Twitter and tumblr are two example microblogs. Some social network sites may also include a microblog feature such as the “Update Status” feature in Facebook.

With twitter you can follow, or be followed, by other twitter users. Your messages, called tweets, are limited to 140 characters. You have the option to add a photo or your GPS location to your tweet as well as include links in your tweets. Tweets are public but you do have an option to send a private (direct) message to a follower. You can organize your tweets chronologically and by groups that you create. You can also search tweets to find out what others are saying on a topic or who is being mentioned.

This Common Craft video explains why people use twitter. Twitter provides a means to let other people know what you are doing in a 140 characters or less. Your followers get to know you better by knowing how you spend time. Businesses and education use it to let their customers and students know of upcoming events.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ddO9idmax0o

This Common Craft video explains why and how to use trending topics and hashtags to learn more about what’s going beyond your friends. Twitter tracks trending topics by how often a word is used so users can follow what’s being most talked about. Additionally, by using the hashtag # before any word in your tweet, you can create a searchable keyword that others can find and tweet about. In essence, you start and promote a set of tweets about a singular topic. If enough people add tweets to the topic, it becomes a trending topic.

youtube link