h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Okay scrap what I was about to write. Twitter (for me) essentially pulls everything together into one place and allows me to talk to many people from one place.

Fun comes from the things people post about be that things they say, things they link to etc.

For specific time, today I offered a Tribes Ascend key to someone on twitter, much quicker to use twitter for that. If they don't want it then I can use twitter to give away. As for fun I got to play some League of Legends with the CEO and another employee for Paradox Interactive (woops namedropping ). I find it just gives you more options to talk to people whereas emails/forums might not be a useful.

Well I sort of understood that.

So it differs from Google...how?

That last @Sho.

@Menthol (see how I'm picking up the jargon, btw ):

OK. So essentially building forums on the fly. I guess I might want to do that occasionally - but I can't imagine it being more than a Sometimes Thing.

Although maybe if I tried it I'd change my mind.

Twitter being useful; I follow accounts of local news sources, E.G., Cambridge evening news, but also the same simular news outlets back in my hometown, so I can keep abreast of what is going on back there... Simularly I follow a couple of accounts which post local job adverts, and use it simularly in following a few local people who post up the minutes in, effect, of the local parish and council meetings, plus any news to do with local policing, our local MP, local planning submittions, etc... plus a few shops online I use regularly, lets me see easily what offers they may or may not have which are relivent to me. Plus I get to use the #ToenailClippings and #LeroyDoorRequestFail hashtags... and follow say, for example, the hashtags for the Manchester meet whilst It was happening... just to make me more envious

Google doesn't really give you direct contact with people though, it's email does but that's slower and doesn't give other people the chance to chance to chip in as well.

Google + is a similar thing to twitter, not sure how close because I've not used it in ages. From what I remember it's more of a cross between facebook and twitter, probably more twitter though.

"@Menthol (see how I'm picking up the jargon, btw )"

I'm very impressed

It's big strength is that it's real time, totally up to date.

I used it this evening to find the name of the royal puppy.

OK - stuck trying to get home by public transport while there's a bomb scare in the city - I can see the point.

I guess I'm doing it the wrong way round. I'm wanting to go 'I've got this problem...I wonder if Twitter will help me with that?'

Instead I should trust that many seemingly sensible people seem to swear by Twitter. If I give it a go chances are I'll find my own uses - which will be different to theirs. The trick will be not getting distracted by Brian Cox's musings. (or whovever)

And Tumblr...Twitter with photies or something else?

With Google, you go in looking for a specific thing or topic and get back links that google thinks are relevant, weighted towards the mundane, straightforward and respectable sources usually. With twitter you get links that other people, usually people I have chosen to follow because I know them(ish) and like them or think they are particularly amusing or give particularly good links think are relevant.

I find that I get more enjoyment out of the latter method than the former method. And usually get better links. Or at least serendipitous ones.

Also, you can summarise your favourite books in 140 characters or less

It did take me a good six months of on again off again use to decide why I like twitter, Ed, yes.

Ah, I see now that my twitter name isn't Gnomon, it's my real name. So I'm not posting it here, although I've no problem with you adding it to a list of h2g2 twitter users.

No, scrub that. Twitter seems to use both my real name and Gnomon42. Don't understand that.

I've got a Twitter account. I've only posted once so far, but may get around to posting again. I have quite a lot of followers though.

So (having not read all the backlog), how does this relate to h2g2?

And In still can't get into the 'reset password' screen. And I know I have one as I registered for Kew, and appear to be following a friend, without realising, so if you discover me, let me know!!!

MMF

Some h2g2 people have twitter accounts and:

1. some of them were hacked
2. Mr603 is collecting all the h2g2 twitter users into a group

Example of twitter being useful: I follow the local newspaper and television news on twitter. There have been at least four instances in the last three months where finding out about a huge traffic problem before the six a.m. news made a big difference to either my commute or that of at least one co worker. Some of the local businesses offer coupon codes only through twitter or facebook. Mike the Tiger does 'twitter Tuesday' where he announces where to meet him that day and what time during which he will hand out free tickets to LSU events.

On the other hand, I don't really tweet a whole lot.

Gnomon, is that your @ is Gnomon42 (or what you said it was) and that it also has your name next to it. You can change the name to anything but you can't change the @ bit.

The @ bit is Gnomon42. The other bit is my real name.

Try going into settings and changing your real name to Gnomon. I told twitter my real name was Lanzababy and they agree with me.