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  • 8/4/2019 Twitter Demystified and Debunked

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    blog home|whee! the people|the shop|faq|about me|events|contact

    Stuff we talk about around here:

    Destuckification: working through the stucknesses that get in the way of doing your thing.

    Mindful biggification: the art and science of getting your thing into the hands of your Right People without feeling icky or weird. My duckdoesn't like the word "coaching" and I'm not such a big fan of the M-word. So we're mindful biggifiers with fairy dust.I also write about my conversations with walls and monsters, and what it's like to work on a pirate ship. Good times.

    Havi Brooks | August 26th, 2008

    Twitter demystified and debunked

    This is a post about Twitter. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I said Id never do a Twitter post but peop le persist in asking me to explain what on earth Im talking about.

    And Im gradually getting tired of giving my tough love heres the thing, youre doing it wrong talk to peop le whove tried it and th ink its boring or stupid. Itll be a

    lot easier if I can just send them a link.

    And anyway, I promised two readers of this blog who are Twitter newbies that Id give them some tips.

    The great debunking begins.

    You know what? People talk a lot of trash about Twitter but really thats just because theyre doing it wrong.

    And can you blame them? Well, you could, but please dont. Its not their fault. I blame the Twitter myths.

    Yes, its absurd that something so young has already acquired a stack of associated myths and legends, but there it is so lets take these

    babies apart. Its debunking time, my friend.

    Twitter Myth #1: Its microblogging or something.

    Uh, no. Thats not what Twitter is about. Its not microblogging. No one says, Oh, boy! You know what I feel like this morning?Microblogging! Yuck.

    (And, by the way, even if there technically was such a thing as microblogging? So what? Microblogging for those of us who arent socialmedia consultants is an empty, boring, meaningless word. Meh.)

    It doesnt matter anyway whether it is or isnt because everyone is wrong, and actually that whole tiresome Gee, what is Twitter? debate iscompletely over, because what Twitter is, as it turns out, is a bar.

    Its a bar.

    Its the local neighborhood bar/cafe thing where you hang out. A multi-dimensional neighborhood bar/cafe thing.*

    *Only its online. And sometimes from your phone. I know. Get over it, its the future.

    Why do you hang out in your neighborhood bar/cafe thing?

    Because its your local. Its yourplace. Its where your friends are. Its where you make new friends. Its where you go because sometimesbeing smart and funny in your head just doesnt cut it.

    Is it always cool? No, sometimes it sucks. Maybe no one you like is there. Maybe its that new bartender who plays weird music. So you leave.But you come back later anyway because the good days are so, so good.

    This bar/cafe/whatever has the awesomest people in the world and yes, some that are just not your people. Hey, its up to you to choose whereto sit.

    If you sit where people are talking loudly on their cellphones, blowing cigar smoke in your face or hitting on you, then yeah, its probablygoing to be yucky and horrible.

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    If you find a corner where a bunch of smart, interesting people are talking about smart, interesting things, its going to be engaging and soul-nourishing. And fun.

    If you go and dont talk to anyone, you might well wonder why you shouldnt just have your beverage-of-choice at home. Yes, in that case itwill be boring.

    So. It can be the best bar ever or just that lame place on the corner. Your choice.

    Twitter Myth #2: Its about answering the question What are you doing?

    No, no, no. This is a misunderstanding of almost tragic proportions, unwittingly perpetuated by the hapless Twitter regime.

    If you try to follow the rules according to Twitter, youll get lost in a hurry. They ask you right up front to play the game by answering thequestion What are you doing. Do notanswer this question! False start. Fail.

    Twitter is not about What are you doing? in the exact same way that real-life conversations are not about Hey, what are you up to? eventhough they might start that way.

    If you try to talk about what youre doing (unless what you happen to be doing is boxing a poodle while stilt-walking with your poodle-bootertroupe), you will almost certainly be boring.

    And the first rule of Twitter is Do not be boring!

    Worse, you may tend to be honest. You may say things like Eating a banana or Taking my kid to soccer practice.

    I refer you to the first rule, mentioned above.

    So what shouldyou type into that little box?

    Well, the question Twitter really means to ask is What are you thinking? No, what are you really thinking?

    Or: What do you think about the thing that youre thinking?Or: How about you let that voice in your headdo the talking for a minute, eh?

    You know that inner voice? The one that narrates a steady commentary of funny, meaningful, goofy and profound things that you usually justsay to yourself and no one ever gets to appreciate?

