• Skip to main content
  • Skip to header right navigation
  • Skip to site footer
  • About
  • Contact
  • Subscribe
  • Advertise
method logo sxs 280x96 wht

methodshop

tech news, reviews & how to's

  • Trending
  • Latest
  • Tech
    • Apps
    • Internet
    • Software
    • Security
    • Games
    • Advertising
  • Life
    • Entertainment
    • TV & Film
    • Music
    • Health & Science
    • Family
    • Social Media
    • Food
    • Style
  • Learn
    • Tutorials
    • Reviews
    • News
      • Business
      • Crime
      • Politics
  • Fun
    • Featured
    • Humor
    • Holiday

Home : DIY & Tutorials : What Is Twitter? How To Explain Twitter To Your Grandma

twitter grandma
twitter grandma

What Is Twitter? How To Explain Twitter To Your Grandma

What do you say when someone like your Grandma asks you "What is Twitter"? Here are some tips.

Sep 15, 2008 by jayfrankwilson
FacebookTweetPinLinkedIn
Table of Contents[Hide][Show]
  • What Is Twitter?
  • 3 Reasons To Use Twitter+−
    • Variety of Content:
    • News Source & Instant Information:
    • Promotional Tool:
  • Popular Twitter Users
  • To Be, Or Not To Be… Connected On Twitter
Reading Time: 3 minutes

Has someone asked you yet “What is Twitter”? As Twitter continues to gain in both popularity and users, those of us already on Twitter might find ourselves in a position where we have to explain Twitter to a non-techie type person like our Grandma.

What Is Twitter?

So what do you say when someone asks you something silly like “What is Twitter?” or “Are you on the Twitter?” Here’s a “how to” article full of images and videos that help explain some functionally and uses of Twitter.

According to Wikipedia, Twitter is a “free social networking and micro-blogging service that allows its users to send updates (otherwise known as “tweets”) which are text-based posts of up to 140 characters in length.” 

Yeah, I can’t really see someone like your Grandparents or John McCain understanding that sentence (sadly McCain can’t use email yet). So what should you say? How do you explain Twitter? 

Try saying something like this:

Twitter is a free online service that allows you to send messages to hundreds (or even millions) of your friends all at the same time. Your Twitter friends receive an alert each time you send a new message either on their mobile phones and/or on their computers.






Common Craft’s Explanations in Plain English video series is another great way to explain complicated tech stuff to people. This “plain English” video explains Twitter using friendly paper stick figures and colored pencils: 

NERD NOTE: In addition to co-founding Twitter, Biz Stone is a designer and writer with a keen interest in personal publishing. Upon discovering the blog format in 1999, Biz embraced it and went to work cultivating the medium first as a creative consultant to various blog providers and associated projects–such as Xanga, Blogger, WebCrimson, and BlogBuddy. You can follow Biz on Twitter here: @biz

3 Reasons To Use Twitter

The inevitable follow up question to “What is Twitter?” is “Why would I want to use Twitter?” So now you need to explain the value of Twitter.

Variety of Content:

Part of the reason why Twitter is growing so fast is because of the variety of content available. Everyone from major icons like Barack Obama and NBC’s Today Show to the average teenager, are already on Twitter. Everyone has a unique viewpoint and Twitter makes it very easy to express ourselves.





Today Show Twitter Feed From 2008
TODAY Show Twitter Feed From 2008

News Source & Instant Information:

Twitter users are all tweeting information as it happens and before it can be elegantly written up into a blog post or news article. It’s like tapping into a collective word-of-mouth source with the ability to spread instantly. 

Want to know things before other people do? For example, who Barack Obama picked for his 2008 running mate, which conference speaker or after hours party you should check out, or what new Apple product Steve Jobs is announcing during his next keynote? All of this information will be on Twitter first. If you work in the media, the tech industry or like being the first to know things, then Twitter is a very valuable information tool. Some savvy journalists are even using Twitter to score breaking news leads.

Promotional Tool:

Twitter can also be an excellent promotional resource. At one point in our lives, we will assume the role of “promoter” for something or another. If you are in a band, have your own blog, are throwing a big party, raising money for a charity or just want to show off your vacation photos to your friends, then Twitter can help you quickly get the word out.

Here are a few examples of “promotional” tweets that can help drive web traffic.

Reading: Cow Farts Collected For Global Warming Study http://bit.ly/tiPeW

— methodshop (@methodshop) August 15, 2008

New blog post: Happy Anniversary to iMac http://tinyurl.com/66axxx

— Cult of Mac (@cultofmac) August 15, 2008

Popular Twitter Users

If someone asks you who they should “follow” on Twitter besides their friends (and @methodshop), tell them about a website called Twitterholic. Twitterholic.com provides a list of the 100 most popular Tweeters based on the number of their followers. 

The top 10 people on Twitter changes frequently. Current top Tweeters include Ashton Kutcher (@aplusk), Ellen DeGeneres (@TheEllenShow) and Oprah Winfrey (@Oprah). But just for fun, here are a couple historic screen grabs from August 2008. Barack Obama is #1 with 57k followers and Kevin Rose from Digg.com is #2. At the time the screen grabs were taken, the 2008 American presidential elections were only months away and Twitter hadn’t gone mainstream yet. Barack Obama used his Twitter account to help build hype around the announcement of his VP running mate, Joe Biden. As a result, Obama quickly skyrocketed in followers, and he stole the top slot on Twitter from Mr. Rose.

