To be totally unable to understand how Twitter works

[Catnao]

even though lots of old people, including my father, apparently are?

I can't help. I have two Twitter accounts and I am a Twitterholic.

I have an account! I just really don't get what I'm meant to DO with it!

YANBU. I get that you can post messages on it, like FB updates, but it's the interaction part that defeats me. Reading someone's twitter page is just like looking at one long list of seemingly unrelated babble. And don't get me started on trending...

I WANT to get it - but I can't understand. So say if I were to be following Stephen Fry for example. Now on Facebook or here for example, if he posted something you would be able to see the whole thread - but as far as I can see, and I realise I am doing it wrong, I can only see what he puts, which is often in reply to someone else - except I can't see what THEY wrote to get the therefore incomprehensible Stephen Fry tweet in reply!

If that makes sense. Which I doubt. I have confused myself.

That's what I meant Lovecat! Thank you!

My first account is an anonymous one linked to my MN name. I don't use it as much as my RL name, which I use for business purposes. I use it to connect with local businesses, quote for work, share information and generally chat. Although Twitter is worldwide, I usually interact with people who live in my town and surrounding villages and it has been GREAT for business. We probably get 2-3 new customers each week from Twitter alone.

Tweetdeck has made a difference to how I use it though.

I am a convert, it has even dragged me away from MN.

But I STILL don't get it llaregub - can you tell lovecat and I where we are getting it wrong?

Weeeel I am a fan. But, I rarely few someone's page (one sided conversations are boring) and I find the interaction bit is not for me.

I have a work account I use to put things out for people to read which requires me to be witty and interesting and court followers but my personal account is really different. I rarely post and follow people I find interesting who's thoughts/news I might like. A bit like having an ear on all the best gossip.

Yabu to not get it. You're bright you can manage twitter. Just make sure you follow some interesting Tweeps.

Few? View!

But how do you see the interaction bit? And how can you follow a thread that is one person's comment only.Then that person's unrelated tweet on an unrelated day. Then various tweets from said person in response to another person whose original tweet you have not seen?

I don't get it. Will have to accept that am too thick and (oh shit, is that the time??) go to bed!

Well, I don't bother following slebs. They are pointless and boring.

In my MN account, I follow other mumsnetters, journos, politicians and people who have interesting things to say. Caitlin Moran makes me laugh quite a bit, particularly when she (and others) are all tweeting about the same television programme. X-Factor, Big Brother etc are all greatly improved by Twitter. It is a bit like chatting on MN but in 140 characters.

I don't follow anyone like that in my business account. There I follow local businesses who are likely to be potential customers, prospective customers or people who do similar work to us. I guess we all use it as a networking tool. I tweet about our special offers, respond to tweets that others have made and look for work.

If you mean how it works from a technical point of view, you just write something in 140 characters as you would on here.

Oh God - I was going to bed BUT HAVE TO TRY TO GET THIS - but if say I tweeted "Catnao is an absolute genius" (Or some such equally true statement) for example, and you were following me - you would see that - right? But then if you replied "No she's not, she's a right thicko" as far as I could see only I would see that. So if my next tweet was "Oh fuck off, llaregub, you're totally misled" - that is all anyone else would see?

So how do you get a thread you might understand when you can't see replies?

That has to be it - sorry - am going to take myself off to bed, ashamed at my lack of skills.

Well I use Tweetdeck so my "interactions" are managed in columns. I can see my timeline which are the outpourings of all of my twitter peeps. The next column lists all the people who have mentioned me in their tweets, the next is a column of my direct messages and then I have permanent searches on things.

A search is done by using # before a word. So, if you are interested in the new ipad2 then you can search for all tweets using the #ipad2 tag. So everyone tweeting about question time use #BBCQT or something similar. If you had a column for that on Tweetdeck then you'd have a column of people you don't follow using that hashtag.

As for following threads, it doesn't really work like that. Convos tend not to go on for ages like they do on here, but I do have a column set up on my Tweetdeck that lists all the people in my local area who meet up on a regular basis for business networking. We use a particular hashtag so that we can all follow each other's daily tweets.

Honestly, a few months ago I knew NONE of this. JUst jump on in and get tweeting. I'm sure you can do it if you want to, but it may not be for you. I didn't really get it when I was using my MN name.

De-lurking to say that your 00:15 post is extremely helpful llaregub. I too hadn't quite grasped the point of Twitter and knew I must have missed something because I know a lot of people who use it a lot.

....and I do have a Twitter account but, like OP and Lovecat, don't really get it. I'll have another go now.

You shouldn't get half conversations on your timeline. Only if you view a profile. Twitter screens out other people's conversational tweets that begin @posterName unless you follow both people.

You will get tweets that start @yourPosterName

I really, really don't get it. I know what I'm doing with social networks and computers but Twitter just seems to come across as a random stream of self-obsessed consciousness without much interactivity.

I really want to like it, honest! But actually, I don't, despite having had a Twitter account for quite a while as well as a considerable number of followers. Although I suppose it doesn't help that the very thought of "followers" makes my flesh creep in a stalky sort of way.

I can't say I was at all impressed with Tweetdeck either which seemed to need all the available memory on my computer without delivering anything to justify its parasitical hold.

I think it all becomes clear if you use if for a purpose, such as to increase awareness of a new product that you've launched or to gain more support for your charity. I know some people use it to link to their blogs too.

Yanbu

You get half the conversation on your timeline if you are only following one of the people.

So is Llareggub said, "MmeLindt, you are a FOX" [which is unlikely, but let me dream]

you would see that if you followed Llareggub, but if you don't follow me then you would not see me reply, "Did you put your contact lenses in the wrong way around again?".

Since I follow lots of people who follow each other, I see the conversations. You can click to see the rest of the conversation in a new box on Tweetdeck.

Don't use it to follow slebs. They are totally boring.

I am @mmelindor on there, if you don't follow me already come and say hello.

i use tweetdeck on pc & my mobile,sons high school sends out info on twitter for parents and i have friends on there,dont use it everyday but if i want to chat to someone its easy,esp my friend who lives in the usa

@MmeLindt, you are a fox.

I use Twitter like a news channel. Very few of my friends ever Tweet, and those that do tend to be work related, but I follow most of the news channels etc, and quite a few celebs (Caitlin Moran is very funny).

With all the recent uprisings etc in the Arab World, I find Twitter quite fascinating. If you search #Libya, for example, it shows everything everyone is tweeting containing this word. Although it is obviously full of rumour and unsubstantiated, it is often a good half hour ahead of the main news channels - most of whom are also checking Twitter anyway.

YANBU

I love Twitter but it took me several months to get into it.

I've joined Twitter recently and am trying to get the hang of it. I'm learning most by following people and seeing how they interact with each other. The Twitter help pages are also usefulish.

I need to learn how to use Twitter for my job - thought it was just a stream of "Am having a lovely cup of tea" posts, but it's really growing on me.

I'm off to the library later to borrow Twitter for dummies which I've had bussed in from across the county Just need to get my head around # and @ and all that gubbins.