    Twitter is that voices new home. It is where that voice goes to hang out. Because that voice needs a voice. I mean, it needs a bar.

    Twitter myth #3: Its a time suck.

    Uh, no. Twitter does nothave to be another procrastination thing. Again, I think you might doing it wrong.

    It really only takes a couple of seconds to post something. Theres a 140-character limit, for heavens sake.

    Then you take three to five minutes to catch up on what everyone else is up to, and youre done.

    Its pretty much always going to be a shorter break than the Oh, Ill just check my email rabbit hole.

    And here Ill briefly put on my giant Hi, Ijustwrote a book on Dissolving Procrastination hat so that you trust my expertise on this ..Twitter is so not the enemy. Its not. Its one of the few right-sized bite-sized breaks youll find on the internets.

    Twitter is recess. And recess is good for the soul. Yes, it can be a time suck. So can anything. Including poodle-boxing. But if you use itmindfully as a quick in-and-out, Twitter is actually a productivity tool.

    A fun productivity tool that also doubles as the weirdest but most successful marketing technique ever and is also a bar. Beat that.

    Twitter myth #4: There are no problems in Twitterville.

    Okay, this is a myth that I just made up. A mythical myth, if you will. Twitter is far, far from a problem-free zone, but here are the three mainissues andtheir solutions:

    (1) As with any bar, there are people who come to get in fights. Some of these are people who just genuinely enjoy a good brawl and some ofthese are people who are mean, hurting, hate-filled trolls.

    Dont hang out by that one pool table if you dont like fights.

    (2) And as with any bar, there will be some creepy guys who want to buy you drinks. You use body language to tell them to back off (thats the

    block button) and if they overstep, report them to @oddfollow and to the shift manager the Twitter people.

    (3) And of course theres the fail whale.

    Sometimes Twitter is broken, and usually just when you really need that metaphorical whiskey or cup of coffee or whatever and your hands areshaking. Its time to face up to the fact that you are addicted to Twitter. No worries. Youre in good company.

    Take whatever smartnesses you were going to spread to the world and turn them into a blog post. It will be back later. Join the Fail Whale FanClub. (Im not even kidding, theres a fan club.)

    Or you can just go to IsTwitterDown.com and press the refresh key over and over again like a rat hoping for a yummy, yummy food pellet.Weve all been there. Its okay. Youll be fine.

    See you at happy hour, right?

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    If you want to follow me Im the one in the pink angora beret I go by @havi. Just so you know, I sometimes say horribly inappropriate thingsthat I would never say here. Thats because its a bar.

    Its also my very favorite place on the internets. Its where that voice in my head likes to hang out. And I pretty much go wherever she goes.

    If you want me to follow you back, talk about poodles. Or start up a conversation. I dont bite.

    Special thanks to Laura Fitton aka @pistachio who accidentally inspired this post by be ing awesome.

    CATEGORIES: stuff I think about | Comments RSS |

    If this kinda seemed like your thing, you might like these too:The truth about procrastinationExtremely unlikely productivity techniquesI dont care about time management.

    Its not freaking... | Non-gross marketing and...

    74 Comments on Twitter demystified and debunked

    1. Aug 26, 2008 - 2:14 pmErica

    So, blogs are cafes, and Twitter is a bar I like it. If you want the slower pace and in-depth conversation and the ability to really payattention to what someone is saying one-on-one, you go to the cafe, and if you want to simply be part of a social milieu and see *whatsgoing on*, you choose the bar.

    2. Aug 26, 2008 - 2:31 pmalycia de mesa

    Hey Havi,

    Thanks for the post, and I think your bar analogy is a really good. I am a brand consultant by trade, and one thing that came upimmediately for me in reading your post is the shortcomings of the company itself in explaining Twitter as both a brand and experience toespecially new users.

    Id love to hear your and others take on whether Twitters culture has evolved to where it is today not because of Twitter the companysstrategy, but rather because of how users actually use it? Can answer me here and through Twitter: @sparklesthesky

    Oh and by the way, I think I need some of your brain yoga expertise caffeine and sugar free just seems too good to be true!

    Take care,Alycia

    alycia de mesas last blog post..Pint Sized Olympic Brand Marketing

    3. Aug 26, 2008 - 2:39 pmHavi BrooksTwitter: havi

    @Erica Totally. Twitter can also do the quiet, cozy British-style lets have lunch in the pub thing as well as the checking out thenightlife thing.

