

So Twitter can be about the little things that happen in your life. But it can also be a neat collaboration and connection tool. For instance, I have found a number of users focused on ocean and science topics.

One of them is Michael Coyne from seaturtle.org (seaturtle). He recently got the crew from the popular tech podcast Buzz Out Loud to adopt a leatherback sea turtle. A satellite tag was placed on that sea turtle, named JaMoTo, and it is now sending updates of its position via Twitter. And you can follow along.

Another example is Dr. David E. Guggenheim from 1planet1ocean.org (OceanDoctor). I recently followed a series of messages he sent from the Explorers Club Annual Dinner in New York City. It is unlikely I would be invited to such an event, but it was neat having my own paparazzitwitterazzi there to cover the carpet:

I barely recognize many of my colleagues in clothes, let alone formal wear. I'm used to seeing them in/under the water. 11:57 PM March 15, 2008

I'm honored to be seated at dinner beside Don Walsh, one of only 2 humans to have visited the deepest part of the ocean 08:15 PM March 15, 2008

Sylvia Earle: How did (I) become an explorer? It's easy. You ask questions, and you never stop. 07:51 PM March 15, 2008

Message in a Bottle

At first it is easy to get lost in the overall ocean of messages that Twitter can generate. But the trick is to search for and follow just the folks you find most interesting. I find the people I am following often lead me to information I would not otherwise have normally found, but still within the purview of my interests. In turn, I can post about resources that they may not have noticed either. Plus I get to learn when they are drinking coffee, all at the speed of 140 characters per second (or thereabouts).

So if you are not on Twitter and do decide to stick a toe in, let me know. And if you are already swimming in it, message me directly.

Ocean and Science Twittizens

Here are some of the folks I am following on Twitter: