The most important thing that Weblogs and Wikis did for me? It got me really into Twitter, and I've realized how useful it can be if used correctly.
Critics create an account with a Facebook frame of mind, look at Twitter and think, "Hm, status updates and that's it? What's the big deal?" That's what I thought when I first made an account in the summer of 2010. I searched for me friends and discovered that only a few had a Twitter account, and if they did there was a good chance it was abandoned. So, I basically abandoned my own account for a couple of months. I hadn't discovered my use for it yet.
Along came Weblogs and Wikis, and I was forced to become a real member of the Twitter world. I logged into my account after having to press the "forgot password?" button and saw that I had only tweeted once. It read, "Test tweet." After a few days I discovered a use for Twitter, and it is still my primary use: News. Following the right people and organizations on Twitter has become my favorite way to follow the news. I can turn on CNN or go to the Strib's website and get the latest headlines. But that's according to what that organization is covering -- very limiting. With Twitter, I can get constant updates from any person or news source I decide to follow and, to me, that is the best way to stay informed.
On the other hand, I also produce tweets; I don't just consume. For example, in the context of the classroom, I have put out a call or two about class meeting times and assignments. Instead of searching through my phone's contacts to find someone in class to text, I can just compose a tweet, use #en3177, and everyone in class can see it and help me out. I've also had a little bit of fun tweeting. For example, last weekend I used my phone to tweet, "Wally the beer man sells beer at Sneaky Pete's AFTER Twins games now. Oh how the mighty have fallen..." As you may decipher from the context of the tweet, I had been at the Twins game, went to Sneaky Pete's afterward, and decided to tell my Twitter followers who I had discovered there. I walked in, saw Wally, and tweeted my bit in well under a minute. Isn't Twitter fun?
I see definite (possible) professional benefits with Twitter, even though my attempts at it have been fruitless. When I was applying for summer internships, I made contact with an employer via Twitter. I followed both the company and the editor in charge of reviewing applications. I tweeted the following at one point: "Putting together an internship application for @Coffee_House_." It was a way to make contact with them and let them know I'm here and interested. I got a mention that said something along the lines of, "Yay, applications coming our way!" Since Twitter is so new, and I am so new to it, I can't really place what exactly it means to get a mention. But hey, if you cast out your line to a prospective employer in any medium and get a reply, it can't hurt.
Twitter isn't the only thing that will last for me from en3177, but it is definitely the biggest. I created this blog, and I see myself using it to self publish over the summer. Diigo can also come in handy, but since I do almost all of my browsing on this one machine, I have no real need for it. But Twitter, well Twitter and me will be together for a long time.