    And sometimes you need say, Whoah, its loud in here, lets take this to DM/IM/email/phone/telepathy/whatever.

    But yeah, Ive met some of my favorite people in the world on Twitter. And some of my other favorite people in bars and cafes. Its allabout connection. Which obviously is sometimes about going inward and sometimes about opening up.

    4. Aug 26, 2008 - 2:53 pmNathan Bowers

    See also:

    Summize.com (Twitter search), TwitPic (picture upload for Twitter), http://is.gd URL shortener (it has a Firefox plugin as well) and TheTwitter 10 Commandments.

    Best way to get followers is to be interesting and to @reply to people you follow (again, be interesting). It helps to have a blog that youmention in your user profile sidebar. People on Twitter without a blog are kinda suspect.

    As with blogging, getting over that first hump of having enough people follow you for it to be worthwhile is hard, but keep plugging. Ipromise its worth it.

    Finally, if you have an iPhone install Twitteriffic.app: its super fun to post pics and livetweet your action packed life (its moreappropriate to tweet about what youre doing when youre not in a cube at home in front of a computer).

    Nathan Bowerss last blog post..Why people at open source conferences use Macs

    5. Aug 26, 2008 - 3:00 pm

    50Like

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    GirlPieTwitter: TheGirlPie

    Yay, indeed, thanks!

    6. Aug 26, 2008 - 3:55 pmAriane

    My Twitter World and my Other World couldnt be more far apart.

    And like you, explaining my outrageous enthusiasm for Twitter, given Ive never done a stitch of social media ever before, comes off aswhat on earth has she been drinking?

    I literally drool when I start talking about someone super cool Ive met on Twitter, or found a speaker for my smARTist Telesummit onTwitter, or set up yet another artist collaboration on Twitteror found a fabulous resoure I would have never found on my own, or oror

    But if that person doesnt tweet, their eyes glaze over. The best time Ive had recently was at a bar, dancing my heart out and talking upTwitter to the younger set. Now that was fun!

    7. Aug 26, 2008 - 3:56 pmAriane

    oops..hit that send button too fast

    All that rambling just to say: this is the perfect post to send to people. Bars theyll get!

    8. Aug 26, 2008 - 10:44 pmVicki Brown

    Hmmm Twitter as local bar. Not being a person who ever has (or would) hang out at a local bar, Im having some trouble with thisconcept. :) I guess Ill have to try to think of what it might be to me. Coffeehouse? Park? Potluck dinner party?

    Mensa party?

    The one thing not covered in your essay is those people who sit off in the corner of that bar, with a few friends around, not joining in,

    talking very quietly behind their hands. I cant follow @OddFollow. I cant read @sparklesthesky.

    If its a bar why are you taking your drinks and chips out to the back alley and not letting the rest of us come along?

    Ive been using Twitter for a year now and I think I understand it. But I dont understand the Im private people who publish their @addresses but nothing else.

    Vicki Browns last blog post..vlb: Changed automatic payment details for credit cards due to checking acct # changes. Ten steps for eachcard/account = nine too many! Grumble.

    9. Aug 27, 2008 - 5:35 amBrandon Watkins

    So, youre saying Im a rat on stilts boxing a poodle? Cool.

    To the comment readers: Follow @havi on Twitter. I have for a few weeks now and shes one of my favourite people I follow.Definitely cool to have around the bar.

    Hey, something Ive found really fun is http://www.posterous.com. Its great when I want to say something longer in a quick, easy way.Its a blog platform (I can hear it now, oh no, not another blog platform wait, really) where you post just by shooting off a quickemail and throwing whatever links or photos you want in the email. Posterous takes the email and turns it into a post and will turn linksinto active content (videos, etc.). Whats also cool is that you can set it up to auto-post the title of your entry with a link to Twitter (I did).Its just a great, fast way to throw out a longer thought when you have one. I use it for all my non-professional passing grumblings. Illlink to it here but I warn you I have a cynical streak. :D

    Also, if you want to follow me on Twitter, Im @brandonw. Anyone who hangs out with Havi has to be awesome enough to hang outwith in the Twitter Bar & Grill.

    10. Aug 27, 2008 - 10:13 amHavi BrooksTwitter: havi

    @Brandon The Twitter Bar & Grill. Love it. Love. That is so great. And thanks for the warm words. I like following you on Twittertoo.

