Well my Twitter followings and followers and I ( @vale24) have shared and bookmarked lots of really interesting links recently so here’s a recap in case the speed of one-four-o chit chat has whizzed by you too fast. Catch up on our shared knowledge:
EFL Pro-active Twitterers have blogged great tips and suggestions

http://twitter.com/burcuakyol
Burcu Akyol Top ELT Pepople to Follow on Twitter tks @burcuakyol for the mentions
Karenne Sylvester English Language Teacher’s Guide tks @kalinagoenglish for tech tip #11
We’ve explored new Twitter tools
- Want to share some audio file you recorded? Try http://tweetmic.com/
- Want to add Pics? Tired of http://twitpic.com/ see how http://twitgoo.com/ compares
- Need to explain something. How about creating a screencasts for Twitter http://screenr.com/
- Interested in statistics http://twittruth.com/ (found out “I’m an engager” because more than half of their tweets sent are a response or mention another user)
- Hashtag searches http://hashtags.org/ or #hastag submissions and definitions http://tagal.us/
- Twittionary http://www.twittonary.com/
- Need a question answered https://tweetbrain.com/questions/all
- Looking for someone, use the yellow pages http://www.twellow.com/
We have discussed Twitter types and annoying habits
- 15 most annoying types of twitter users by JD Rucker
- Which Twitter Type are You (thanks @maishawalker )
We’ve read up on suggested behaviour
We’ve discovered old and new theories
We’ve Analysed the demographics of Twitterers reported in leading papers
- NY Times article: Who’s Driving Twitter’s Popularity? Not Teens
- Guardian article: The net’s closing in: Ofcom report reveals boom-bust cycle of new media
We’ve browsed top this and top that lists
We’ve seen the benefits and dangers of letting businesses invade our every second
…so there really is very little left more me to add!!
Well OK then, what more can I say really except this is certainly NOT “a communal senior moment” (see http://twitter.com/thornburyscott/status/3551432598 “Is Twitter just a communal senior moment? Chit-chat in the old folks’ home?? )
I suppose, one thing that intrigues me is our range of personal reactions to the 140-characters we receive, so apart from the obvious “must hit reply” or “must RT” reactions, here are my 9 personal reactions for a week in @vale24 tweets
Sample 1 from Sue Lyon-Jones @esolcourses
The opposite of Twitter: new site requires 1,400-character minimum http://su.pr/1UmGnu
gave rise to the “WOW! Who would have thought of that?” reaction
Sample 2 from Steven W. Anderson @web20classroom
Educational Blogs, organized by discipline… http://is.gd/2ycZs (maintained by @mcleod)
led to the “Click Fav” reaction (no time to read now but must see)
Sample 3 from Shelly S Terrell @ShellTerrell
Homework as outsourcing via @kirstenwinkler http://bit.ly/AeQMS
produced the “create a column for that #edchat hashtag” reaction
Sample 5 from Jeremy Harmer @Harmerj
What are the odds for bumping into Paul Seligson and family by chance at trafalgar square. 2day’s evidence? 100%
provoked the “100%” reaction
Sample 6 from Gavin Dudeney @dudeneyge
Blue Mars – first ten minutes… can´t turn around and walk back to where I came from. Click to walk? Really? You think that’s good???
sparked the “Are we living on the same planet?” reaction (obviously not!)
Sample 7 from Ojane Grant @intro_tj reply to BBC Click survey
@BBCClick #techsaving my tech dont save me money. but it sure save me frm going insain lol Yeh right?ght about thisets
confirmed the “Tell me about it!” reaction
Sample 8 from BBC News @the_magazine
Is it ever advisable to grow a Hitler-style moustache? http://ping.fm/Xdhk3
brought on the “Next question, please?” reaction
Sample 9 from Neil Ballantyne @farang_utang
Interesting talk by @mikewalsh Gravestones in Jpn contain scannable image which plays to a life movie of the deceased on the visitors mobile”
gave birth to the “Well I never! Whatever Next?” reaction
Sample 10 from Karenne Sylvester @kalinagoenglish
hmmm… I should favourite tweets of my own that I want to find again. Note to self.
released that “Note to self” reaction
So you thought sample 4 was missing hey??! Nope! Sample 4, 11 and 34 ARE missing ?? What are your REACTIONS? How do you react to the 140-characters? Reply here or @vale24 to share your most common or one of those extra-ordinary reactions. Add to this “off-the-of-my head” list, if you feel like it!
Or perhaps @zappos summed it all up already – tweets make you happy? Do they make you grateful, more open, even less frustrated by life’s experiences? Would you agree they make you so much more observant about little things? Or perhaps with Tweetdeck on, you’ve turned your head away from the little things that surround you? Which piece of lego are you looking at? Sure, tweets can be daft and mindless but most weeks thanks to great followers, like the ones I have, the tweets and inter-actions I’m treated to are thoughtful and very inspiring.
Thank you Twitter & Twitterers for all the great emotions!
August 31, 2009 at 9:35 pm
Very thorough look at several tweets! You have a lot of people on here from various areas of education and I agree these people should be followed and are great tweeters.
Also, I think your post highlights the conversational aspect and emotional aspect of Twitter. Several people are under the misconception that Twitter is only about meaningless updates. However, you have provided several examples that should dispose people of these beliefs!
August 31, 2009 at 9:51 pm
Thanks for your comment Shelly. I wanted to call it my Inter-Reaction to really highlight that fact, that’s the focus is on the people not the tool and how the exchanges take on a new nature. Sometimes as Michael Wesch says in his post From Knowledgable to Knowledge-able: Learning in New Media Environments many “see the world through a rear-view mirror…. and] march backwards into the future”
It takes a whole new mindset and the changes are so rapid and intertwining so complex that it’s hard to conceptualize everything fully but our personal opinions and exchanges are really important for growing….
Twitter more soon! Thanks again for all your insightful sharing,
V