The Best Twitter Accounts for BDPA Members

BDPA members who are not using Twitter to market their chapter or business are missing out on a great opportunity. Twitter can also be a huge resource for BDPA members in the day-to-day operation of their chapter or business. However, BDPA members must know the right accounts to follow in order to benefit from all that Twitter can offer.

Here are 10 Twitter accounts that every BDPA member should be sure to follow:

1. TED Talks (1,630,325 followers)- @tedtalks - TED is a nonprofit devoted to Ideas Worth Spreading. It started out in 1984 as a conference bringing together people from three worlds: Technology, Entertainment, Design. TED Talks began as a simple attempt to share what happens at TED with the world. These online presentations give everyone on-demand access to the world's most inspiring voices. TED Talks have been viewed more than one billion times.



Craig Brown

2. Craig Brown (1,036,086 followers) - @craigbrownphd - Craig is the National BDPA vice president at the moment.  He is also the only nominee to become the National BDPA president for 2014-2015.  Craig has more Twitter followers than any other member in the history of BDPA.  Hopefully he will be able to translate his ability to attract support in Twitter with a similar ability to attract new members to BDPA in the coming weeks and months.  Craig is a remarkable IT thought leader and I encourage you to get to know him.
3. Roland Martin (218,100 followers) - @rolandsmartin - Martin is managing editor for TV One; senior analyst for the Tom Joyner Morning Show; syndicated columnist for Creators Syndicate ... and most importantly to BDPA members is that he will be our keynote speaker at the 35th annual BDPA Technology Conference later this year in Washington DC. Martin is an unabashed champion for his fraternity and his favorite NFL team. Perhaps we can get him to be as much of a champion for BDPA programs, scholarships and services as well!
4. Change The Equation (8,637 followers) - @changeequation - A non-partisan, CEO-led initiative to connect and align efforts to improve STEM learning in the United States. These folks seek to mobilize the business community to change the way that science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) learning takes place in America. Don't you agree that BDPA members should be engaged in this initiative?
5. BDPA Foundation (2,415 followers) - @bdpa - You didn't think that I was going to give a Top 10 list and not include my own Twitter account, did you? BDPA Foundation is one of the most active Twitter accounts focused on BDPA programs, scholarships and services. The tweets give updates on funding sources, grant proposals, BDPA accomplishments, college scholarships, corporate sponsors, career opportunities and much more. These tweets also prove to be very useful to others nonprofit professionals outside of the BDPA family as well.

6. Blacks In Technology (1,974 followers) - @blkintechnology - The premier online community for Black techies. Membership is free and the camaraderie is priceless. Their motto is 'Bringing Unity to the Black IT Community'. One of the most outstanding ideas to come forth from these folks is the BIT Tech Digest - an online resource of technology information written entirely by Black technology professionals.
7. Blerdology (761 followers)- @blerdology - 'Blerds' are Black Nerds. This twitter account is the Black tech social enterprise that fuels their ambitions, facilitates collaboration & makes blerd life more awesome. It is an outgrowth of the Blerdology website and I hope that we see more Blerds in BDPA over the coming weeks and months!
8. BDPA Conference (235 followers) - @bdpa_conference - The annual BDPA Technology Conference has taken place since 1979. It is the largest gathering of African American information technology professionals in the world. All BDPA members should make the trip to this BDPA mecca at least once during their collegiate or professional career. These tweets keep you updated on scheduled workshops, plenary sessions, keynote speakers, corporate sponsors and so much more.
9. BDPA Atlanta - @atlantabdpa (144 followers) - This chapter is fast-becoming a BDPA powerhouse.  They are the home of the defending national High School Computer Competition champions.  They put on some very powerful programs that serve as 'best practices' for the other 45 local chapters around the nation.  This chapter is focused and successful in a number of ways that should be admired by all BDPA members.  I strongly encourage all BDPA members to do themselves a favor ... follow this Twitter account right now!
10. BDPA New York (87) - @bdpanewyork - BDPA New York is the 2-time defending 'Chapter of the Year'.  They don't have many Twitter followers ... but, they are very active in terms of programs and services to the IT community.  The chapter president, Renetta English, is one of the hardest working leaders in BDPA-Nation.  Show them some Twitter love ... they've earned it!