    @Vicki Yeah, I guess I was picturing more of the european style bar that doubles as a cafe that doubles as a neighborhood hangout thateveryone goes to, and less a dark, smoky kind of thing. Work the metaphor any way you like.

    And good point Im not sure why some people come only to hang out with their closed groups, but I imagine it comes from feelingafraid about how others will relate to them.

    @Ariane awesome, awesome, awesome.

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    @Nathan I always count on you to show up with the list of useful resources because thats your thing. You own the whole heres abunch of useful resources thing. So so great.

    @Alycia good question. I think its an important one. Not sure I can tackle it in 140 (!) but have you posted on it? That would make fora super interesting discussion I will think it over and get back to you.

    And everyone else so far three people have joined twitter and are blaming me (and this piece) for it. Were having fun, so come onand have lunch with us in the Twitter Bar & Grill if you feel like it. Its not a cult, really, I swear

    11. Aug 27, 2008 - 2:18 pmErica

    @Vicki Several of my Twitter friends including my sister, who first got me into Twitter ages back have locked tweet streams.Some of the reasons Ive heard for locking include:

    * Privacy from an ex (esp. if that ex is also on Twitter)* Ability to tweet without risking employment at a touchy workplace* Ability to tweet highly personal content to a small subset of folks (often on a second account).

    One friend has a second account he uses just when traveling to sensitive areas for journalistic reasons, to which he constantly reports hisphysical location. Its an account only a select few trusted friends and family can access, and not something hed want to post publicly orspam his main followers set with, but its an important safety measure for him and helps reassure his family.

    I guess for those folks, Twitter *is* more like a private dinner party than the neighborhood bar.

    12. Aug 27, 2008 - 3:40 pmThe Creation of Twitter Best Practices: Round 1

    [...] be boring! (Havi Brooks puts it best on her recent post, If you try to talk about what youre doing (unless what you happen to bedoing is boxing [...]

    13. Aug 29, 2008 - 6:39 pmStilgherrian Links for 26 August 2008 through 30 August 2008

    [...] Twitter demystified and debunked | The Fluent Self: Havi Brooks has written a fine, playful piece about Twitter. [...]

    14. Oct 15, 2008 - 7:35 am

    claire

    Great post! (am I am NOT a spam bot, I mean it :))

    15. Dec 4, 2008 - 12:41 pmYan

    I love the bar analogy, Havi. I love how you relish in being yourself and exposing your quirks.

    So of course I follow you on Twitter even though I havent yet gotten around to start going into that bar all that much :)

    Yans last blog post..How can you feel grateful when life is hitting you hard?

    16. Dec 6, 2008 - 2:13 amWhat is Twitter all about | No More Math, Science,or Technology Phobia

    [...] read this article that helped me get what twittering is. She compares twitter to hanging out at a bar. [...]

    17. Dec 6, 2008 - 2:17 amSheila

    I recently joined twitter and am loving it. I found your article very helpful. So much so that when I blogged about joining twitter (mywebsite is about overcoming math, science, and technology phobias, and for some people twitter is definitely a technology phobia!), Ilinked to your article.

    Sheilas last blog post..What is twitter all about?

    18. Dec 15, 2008 - 9:48 pmKate Williams

    Whew, Havi. This was helpful. In my first 24 hours of Tweeting, I can honestly say Ive been boring and not really sure how to hangout. I have not spent time in bars for year and I dont drink alcohol, ugh. OK, but I do live with the voice that mostly doesnt have avoice. I suppose it will take some time to get in the groove, but at least now I know not to answer the questions, What are you doing?Yikes. I can be so naive and overly truthful, like I just ate dinner and watched some Rachel Maddow (I love her). Anyway, thanks forthis post and know that if my tweets are boring, Im making constant efforts to stop that newbie tendency. :)

    Kate Williamss last blog post..Impressions: Finding That First Right Employee

    19. Dec 15, 2008 - 10:07 m

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    Havi BrooksTwitter: havi

    Funny.

    @Kate aka @KateHeartofBiz on Twitter welcome to the Twitter Bar & Grill.

    You can think of it as a cafe rather than a bar. Or even a spiritual retreat center if you like. The point is that hey, youre not going to geton with everyone but that it really is possible to find your gang and feel at home.

    I dont think youre boring!

