When the Myrtle Beach fires swept through our area, it was not the news I went to for up to the minute information. No! Instead, it was Twitter where I discovered which roads were closed and which ones had just opened. (Thank you wmbfnews and fellow Twitterers!)
The first reports of the terrorist attacks in Mumbai were not made by CNN or Associated Press, but by regular folks who were in the area and Tweeted about it. Here is another example: "Before CCTV, CNN, and others mainstream media roll into action, people on Twitter immediately started capturing news and information about a fire at the TVCCbuilding within the CCTV complex and near the iconic Rem Koolhaas designed CCTV building in Beijing." (Feb 2009)
Using Twitter to track real time news like the terrorist attacks in Mumbai or disasters like fires, tsunamis or hurricanes, has proven that Twitter is in its emerging stages of being able to provide refined real world news in real time.
You can garner more up to the minute information from Twitter than from any other news organization. Here are some recent Tweets on the swine flu:
•1. stopflunews: Swine flu: Health officials urge restraint as virus continues to ... - Chicago Tribune http://tinyurl.com/czlzxz
•2. stopflunews: not so frequently asked questions about the swine flu - San Francisco Chronicle http://tinyurl.com/decrky
•3. WorkersCompAtty: CSULB student diagnosed with first confirmed case of swine flu in ... http://bit.ly/12jBU3
•5. ahw: RT @ringernation90ppl get Swine Flu & everybody wants to wear masks 1M people have AIDS & no one wants to wear a condom
Using a hashtag (#) in front of a subject, makes that topic searchable in the Twitter database and assembles it with other similar entries, creating a database of information that even Google would be envious of, since the information is live and fresh, not stale like Google's. That way if you type in a particular subject in the Twitter search bar, it will give you an up to the minute stream of the latest Tweets on that topic. 
The top 10 most talked about topics appear to the right of your Twitter page. Click on any one of these and get up to the minute information on that particular subject.
You can also go to Twitter Trends to research the subject of your choice. If you see a topic you don't quite understand, just go to WhatTheTrend.com. You will find an explanation of each trending subject and why it is popular right now. Here are some other sites to check out for trends:
Tweetscan.com Type in the subject you are researching with the hash tag right in front of it (#TheWordYouAreLookingFor) and find it. You can also set up alerts for your particular interests.
Monitter.com Whether it's the latest movie, or the subject of the day, find out what people are saying about it via an on-going stream of Tweets from all over the world in real time.
Twitter has been the best source of information for me: from SEO and marketing advice, to the latest news and trends. If you are currently not active on Twitter, you are missing a lot.
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M&M ! You are becoming a regular Twitter Maven !!!!!
Nice !
THe headline updates on Twitter are pretty amazing :o)
Cheers !
Sheldon :o)
There! Now you know why I love Twitter! I have the Twitter app on my I-phone and I find it invaluable. Just now my daughter asked if school will have a two hour delay, as it did all of last week because of the fires. Where am I going to check? You got it: Twitter!
Tweets do tell you a lot but I wonder how long before people start putting out false info.
Mirila:
You are ahead of some of us. Twitter is amazing, but there are so many layers I do not know about.
I was never sure I would have time for it. Sounds more interesting after your blog.
Mirela - I get almost all of my news from Twitter first, too! It's one of the reasons that I like that site so much.
There, I just added pictures. It's so much prettier now.
Enjoy; I hope this helps you harness the power of Twitter!
Jason: Me too!
Bob: If you can get the application on your smart phone, you will use it a lot more.
Elizabeth: I just loaded up links to other blogs I wrote with Twitter tutorials. Start by reading those and I'll have more for you soon.
Russ: Come on, one bad apple will not change everything. A whole lot of Twitters would have to be in on it for that to work. Sorry; no excuse!
Sheldon: You said it! I'll just quote you:
Mirela Monte, Twitter Maven!
Mirela, this is amazing! I really want to harness the power of Twitter. Thanks for the tips!
Outstanding Mirela as always. Think I'll reblog it if you don't mind.
Of course, what I pull from this is the comment about how easy it is to wear a mask, but not for people to use condoms! Maybe it is easier when you can put something on as you are walking along and don't need to interupt any moments!! :)
But seriously, folks, maybe it is time for me to be more "twitter-literate!