Well, those are my Top 10 Twitter accounts that I think should be followed by all BDPA members. What do you think? Which Twitter accounts do you think are missing from this list? Which of these Twitter accounts do you co-sign as being truly worthy of our attention? I look forward to your comments!

BDPA Chapters on Twitter

There are a growing number of BDPA chapters with Twitter accounts.  These are local BDPA chapters that wish to reach out to all current, former and future members via the Twitter network.   I encourage any BDPA members on Twitter to take a moment to follow their local chapter as shown on the following list:

1. Atlanta - @atlantabdpa
2. Baton Rouge - @bdpabatonrouge * NEW *
3. Charlotte - @bdpacharlotte
4. Chicago - @bdpachicago  
5. Cincinnati - @bdpacincy
6. Columbus - @bdpacolumbus
7. Dallas - @bdpadallas
8. Detroit - @bdpadetroit
9. Greater Columbia - @gcbdpa
10. Indianapolis - @bdpa_indy
11. Los Angeles - @bdpala
12. Memphis - @bdpamemphis
13. New Jersey - @bdpanewjersey 
14. New York - @bdpanewyork 
15. Orlando - @bdpaorlando
16. Philadelphia - @bdpaphilly 
17. Southern Minnesota - @smn_bdpa
18. St. Louis - @bdpastl
19. Twin Cities - @bdpatwincities
20. Washington DC - @bdpadc

Other BDPA-related Twitter accounts include:

1. National BDPA - @nationalbdpa
2. BDPA Education and Technology Foundation - @bdpa
3. BDPA Technology Conference - @bdpa_conference
4. BDPAToday - @bdpatoday

Finally, it should be noted that you can follow all BDPA chapters on Twitter by clicking here -- http://twitter.com/BDPA/bdpa-chapters.

Please let me know if there are other BDPA-related Twitter accounts that we should add to the above list.   We hope to eventually see all 46 local BDPA chapters with a Twitter account.

CSEdWeek Twitter Conversation Information

BDPA Education and Technology Foundation encourages all of our donors, supporters and blog-readers to take part in a 45-minute national conversation on the critical issue of K-12 Computer Science education via Twitter. This unique Twitter conversation takes place on Tuesday, December 11, 2012 at 6:00pm ET as part of Computer Science Education Week (CSEdWeek).

A national panel of thought leaders in the field will be tweeting with the hashtag #CSEdWeek, driving conversation around important issues and answering questions. Participants will include technical professionals, industry thought leaders, faculty, K12 educators, students and more!

Computer science fuels the future—help us fuel the conversation.  We need to 'win the future' in the information technology industry ... and computer science education is a part of the winning solution. You can learn more at http://csedweek.eventbrite.com

Social Philanthropy: Raising Money on YouTube and Twitter

by Amy Sample Ward
The Nonprofit Times

Money is always a hot topic of conversation at SXSW from new start-ups looking for venture funds to nonprofits looking for philanthropic support, all for innovative ways of changing and shaping our communities and the world. One panel, moderated by Cheryl Contee of Fission Strategy, focused on the conversation from the social philanthropy perspective; that is, what are various kinds of organizations doing to raise money though socially engaged channels like YouTube and Twitter. Contee framed the conversation with a great question, asking if we see social media as democratizing voices, giving anyone with connection to the Internet the ability to share a message, how do those same tools make money just as freely accessible?