    Its just that some people forget that Twitter is a safe place to Be Themselves. So they try to be fancy experts and give value and blahblah blah.

    Its a really great place to play, is the point I wanted to make I guess. Anyway, yay. Welcome.

    20. Dec 21, 2008 - 2:18 pm52 Links on Twitter for Business, with Brief Descriptions Web 2.0 For Small Biz

    [...] Twitter Demystified and Debunked 4 myths: 1. Its microblogging, or something. 2. Its all about answering the question What areyou doing? 3. Its a time suck, and 4. There are no problems in Twitterville. [...]

    21. Jan 9, 2009 - 7:57 amMelek

    This is possibly the BEST explanation of Twitter Ive seen. I didnt need it explained to me, but a lot of my clients and friends did. Loveyour analogy!

    22. Jan 25, 2009 - 10:23 amJoe Schmitt

    This is really good. I wish Id seen it when I joined. Now Ive got it in my pocket for the next generation of Twitterites. Ive tried toexplain the What are you doing before, but you did it so much better.

    And thanks to @kariedwards for bringing this to my attention.

    23. Jan 28, 2009 - 1:21 pmd

    this is the best article ive read on how to get twitter and one im forwarding to the crowd thats asked me to explain. reallythemetaphor works (bar or coffeshop) and more importantly i think people need to think more about adding value to the stream when theyhang out on twitter. no one goes to the bar to recite their day front to back, and no one should be doing this on twitter (or on their blog,for that matter). they should be picking away at their interesting thoughts and letting the crowd into their weirdness.

    be interesting. it sounds like a tall order, but in reality were all very interesting.

    24. Jan 28, 2009 - 1:28 pm

    Desiree - Mother Musings

    Fabulous! Well said! I quite enjoyed reading your explanation & demystification. But evidently, Ive been doing it all wrong because Ivebeen answering that question, What are you doing? Good to know. Now, Ill just let that voice in my head speak out.Ciao

    Desiree Mother Musingss last blog post..Wordless Wednesday 52nd Edition (Thursday)

    25. Jan 28, 2009 - 2:07 pmArjun Basu

    Good stuff. I always likened Twitter to a huge room where everyone talks and always in groups and sometimes what those groups have

    to say are important and sometimes not and then there are the types who just walk around the room from group to group, say hi, and keepwalking. And then you called it a bar. Much better.

    26. Jan 28, 2009 - 2:58 pmJessica (aka @kikarose)

    As someone who has never really hung out in bars (I know. Im a sad, sad loser who was always broke in college and uh, still isalways broke.) I try to explain to people that Twitter is like the ultimate water cooler in a large office, or the lobby/elevator of one ofthose humongous skyscrapers where a million people work for a thousand different companies. You never really know who youregoing to run into at a given time, and theres always a large range of people walking through. And just like working in a huge building ifyou really need to speak to a specific person you know where to find them (Thats the Direct Message function.)Its the analogy I use when people criticize me for following too many people and quote the dreaded You cant have a meaningfulconversation with that many people at once. myth. I didnt have meaningful conversations with everyone I knew in that building, but I

    knew all of them and I liked chatting with most in passing, on the elevator.

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    Great great post. Im off to retweet it all over Twitter.

    Jessica (aka @kikarose)s last blog post..Wordless Wednesday The Woman Behind the Camera

    27. Jan 28, 2009 - 3:07 pmDan at Panhistoria

    I love the bar metaphor. I have used similar metaphors for my own site at times.

    Twitter is indeed one of my favorite local pubs and yes, sometimes the wrong crowd is there and all my friends are home watching the

    game.Dan at Panhistorias last blog post..Grammar and Spelling: Pernicious Beasts

    28. Jan 29, 2009 - 1:00 amTinu

    I will now send this post to everyone in the free world. It may take a minute so dont be mad if Im not back at your cafe til, say,tomorrow.

    29. Jan 30, 2009 - 9:01 amFollow up on Networking with Social Networking

    [...] is one big party, or as Havi Brooks (@havi) describes it in her blog, a fun productivity tool that also doubles as the weirdest butmost successful marketing [...]

    30. Mar 5, 2009 - 9:12 amEve

    Hello, Havi,

    Thank you for writing this, it was very useful to me! I am on twitter and a newbie. I am also a bit of a real life hermit. As I describedmyself in my mini bio, I live completely alone with A dog and A cat.

