Now, with just a quick text message, Twitter members can let everyone know exactly what is going on in their lives. Even if it’s just sitting in sweats, devouring Cheetos and watching “Grey’s Anatomy,” it’s all newsworthy for Twitter.
The new social networking Web site (sort of) has the masses talking, and it has taken Hollywood by storm as well. It mixes the status updates of Facebook, the profile designing of MySpace and the idea of updating through text messages that keeps it alive.
Twitter.com is a place to go to share updates from time to time with “followers,” and to catch updates from those a member “follows.” Twitter is a Web site where anyone can post updates, or “tweets,” which can be anything that pops into the mind of the member, as long as it is under 140 characters.
Now anyone can also be updated by tweets sent by celebrities, which is the biggest distinction among Twitter and other social networking sites.
Many celebrities have signed up on the site, including comedian Stephen Colbert (@StephenAtHome), musician Jared Leto (@jaredleto) and actor Neil Patrick Harris (@ActuallyNPH).
Rest assured. Twitter has a way of guaranteeing celebrity tweets are real. On each profile, a graphic at the top right corner reads, “Verified Account,” warranting the tweets really are from the celebrities they say they are from.
And celebrities have found a way to tweet about anything.
Some find themselves posting pointless anecdotes.
“Sleeping in your clothes is ideal. I always do it. Then you’re ready for yesterday or tomorrow,” tweeted Fall Out Boy bassist, Pete Wentz.
Some even share late-night ponderings such as British pop star Lily Allen’s tweet that said, “Are infomercials slightly hypnotic, or is it just me? I’m actually thinking about buying a Tony Robbins DVD and something called an Instyler.”
“I usually enjoy [blues musician] John Mayer’s [@johncmayer] tweets; they make me laugh,” said junior Abbi Fantozz (@IDAbbi11). “[I also love] when [celebrity blogger] Perez Hilton [@PerezHilton] and [reality star] Stephanie Pratt [@stephaniepratt] go at it.”
Fantozz, who only posts a new update two or three times per week, said she hasn’t gotten completely sucked into the craze of Twitter yet.
“[If] I’m having a really exciting week, then it’s more,” she said.
Others, such as sophomore Sarah Rutz (@sarahlydiaa), find themselves tweeting much more frequently. Rutz has been a member of the Web site for almost a year and recently reached her 15,000th tweet.
Rutz said she finds the growing popularity great, and hopes for more.
“I love that all my [favorite] bands and that some of my friends are on it,” Rutz said.
Not only recreational, Twitter also serves to help businesses and struggling celebrities.
“Twitter allows me as a comic to connect to fans from all over the world,” said comedian Loni Love (@LoniLove) through a direct message on Twitter. Love is most well-known for her guest starring role on E!’s “Chelsea Lately” and VH1 specials.
“I share jokes, news articles and do it all under 140 characters,” Love said.
Other comedians have jumped on the bandwagon, with Twitter helping them network where oming shows will be held or just share friendly jokes.
“Vitamins turn my pee yellow. Wondering if Lucky Charms will turn it rainbow,” tweeted comedian Michael Ian Black (@michaelianblack).
“If only I could be as passionate about sit-ups as I am about Twittering,” tweeted Heather McDonald (@McDonaldHeather), another comedian who appears on “Chelsea Lately.”
But it’s not all just play. There’s work to be done, too. Different CEOs have found their way to Twitter in order to better their companies.
The CEO and co-founder of Biggby Coffee, who makes himself known online as Biggby Bob (@BiggbyBob), uses the site to talk about promotions, events and new drinks at the coffee shop.
“[Twitter] lets me talk to customers with no corporate filters,” Bob tweeted.
Musicians and politicians alike have made their way to Twitter.
While people can catch Britney Spears (@britneyspears) post pictures from her Candies clothing line photo shoot, they can also hear President Barack Obama (@BarackObama) speaking about the current health care debate.
Whatever the vice, Twitter serves a different purpose for all, and it comes fully equipped with a new age language all its own and a set of punctuation rules that will drive any English professor wild.
“We did it! #WeLoveGaGa is a trending topic on Twitter today. The world loves @LadyGaGa! And I love you all for Re-Tweeting #WeLoveGaGa!”
Go ahead. Read that sentence again. Believe it or not, there are actually no typos in this quote, and it is actually a real sentence put together by Perez Hilton, speaking about the pop musician Lady GaGa.
What he’s saying is simply put into terms perfect for people on Twitter, but only for them.
“I still get confused with the lingo,” said junior Megan Pucci (@mpucci), who has had a Twitter account for months. “It’s hard to learn what all the different symbols mean, but I had people explain it to me.”
By putting the symbol @ in front of a friend’s screen name, it assures they will receive the tweet that mentions them. Using the symbol # makes the words (without spaces) clickable, and members can see who else on Twitter uses that phrase.
In Hilton’s tweet, he mentions Lady GaGa, and is speaking to the fans who have also posted the phrase “#WeLoveGaGa,” making it a trending topic for the day. Trending topics is the area of the site that lists the different words and phrases that are mostly posted that day.
Twitter also has special days like #musicmonday, where members list what songs or artists they are listening to that day, and #followfriday, where members can share with the rest of the Twitter world who of their friends deserve more followers.
Twitter brings together everyone from journalists such as Rachel Maddow (@maddow), athletes such as Shaquille O’Neal (@THE_REAL_SHAQ) and popular talk show hosts such as Oprah Winfrey (@Oprah) and Ellen DeGeneres (@TheEllenShow). The site also allows the tweets of the listed people to come straight to any cellular device in text message-form. By clicking “Settings” at the top of the home page, members are allowed to set up their mobile phones to send and receive tweets.
So, during the commercial breaks from McDreamy and McSteamy, Twitter assures that someone can keep conversations going with plenty of people, all while keeping the Cheeto-stained fingertips intact.