Ramya Raghavan, Nonprofits and Activism Manager at Google/YouTube, says that she sees two trends in the future of online giving through video. The first is engaging a donor at the first step and keeping them engaged. Many people donate online yet have no long-term connection to the nonprofit organization or project. "We are seeing people through YouTube create a long term relationship with donors. Like charity:water's thank you campaign: they came out with a series of personalized 'thank you' videos to their donors and are showcasing their staff in these videos." The second trend is live-streaming, where video is both a real-time feed and experience as well as an archived resource to be replayed. Last month, the American Foundation for Equal Rights live-streamed "8", a play featuring George Clooney, Martin Sheen, and Jane Lynch, about California's Proposition 8 trial. It had hundreds of thousands of live viewers. Certainly having celebrities helps generate views, but it is just an example of what you can do with live-streaming.

Read the rest of The Nonprofit Times article.

Are Blacks More Likely Than Whites to Support Causes Online?

BDPA Education and Technology Foundation (BETF) has established a number of online fundraisers via social networks in the past few years. As such we were intrigued by a new survey that claims ethnicity is a factor in how people perceive charitable and political causes they encounter on social networks and whether they go on to get involved with those causes.  [SOURCE]

Out of 2,000 participants in the survey, 30 percent of Black adults and 39 percent of Hispanics said they were more likely to support online causes rather than causes they encountered offline; 24 percent of whites said the same.

The study was released by Georgetown University’s Center for Social Impact Communication and Ogilvy PR, a public-relations company.

While most of the survey participants said they believed they could make a difference by supporting a charitable or political cause, African Americans and Hispanics were more optimistic about the effectiveness of using online networks to do so. When asked if tools like Facebook, Twitter, and blogs could help spread the word about a cause, 58 percent of Blacks and 51 percent of Hispanics agreed, compared with 34 percent of whites.

In addition, more Blacks and Hispanics said Facebook and other social-networking sites made it easier to support a cause: 62 percent and 64 percent, respectively, compared with 54 percent of whites.

Whites are also less likely to use Twitter in general. According to a telephone survey of 2,277 adults conducted by Princeton Survey Research Associates International, 25 percent of black and 19 percent of Hispanic Internet users say they use Twitter, compared with just 9 percent of white Internet users. What’s more, one in ten Black Internet users now visit Twitter on a typical day, compared with 3 percent of whites and 5 percent of Hispanics.

Yet despite the emphasis placed on social media, blogs and social networking sites are still second to more traditional information sources like television, newspapers, and personal relationships. Likewise, people were more likely to donate money or talk about a social issue than post it to a blog or Facebook, the Georgetown study found.

“What the study shows us over all is not to put all your eggs into the social-media basket,” says Julie Dixon, deputy director at the Georgetown Center. Instead, organizations should tailor their communications strategy based on the how their audience is likely to engage.

Our hope is that those of you who support the STEM-based programs that BDPA implements on local, regional and national level will find a way to visit and support our online fundraising efforts. Here is where you can find BDPA in various social networks:

1. Click and Pledge: Donor designates how funds are used
2. Crowdrise: BDPA IT Corps
3. Crowdrise: Various local chapter college scholarships
4. Facebook: BDPA Charlotte HSCC program
5. Facebook: BDPA IT Corps
6. Facebook: BDPA Los Angeles HSCC program
7. Facebook: BETF Endowment Fund
8. Facebook: Jesse Bemley Scholarship
9. YourCause.com: Donor designates how funds are used

What is your take on the survey findings?

Top 10 BDPA Twitter Users

Twitter is a microblogging service is gaining popularity as a real-time communication platform. There are at least a dozen local BDPA chapters with Twitter accounts.