    So, as you may or may not be able to imagine, the idea of being social is a bit of a sticky wicket for me! Having said that, I am a hermitwith a computer, and this does make me *stand out* amongst my fellow hermitage?

    I also have real life friends but they have all moved away. Am unemployed. Phone NEVER rings. All those those characteristics ofhermit-isolation-deprivation have been in place for a couple years now. No joke, it would have driven the average person off their nutand then some, but I am not average, nor am I really very exceptional

    I do like a proper neighborhood bar, just dont have anyone to accompany me to the one in Moss Landing.

    I think a symptom of my isolation is that I may not be the best *responder* on my little network of tweeters. Oh crap, and theres thatother lamentable character defect of minelaziness. We all gotta be something. And heres my tip to the yunguns out there, it is helpfulto develop a thick(er) skin.

    Am I meandering? Forgive me! If it OK with you, I would quite enjoy following you on the twitternets!

    Sincerely,

    Eve Norton one more r and Id have me a double palindrome ;)

    31. Mar 10, 2009 - 3:31 amSaiba tudo sobre o twitter | Blog do The Best

    [...] que a melhor definio dada ao twitter tenha sido a de Havi Brooks (texto traduzido pela Claudia Belhassof clique aqui) , ondeele fala que o twitter [...]

    32. Mar 11, 2009 - 1:14 pms

    This was so great. But my only problem with this whole senario is a tiny bit of reality: Twitter doesnt serve alcohol. And sometime thesetweets really need drink!

    ss last blog post..How to make the perfect cup of coffee

    33. Mar 11, 2009 - 6:57 pmkim

    yes!

    34. Mar 18, 2009 - 6:02 amO que o Twitter? at Twitter Brasil

    [...] Twitter desmistificado e desmascarado [...]

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    35. Mar 23, 2009 - 7:41 am21 Ways to Market Your Business on Twitter APEX 2.0-the Bond Creative Services eConnect Blogsite

    [...] the Twitter Myths and avoid falling into their traps (dont be [...]

    36. Mar 24, 2009 - 11:30 pmTudo sobre o twitter, a nova mania da Internet

    [...] que a melhor definio dada ao twitter tenha sido a de Havi Brooks (texto traduzido pela Claudia Belhassof ) , onde ele fala que

    o twitter simplesmente um bar e [...]37. Mar 25, 2009 - 9:00 am

    Tudo sobre o twitter, a nova mania da Internet

    [...] uma rede social propriamente dita.Acredito que a melhor definio dada ao twitter tenha sido a de Havi Brooks (texto traduzidopela Claudia Belhassof ) , onde ele fala que o twitter simplesmente um bar e [...]

    38. Mar 26, 2009 - 2:34 amMegg

    OK That helps me heaps, its time !!! to finally join you all on Twitter, Thanks Havi yet again

    Meggs last blog post..Publicity Makeover Giveaway

    39. Mar 27, 2009 - 12:21 amPerry Bump

    Great analogy I loved it! So if Twitter is a bar/pub, then my goal is to be as popular and well loved as Norm in Cheers.

    40. Mar 31, 2009 - 4:39 pmMelinda

    Thanks Havi! I keep getting asked a lot of these questions too. Now I know where I can send them!

    I actually spend quite a lot of time on Twitter, possibly a few hours a night that Id be surfing the internet anyway. Ive met people thatId never have met any other way, had insanely interesting conversations, networked, discussed businesses, cats, womens stuff,businesses, people, life.

    I love it. Its like walking through a doorway and discovering a whole bright shiny fresh new world on the doorstep, just waiting for meto step into the sunshine and enjoy.

    Melindas last blog post..Seven Facts About Me (That Most People Dont Know)

    41. Apr 1, 2009 - 2:53 amPenny

    Awesome. I dont love social networking type sites, but this makes sense. Thankyou.

    Pennys last blog post..Everythings better with a Prize Winning Paper Plane

    42. Apr 17, 2009 - 1:04 amAncient Engineer

    We on the trailing edge salute you. I had heard of twitter and thought, the sound of twits which, if you arent familiar with english of themid 20th century, was an affectionate term for fools.

    So Im going to have a stiff (non-virtual) whisky and give it a try. Cheers.

