MicroBlogging

"...xo xo gossip girl"
If you're a fan of the tv show "gossip girl", you'll know that the plot and conflicts in this show keeps developing by having the latest rumours posted by gossip girl which within seconds reaches every student's cellphone via SMS text messaging.

Twitter is one app that provides microblogging. "To clarify, microblogging is the posting of short messages (usually 140 characters or less) similar to text or instant messaging, except that you are publishing to the Web. In fact, microblog updates are often sent via text message, the idea being that you can broadcast your thoughts or activities from anywhere so your friends can know exactly what you're doing at all times" (Microblogging: It's Not Just Twitter. By: Hargadon, Steve. School Library Journal, Feb2009, Vol. 55 Issue 2, p15-15).

I, unfortunately, was not able to get the full experience of Twitter since I am only visiting in Canada for 6 weeks and do not have a plan nor a phone that enables me to get Twitter messages directly on my phone. Sure, I feel left in the dark. However, one weekend I was hanging out with my ol' girlfriends and one of them had an apple iphone. She was addicted to Twitter. She was so ecstactic to learn that I was on Twitter. Whenever she a had a free moment, her eyes were glued onto her phone or the login page of Twitter.

The experience isn't as exciting when it's just 10 tweets every 3 minutes on my igoogle homepage. I also see Mack's point when he suggested that you add local people to follow because the information becomes more relevant to your daily life. I personally find it a little irritating how quickly information passes on Twitter. Yes, sure you can do a search, but how can you search for what you didn't know you missed? I guess this is when it's handy for someone to retweet the information you've missed. However, even Mack mentioned how Twitter isn't the best application to look for archived information.

I personally don't like the vibe of Twitter. It almost feels like a mass of disorganized information or it portrays the impatience of people who post over 50 tweets a day. How many of us actually have 50 original and interesting ideas to post throughout an average day? I would much rather read the information on a blog instead of random finds being tweeted at all hours. If some people spend hours each day responding to email, how will they find the time to check all of these tweets that get sent to their phones or reply to them? Sure they are short, but it still takes time to read and reply. And some things just can't be said in 140 characters and some things you just don't need to know about the other person...

The bigger picture...
"[O]rganizations have now begun to use Twitter as a communications medium" (Twitter FOR Libraries (and Librarians). By: Milstein, Sarah. Computers in Libraries, May2009, Vol. 29 Issue 5, p17-18). Sure, there's a time and place for everything. If you have followers as in patrons, customers, future customers, why wouldn't take advantage of this audience to promote new features of products and merchandise? I also see the advantage of instant news updates for something that is happening especially if you are an eyewitness (Male, Aug 5, 2009).

Implications of this tool in the school
The school that I am at does not allow students to have a cellphone in their possession at anytime. I personally feel that using Twitter will tempt the students to use the cellphone function since it's pretty cool and up-to-date! I also worry and see the potential of public humiliation or peer pressure or even bullying with the ease and wide broadcasting of Twitter. I think this is limited so far because you can not just send a message to a certain group, but when this function is available, there maybe social issues that will arise amongst teenagers.

Another issue I am concerned about is the language used on Twitter. I have been using chat programs for over 10 years. I understand that lingos will develop to accommodate the program you use. And with the limit of 140 characters, even more code words will need to be developed. For example, "Tweets contain abbreviations, such as "intl" for "international," "ppl" for "people," "&" for "and," and "b4" for "before." This is borrowed from text messaging, so it's quite normal for those who communicate by texting" (The Art of Twittering. By: Ojala, Marydee. Information Today, Apr2008, Vol. 25 Issue 4, p26-26). This is fine in the Twitter world, however, what if we start finding this in our students formal writing? Or due to the short/informal forms that they see so often, they are unsure of the formal spelling or use of the words? I know this is very possible with my ESL & EFL learners. This also brings up a new nettiquette we need to teach our students. We need to make it clear when it is appropriate to use the abbreviated lingo and when it is not. From my personal experience, some of my friends throughout university didn't differentiate her language in an email between friends and between professors, which was an issue for her.

Now, I don't want to seem all negative here! As Milstein mentions there are some positive uses of Twitter in the library as well. "For example, a library could share all kinds of news that patrons want. Short messages can tell people about events such as readings, lectures, and book sales; newly available resources; or changes in the building hours. One message a day or one a week could share a tip on finding or accessing information online or in the building. Twitter posts can link to interesting news stories about literacy or about libraries. When appropriate, the posts can link to a library's own website and blog for more in-depth information" (Twitter FOR Libraries (and Librarians). By: Milstein, Sarah. Computers in Libraries, May2009, Vol. 29 Issue 5, p17-18).

As you can see, I have mixed feelings about Twitter. So, in the end, I think I wouldn't use Twitter in the classroom, but I would probably use it for library updates, and announcements. I would probably add a Twitter link onto the virtual library page as well.