However, Twitter is driven by individuals. As such, I thought it would be interesting to share with you our pick of the top 10 BDPA-nation Twitter users (in alpha order) that you should be following:

1. Billy Cunningham - Billy Cunningham is one of the unsung heroes of BDPA Chicago chapter. He is at every national conference and is very supportive of BDPA on a local level.  Most recent tweet: I'm at CompUSA. http://4sq.com/cKA7yw
2. Milt Haynes - Haynes is past national BDPA president and a long-time BDPA leader. His focus on Twitter is to promote social networking to help African Americans in IT stay connected.  Most recent tweet: The BDPA Insider – August 15, 2010 #BDPA http://ow.ly/2pRn0
3. Callie Herd - Callie is a member of BDPA Memphis chapter. She wants to be part of the future growth and expansion of the BDPA vision in Tennessee. Her passion is getting scholarship information to young African Americans.  Most recent tweet: The Hickory Hill Community Redevelopment Corporation Youth Reformation Initiative’s FREE after-school ... http://tinyurl.com/2678flf
4. Wayne Hicks - Hicks is executive director of BDPA Education & Technology Foundation (BETF) and a long-time BDPA leader. He uses Twitter to share information about fundraising, nonprofit finances, BETF grants and such.   Most recent tweet: Re: The role of Black inventors in the Computer and Data Processing.: Wayne said: "Keith - I've not read your book... http://bit.ly/d3W0qv
5. Reginald Hillery - Reggie is president of BDPA Columbus chapter.  I have watched Reggie quietly and effectively building the strength of his Ohio chapter.  His tweets are primarily focused on BDPA.  This is an African American IT professional who should be followed on Twitter by others in BDPA.  Most recent tweet: I'm attending BDPA Columbus August I/E Meeting - Embracing Technology: Virtual Reality -- http://august2010exchange.eventbrite.com/  
6. Michael Holman, Sr. - Holman is a long-time member of BDPA New York chapter. Michael was one of the SysOps that created BDPANet back in the early 1990s. He was a visionary when it came to taking BDPA into cyberspace.  Most recent tweet: Your next move in God, like a Surfer and that next Wave. Do not try to MAKE it happen! Be alert and when you RECOGNIZE it, you just RIDE!
7. Kevin Minus - Kevin is an HSCC alumni. He competed in the 2004 national HSCC championships as a member of the team trained by BDPA Dayton chapter. He now lives and works in the greater Cincinnati area and is very active within the Blacks In Technology network.  Most recent tweet: Man I slept to long. Time to read a little, map out my plan for the week and go to bed. See you later all.
8. John Malonson - John was one of the first BDPA leaders that I saw on Twitter. He is president of BDPA Los Angeles chapter.  Most recent tweet: I'm going to use the "smurf" equivalent for all of my future expletives
9. Pablo More - Pablo is the president of BDPA Orlando chapter. He is a business analyst for major bank with an interest in politics, technology, economic development, law, green technology, Black studies and Latin America.  Most recent tweet: WSJ: Brands Are Friending Social Gaming. http://tinyurl.com/22re2et    
10. Keith Warrick - Keith is a member of BDPA Atlanta chapter. He is a master networker, especially on the LinkedIn Network. His conference workshops have been heavily attended over the past two years.   Most recent tweet: recommends reading The Skinny on LinkedIn Recommendations...a good primer for writing the perfect LI recommendation! http://lnkd.in/hDkGn3

Are you on Twitter? What BDPA Twitterer do you follow that should be in the Top 10?

Twitter Presents a Chance for Savvy Charities to Reach More People

Late one Friday afternoon this fall, Matt Flannery, the co-founder of Kiva.org, posted a message on Twitter: "It seems like my Twitter account is getting attacked by spam. 500 new followers a minute. Anyone else experiencing this?"

In fact, a small group of people who use Twitter to talk about philanthropy had also been inundated with followers. But the reason for the instant increase wasn't anything as spurious as a spam attack. All the people who suddenly attracted new followers had just been added to Twitter's official "suggested users" list of people worth following. Traditionally, Twitter's suggestions have included celebrities like Al Gore, Shaquille O'Neal, and Oprah Winfrey, so adding the likes of Matt Flannery and other stars of the philanthropy world represents a big shift.