    43. Apr 24, 2009 - 1:42 amTwitter Explained & A Challenge | Eye On Annapolis

    [...] To be honest, I also grew tired of trying to explain ithey I am just learning it as well, so I am certainly not the expert. But I am prettyhandy at Google and after sifting through the 386 million results for you, I found the perfect explanation. So if you have ever askedwhat is Twitter, please read Twitter demystified and debunked! [...]

    44. Apr 24, 2009 - 9:58 amJason

    My favorite url shortener is http://lnk.by/ because it returns a contextual short URL.

    For example if I share a youtube video, lnk.by returns to me the short url that starts with http://WACH.IT/, easily telling my followers thatit is a video. For audio ( spotify links, mp3s, last.fm links ) lnk.by returns a url that starts with : http://LSTN.IN/ telling my friends

    immediately that this is audio. For images they use http://SEEE.IT/ and for news articles http://READ.im/

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    The service is totally automatic so you know when you see one of those links, it is safe.

    Love it!

    45. Apr 27, 2009 - 3:50 pmMeka

    Wow, I am just getting into twitter and got to your blog from there actually. Nice blog post. It helped me understand things a little betterhehe.

    Mekas last blog post..Journey to Earning Online

    46. Apr 27, 2009 - 4:09 pmPlunging into Twitter MyMindshare Blog

    [...] can now find me on Twitter @jimbursch. Havi Brooks wrote Twitter demystified and debunked, which kind of makes sense tome. So we will give it a [...]

    47. Apr 27, 2009 - 10:52 pmTechie

    Im still not twittering, it takes me so long to get new concepts. I need more lead time.

    Whats coming next over the horizon?

    48. May 1, 2009 - 4:07 pmWednesday Whiteboard #3 AnthroYogini

    [...] 1: I have discovered that Twitter can be useful, professionally. Reading Havi Brookss post over at The Fluent Self I changed mymind about Twitter. Havi has debunked a few Twitter myths in [...]

    49. May 7, 2009 - 10:30 amFollow Philosopher-Artist Pagani on Twitter | Pagani Art Journal

    [...] About what to do with Twitter that is NOT from me: Havis blog. Tags: Twitter [...]

    50. May 19, 2009 - 12:38 pmTwitter :Azor Web - Fabrcio

    [...] Twitter desmistificado e desmascarado [...]

    51. May 29, 2009 - 8:09 pmlinks for 2009-05-29 innovations in higher education

    [...] Twitter demystified and debunked (tags: socialmedia marketing socialnetworking twitter strategy time tips) [...]

    52. Jun 4, 2009 - 2:48 pm

    Making Twitter Less Scary Life After Web

    [...] Twitter shouldnt scare you and why you should be there: Havi explains it best in her post Twitter demystified and debunked. Sherefutes some myths and likens Twitter to your favorite local caf. Thats not scary at all, [...]

    53. Jun 19, 2009 - 11:55 pmO que o Twitter? Blog do Gilton Paiva

    [...] Twitter desmistificado e desmascarado [...]

    54. Jun 29, 2009 - 11:17 am52 Links on Twitter for Business, with Brief Descriptions -- Web 2.0 For Small Business

    [...] Twitter Demystified and Debunked 4 myths: 1. Its microblogging, or something. 2. Its all about answering the question What areyou doing? 3. Its a time suck, and 4. There are no problems in Twitterville. [...]

    55. Jul 13, 2009 - 9:11 amCome Twitter your time away blisscovery

    [...] you have questions about how to tweet, or want to learn the dos and donts, check out this super insightful how-to. Then set up aprofile and tell all of your (bright & funny, sweet [...]

    56. Jul 28, 2009 - 4:44 amWie maakt me los? Twitter als markt EenBergBarbera

  • 8/4/2019 Twitter Demystified and Debunked

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    [...] wordt door Twitteraars (bijvoorbeeld door Havi Brooks en Damian Damjanovski) uitgelegd als een caf waar je vrienden kuntontmoeten. Je vertelt wat je [...]

    57. Jul 29, 2009 - 3:46 amHow To Use Twitter Effectively

    [...] Brooks, a habits educator, views Twitter as the local neighborhood bar . You hang out there, because its your local. "Its where yourfriends are. Its [...]

    58. Aug 28, 2009 - 4:24 pm

    Lesson Corporeal and Practical How THW Gets In Gear

    [...] remembering that Twitter is like bar, Ive learned one drink is enough. Its okay to be a regular, but not a lush. Which [...]