Barack Obama Promotes The Announcement Of His Vp Choice On Twitter
Barack Obama Promotes The Announcement Of His VP Choice On Twitter

NERD NOTE: Twitter began as a research and development project inside San Francisco start-up company Obvious in March 2006. It was initially used internally by the company’s employees, and officially launched in October 2006. The service rapidly gained popularity. In March 2007, it won the 2007 South by Southwest Web Award in the blog category.

To Be, Or Not To Be… Connected On Twitter

Remember, Twitter is for staying in touch, having conversations and keeping up with friends no matter where you or they are. It all depends how connected you and they want to be. Have fun and good luck!

You can “follow” MethodShop on Twitter at @methodshop.


FacebookTweetPinLinkedIn
Category: DIY & Tutorials, Internet, Social Media Tag: Twitter
Previous Post:Large Hadron Collider Didn’t End The World – Yet
Next Post:iPhone Traffic Cam App [review]

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Sidebar


Popular Posts

robot reporter

Job Automation Using ChatGPT Could Make These Jobs Obsolete – Is Your Job On This List?

nbc chimes feature scaled

The Surprising Story Behind The NBC Chimes

lg tv disable home screen scaled

How To Change The Default LG TV Home Screen To Live TV

sleepless bear

20 Famous People Who Are Members Of The Sleepless Elite

google naked

7 Pictures Of Naked People Captured By Google’s Cameras

Caddyshack Quotes

30 Famous Caddyshack Quotes That’ll Make You Laugh

rooftop woman

10 Naked Sunbathers Busted By Google Earth

harrypotter sex

Controversial Nimbus 2000 Vibrating Harry Potter Broomstick Has Parents In An Uproar

dmas top usa

Top 200 Nielsen DMA Rankings (2023) – Full List

dvd rewinder scaled

The Amazing DVD Rewinder: Be Kind And Rewind Your… DVDs?!


Categories

Advertising Apps Business Crime DIY & Tutorials Entertainment Family Featured Food Games Health & Science Holiday Humor Internet Learn Life Music News Politics Reviews Security Sex Social Media Software Style Technology Travel TV & Film Uncategorized



radio studio

The Future Of AM Radio: 4 Ways AM Radio Stations Can Survive The EV Car Revolution

The future of AM radio is uncertain. The legacy medium faces a variety of challenges from podcasting to an aging user base. But AM radio’s …


electromagnetism, frequency, radiation, Electromagnetic frequencies

5 Things Blocking The Efforts To Save AM Radio

On November 2, 1920, the AM radio station KDKA announced the live U.S. Presidential election results between Warren G. Harding and James Cox (spoiler: …


Recent Posts

radio studio

The Future Of AM Radio: 4 Ways AM Radio Stations Can Survive The EV Car Revolution

Intense woman listening to AM radio with headphones

7 Reasons To Save AM Radio In Cars

electromagnetism, frequency, radiation, Electromagnetic frequencies

5 Things Blocking The Efforts To Save AM Radio

There's no AM Radio In Tesla Cars

Why Electric Car Manufacturers Want To Kill AM Radio

The ChatGPT iOS App on an iPhone

OpenAI’s ChatGPT iOS App Is Now Available For iPhone, iPad

Cute Baby Wrapped In A White Towel

The Top 100 Most Popular Baby Names Over The Last 100 Years (1923-2022)

Caddyshack Quotes

30 Famous Caddyshack Quotes That’ll Make You Laugh

what does dna stand for

What Does DNA Stand For (Do You Know The Answer)?

Tutorial on how to remove your info from FastPeopleSearch

How To Remove Your Info From FastPeopleSearch

maxresdefault 25

Incredible Mashup Of All The Inception Dream Layers In Real Time

Jump to comments

About

MethodShop’s mission is to entertain, inform, and sometimes gross you out. MethodShop has affiliate relationships, so we may get a small share of the revenue from your purchases. Items are sold by the retailer, not by us. All prices are subject to change.

Follow

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • YouTube
  • Pinterest

Trending Posts

robot reporter

Job Automation Using ChatGPT Could Make These Jobs Obsolete – Is Your Job On This List?

nbc chimes feature scaled

The Surprising Story Behind The NBC Chimes

lg tv disable home screen scaled

How To Change The Default LG TV Home Screen To Live TV

Latest Posts

radio studio

The Future Of AM Radio: 4 Ways AM Radio Stations Can Survive The EV Car Revolution

Intense woman listening to AM radio with headphones

7 Reasons To Save AM Radio In Cars

electromagnetism, frequency, radiation, Electromagnetic frequencies

5 Things Blocking The Efforts To Save AM Radio

MethodShop Animated Zoom Icon
  • About
  • Submit
  • Disclaimer
  • Privacy Policy
  • Contact
  • Subscribe
  • Store

Copyright © 2023 MethodShop · All Rights Reserved