Read the rest of the Chronicle of Philanthropy article here.

How to Use LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook to Extend Your Reach (St. Louis)

BDPA St. Louis chapter brought in David Strom, an acknowledged social network expert, as their guest speaker for the Oct 2009 program meeting. The topic was entitled, How to Use LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook to Extend Your Reach.

Here is the slideshow presentation:

How to use LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook to extend your reach

View more presentations from David Strom.

This blog is sharing slideshow presentations from program meetings all around the nation. We do so in the hopes that it brings together more BDPA members from various chapters into a virtual discussion about a wide range of topics. Please let us know if you approve of this idea.

There are 50 slides in this slideshow. Did you learn anything new from Mr. Strom's presentation?

Foundations That Tweet

I trust that most BETF-Blog readers follow the BDPA Foundation on Twitter. If so, I would be interested in your thoughts on the analysis that Beth Kanter completed on a list of “foundations that tweet”. Beth breakdowns the various ways the foundations are using Twitter.

She breaks the profiles into four types:

1. Pure Foundation Brand
   
2. Foundation with Personality
   
3. Employee with Foundation Association
   
4. Pure Personal Account

Personally, I think that the BDPA Foundation twitter 'profile' fits option #2. I think that we are a 'Foundation with Personality'. What do you think?

Twittering for a cause: Web 2.0 and its philanthropic impact

Facebook may have just reached the 250 million user mark, but Twitter is the real media darling.

From news coverage to business marketing and back to the personal stories that launched it, the many uses of Twitter have revolutionized the way society thinks about communicating, 140 words at a time.

Twitter’s newest incarnation, according to TechCrunch, is philanthropy.

While the Washington Post reports that Facebook’s version of social media philanthropy - the Causes application - has received less than stellar financial results, Twitter philanthropy (or "tweetraising") has already provided promising returns.

The power of Twitter, especially in terms of philanthropy, may lie in its ability to spread information like wildfire.

Read the rest of The Daily Tell article here.

Top 10 BDPA Twitter Users

Twitter received a spike in attention as a result of he recent election protests in Iran. BDPA chapters in Columbus, New York, Northern Delaware and Orlando have brought social networks, like Twitter into the discussion. It seems clear that this microblogging service is gaining popularity as a real-time communication platform.

As such, I thought it would be interesting to share with you our pick of the top 10 BDPA-nation Twitter users (in alpha order) that you should be following:

1. Perry Carter - Carter is president of BDPA Washington DC chapter. His focus on Twitter is to promote online communication via BDPAtoday newsletter. He is a marketing genius that should be followed by any BDPAer interested in learning more about the organization on national level.
   
   Most recent tweet: bdpatoday (Online) Washington Teams retain Regional HSCC Title! Click to view -- http://bit.ly/2kWYK



2. Milt Haynes - Haynes is past national BDPA president and a long-time BDPA leader. His focus on Twitter is to promote social networking to help African Americans in IT stay connected.
   
   Most recent tweet: Reading: Hot Time in the Old Town: Blogging While Brown -- http://twitthis.com/cjkwyr



3. Callie Herd - Callie is a member of BDPA Memphis chapter. She wants to be part of the future growth and expansion of the BDPA vision in Tennessee. Her passion is getting scholarship information to young African Americans.
   
   Most recent tweet: How To Prepare for College Correctly visit http://bit.ly/s7ldH to get valuable info



4. Wayne Hicks - Hicks is executive director of BDPA Education & Technology Foundation (BETF) and a long-time BDPA leader. He uses Twitter to share information about fundraising, nonprofit finances, BETF grants and such.
   
   Most recent tweet: #BDPA and ITSMF invite your online executive auction bid for Dr. Robin Richmond (Allstate Insurance) -- http://is.gd/1aiUw



5. Michael Holman, Sr. - Holman is a long-time member of BDPA New York chapter. Michael was one of the SysOps that created BDPANet back in the early 1990s. He was a visionary when it came to taking BDPA into cyberspace.
   