    59. Sep 4, 2009 - 5:31 amPonte Area Blogs Blog Archive O que o Twitter?

    [...] Este texto j existe a algum tempo mas ainda tem o contedo bem atual, foi feito e publicado por Havi Brooks no Fluent Self etraduzido por Claudia Belhassof. Twitter desmistificado e desmascarado [...]

    60. Oct 20, 2009 - 5:31 amTwitter en route vers la clbrit | vrjbln

    [...] En continuant mes recherches je suis tomb sur le guide pour les nuls de chrogeek, ensuite sur ce post de The Fluent Self. [...]

    61. Nov 11, 2009 - 12:53 pmO que o Twitter? | Blog da Dani

    [...] Twitter desmistificado e desmascarado [...]

    62. Jan 11, 2010 - 12:28 pmGames are a waste of time. Right? | Sparky Firepants: Inside the Pants

    [...] I saw Words with Friends mentions popping up in the Twitter bar (Havis term, and please read this post because its dead on), Igroaned and shut it out (see Rantypants above). Another way to waste [...]

    63. May 28, 2010 - 3:23 amLisaTwitter: fitforpaper

    This is the best Twitter post EVER! And believe me, I have been reading a lot of them.Im giving Twitter a second chance, after trying and giving up a while ago, and I really needed to read this to feel a little more optimistic.Thanks!

    Lisa.

    64. Jun 4, 2010 - 4:30 pm

    MaryTwitter: relomary

    Love the postLisa from fitforpaper sent me here. You made me smile and rethink a few things. Thanks for that. See you on Twitter.

    Marys last post ReloMary: @fitforpaper You are 1 creative genius. Ill be thinking about all your great suggestions and well get this done yet!

    65. Jul 14, 2010 - 4:56 amO que o Twitter? (by Havi Brooks) N Ideias Sistemas para internet

    [...] Twitter desmistificado e desmascarado [...]

    66. Aug 10, 2010 - 8:58 amDont Get Twitter? Come Sit By Me. | Abby Kerr Ink

    [...] didnt invent this metaphor of Twitter-as-the-worlds-best-bar/caf. Its been around. But I want to explain to you how to create thisfeeling heck, not [...]

    67. Aug 30, 2010 - 11:08 amTwitter as a hangout | Qrystal.name

    [...] it exactly right, and at the same time, shoots down all those other people who keep doing it wrong. Twitter demystified and debunkedis a great article by an inspiring person who really seems to know what shes talking about [...]

    68. Sep 14, 2010 - 12:15 pm

  • 8/4/2019 Twitter Demystified and Debunked

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    o que twitter Blog Archive Erickdealmeida's Blog

    [...] O post, que do ano passado mas ainda tem o contedo bem atual, foi feito e publicado por Havi Brooks no Fluent Self e traduzidopor Claudia Belhassof. Twitter desmistificado e desmascarado [...]

    69. Oct 8, 2010 - 3:13 pmFriday Im in Love

    [...] Twitter, Im sorry I said all those mean things about you. Now that I know youre a bar, youre much more likable. I might even

    come hang out every once in a [...]

    70. Oct 14, 2010 - 5:38 amMelissa Rahko

    Thank you, Havi and Selma. I have been a Twitter chicken so far. Keeping my head down and pecking at the ground, so I dont have tolook up and see whats going on around me. So, now I have decided I will follow your duck and not be a chicken. :)thank you again Melissa

    71. Feb 25, 2011 - 2:08 pmLinks post: February 25th, 2011 A Modern Hypatia

    [...] adore and recommend on the productivity/doing stuff better front, but found one from her from 2008 about Twitter that I really likedand wanted to highlight its a great focus on Why use this [...]

    72. Apr 4, 2011 - 5:29 amVamos Twittar? Eric Machado

    [...] inicialmente para que as pessoas postassem o que estavam fazendo no exato instante do post. J Havi Brooks, acha o Twitter nopassa de uma mesa de bar [...]

    73. Apr 19, 2011 - 1:12 amSleeping Online, and a Social Media Journalist's Ideas about the Internet | Reporting on Health

    [...] tell them where you go when you're looking for information, etc. The other component is that you have to be present where youraudience is present [link to a Fluent Self blog post debuking Twitter myths]. If you hate Twitter but the health [...]

    74. Jun 16, 2011 - 9:22 amDont be | Trish Barnes Creative

    [...] Havi Brooks, the Pirate Queen. She demystifies Twitter right here. [...]

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