   Most recent tweet: Check out the SlideShare Presentation on Facebook : Remembering Coretta http://tinyurl.com/nokk4v



6. Eric Logan - Logan is a member of our BDPA Atlanta chapter. He is an IT guy and tech enthusiast, geek, gamer, Atlanta Falcons fan, and comic book buff who loves and enjoys life.
   
   Most recent tweet: Proper training can help in determining how the new technology adds value to the organization and how is the value realized.



7. John Malonson - John was one of the first BDPA leaders that I saw on Twitter. He is president of BDPA Los Angeles chapter.
   
   Most recent tweet: Seriously, that was some Mr. Miyagi, Daniel-San type ish



8. Byron Mayes - Mayes is vice-president of our BDPA Philadelphia chapter. He handles the monthly program meetings and blog updates for the chapter.
   
   Most recent tweet: Petula Clark on the 'Pod can be a remarkably upbeat start to the day.



9. Pablo More - Pablo is the president of BDPA Orlando chapter. He is a business analyst for major bank with an interest in politics, technology, economic development, law, green technology, Black studies and Latin America.
   
   Most recent tweet: NY Times article: iPhone 3G S Activations Could Take a Couple of Days. http://tinyurl.com/nswn5b



10. Deena Pierott - Pierott is a new BDPA leader. She has an entrepreneurial spirit and works with any professional seeking a career in the IT industry. She is committed to increasing the BDPA presence in the northwest portion of our country.
    
    Most recent tweet: Our first Meet & Greet for EEN is scheduled for tomorrow - I'm excited http://www.eensw.com/

Are you on Twitter? What BDPA Twitterer did we miss in your view?

Twitter Tip * Use Hash Marks to 'Go Viral'

Milt Haynes suggested that it is time for BDPA to 'go viral' in honor of our past national president Ollie Morgan. The process can begin immediately at your upcoming program meeting.

Get signed up with Twitter right away. The BDPA Foundation is on Twitter! Did you know that Twitter grew 900% in the past year. In fact, it's grown 33% since New Year's Day ... currently with 8 million users .... estimate is that they will be up to 50 million users by the end of the month. It is time for your chapter to take advantage of Twitter. Are you ready to 'make it so'?

Invite the Twitter community to buzz about your next program meeting. At the beginning of the meeting ask attendees to feel free to tweet about the meeting. Encourage them to use a hash tag, and then tell them what it is.

A hash tag is the character # followed by a short word that describes the event, or a particular topic, on Twitter.

For example, program meeting attendees can mark their tweets by typing "#BDPA" within each one.

That makes it easy for other BDPA members, including those that can't attend the meeting in person, to go to Twitter's search box and type in "#BDPA" to find all the tweets about the event.

You might be asking: Why would BDPA want the rest of the world to take advantage of information at an event that only members and their guests can attend?

Here's why:

1. It creates interest in BDPA programs, services and memberships. I guarantee that if you search for all the "#BDPA" tweets and read them, you will find at least three tips you can start using today to increase your bottom line. BDPA has a miniscule presence on Twitter right now. Shouldn't we get on this wave early in 2009 as we build towards the annual conference?
2. 51 chapter program meetings over the next 30 days ... if only 5-10 people at each meeting has a Twitter account ... that gives us 250-500 people each month tweeting about a technology topic or some other aspect of program meetings designed to advance the careers of African Americans in the IT industry. Each of these 250-500 people have 'followers' on Twitter. Some of those followers might think the tips are so valuable that they're worth "retweeting," thereby exposing thousands more people to BDPA.
3. No more whining about "BDPA being the best-kept secret in America." By using hashtags, we turn our entire program meeting audience into journalists and let THEM report on the BDPA for us. Often, their reach on Twitter will be far greater than the reach of many media outlets in your city. Plus, those tweets live online forever, just waiting for the search engines to find them.

Are you on Twitter yet? Are you ready for BDPA to 'go viral'?

BDPA Enters the Social Network Community

There are a number of social networks where BDPA members can identify themselves. There are over 1,500 subscribers to the BDPA CollectiveX Groupsite. There are over 600 subscribers to the BDPA Group on the LinkedIn Network.

Chris Bomar (Cincinnati) worked with us last year to create a place the BDPA Foundation on Facebook. Former national BDPA president Milt Haynes (Chicago) was the first to create a presences for BDPA on Facebook.

How many of you are active on Twitter? I find myself updating it 3-4 times per day. I get updates from New York Times and Barack Obama via Twitter.

Ura Puranda (Chicago) and her team created a YouTube Channel for the BDPA Foundation. I hope that we can find more videos from BDPA chapters, students and members to include on our newly created channel.

I guess that BDPA is searching for it's place in the Web 2.0 world. What do you think of it all?

Twitter Grader * Where Do You Rank?

By simply entering your Twitter username into Twitter Grader. The site calculates your grade using a combination of factors including:

• The number of followers you have
• The power of this network of followers
• The pace of your updates
• The completeness of your profile
• …a few others

The top-ranked Twitter account is Barack Obama. My account is ranked in the 35th percentile. Where do you stand?

The Social Network as a Career Safety Net

I am a strong believer in the power of social networking. You can find me on CollectiveX, Facebook, LinkedIn Network and Twitter. In fact, my 15-year old daughter thinks I'm too old to be on Facebook.
Perhaps you are like my daughter. Maybe you have avoided social-networking sites like LinkedIn and Facebook with the excuse that they are the domain of desperate job hunters or attention-seeking teenagers. If so, it’s time to reconsider.

In a world of economic instability and corporate upheaval, savvy professionals epitomize the benefits of brushing up your online image and keeping it polished.

Click here for the rest of the story.

Twitter 3rd-Party Applications

I recently made decision to use Twitter. I had the account for over a year, however, I wasn't really a tweeter. I added widgets on my BDPA Foundation and Electronic Village blogs that shares my tweets with interested blog readers. Currently, I follow 50 people on Twitter and there are 56 people that follow me.

I have become much more interested in 3rd party applications as a result of my recent forays into Twitterville. Therefore, I was very intrigued by a recent post from Kim Beasley that shared a short list of great 3rd-party applications for Twitter. Kim wrote,

"If you haven’t started using Twitter yet then you are missing out on a great way to network online. I decided to try out Twitter a couple of month ago but I didn’t do much with it until with the last week. Admittance to being addicted is a mild way to explain how much I love Twitter. Let me share a few details about Twitter, keep in mind that when I say Tweet it means that you have just sent a message via Twitter. A person who uses Twitter is a Tweeter. The entire network or universe of Twitter is called Twitterville. Meeting people offline is called a TweetUp.

OK, enough about my love of Twitter and onto the 3rd-party applications (apps) that you can get that will work well with Twitter. Below is a short list but look for more details about the entire list that will be released soon.

• Twhirl: offline program that will allow you to send tweets from your desktop


• TweetLater: online website that will all you to automatically except followers and to schedule your tweet for future release


• TweetBurner: online website that will allow you to track the activity of links that you post to Twitter


• Twitterfeed: online website that will send RSS feeds to your Twitter account

Are you on Twitter?

Why Does Twitter Exist?

I'm slow on the uptake with most technology. I don't have a Blackberry. I never use the camera or text features on my cell-phone. My daughters set up an I-Pod Shuffle that I received at a national conference a few years ago. I'm just slow on this stuff. So, it comes as no surprise that I don't get the point of Twitter. I don't see a business reason for using it ... and I can't imagine that others much care that I'm 'just chillin'.

Do you have a Twitter account? Click here to see mine.

Can you give me a clue? Why do you use Twitter?