Book Review - The Twitter Book by Tim O'Reilly and Sarah Milstein
Category Book Review Tim O'Reilly Sarah Milstein The Twitter Book
I'm an active (some would say over-active) user of Twitter, and I couldn't pass up the chance to review O'Reilly's latest book on the subject... The Twitter Book by Tim O'Reilly and Sarah Milstein. Given what I had seen of it before it arrived, I was thinking it'd be a perfect book for newbies, but that I likely wouldn't get much out of it. WRONG! Even if you've been using Twitter for awhile, you'll find new tricks in here that will take your Twitter usage to a new level.
Contents:
Get Started; Listen In; Hold Great Conversations; Share Information and Ideas; Reveal Yourself; Twitter for Business - Special Considerations and Ideas; Index
I think the layout of the book is what first led me to believe that this was going to be "basic" stuff. On each two page spread, you have the subject matter on the right side, and screen prints or graphics on the left side. It's a perfect format for showing exactly what you're telling the reader, and the subject matter is short and to-the-point. If you were to sit down and decide to read straight through the 234 pages, you'd probably be done in a couple of hours, if that. But it's the gems I kept finding that slowed me down and caused me to significantly change my view of the material.
The chapter on getting started lays a solid groundwork for the person who is wondering what Twitter is all about. The terminology, guidelines, and basic features are all covered in enough detail to get the person started without overwhelming them. And it was here that I encountered the term "ambient intimacy", meaning that Twitter allows you to know what your friends are up to and dealing with, without the need to have to give them a call or apologize for not keeping current. The more I thought about it, the more it made sense. Twitter adds context and color to those I'm interested in.
Everything else in the book, from Listen In through Special Considerations, is where things started to get very interesting for me. I've not used Twitter Search a lot, but after understanding more about it, I'm hooked. Even more important, I learned about new sites where I could track trends in Twitter content, such as What The Trend and Twitscoop. If you're using Twitter to see what's going on in the world, these tools let you be on the bleeding edge of what's happening. I already use a Twitter client as opposed to the Twitter website, but I saw a few new options I might want to explore. I learned a number of etiquette tips on how best to retweet someone, especially if the basic retweet would go over the 140 character limit. I even found a few new options for my Twitter account that apparently were added after I set mine up, and I haven't noticed.
Oh, and if you run a business and you want to incorporate Twitter into your online presence? You can't afford to miss the chapter on Twitter for Business. It's not long, but it will keep you from making some mistakes that would make your corporate Twitter experience a disaster (and make you wish you had never gone down the path).
If you have the chance to read The Twitter Book, I would highly recommend it. I can only think of a few people I know on Twitter who would already know everything in the book. The vast majority (ie., the rest of us) would benefit tremendously.
I'm an active (some would say over-active) user of Twitter, and I couldn't pass up the chance to review O'Reilly's latest book on the subject... The Twitter Book by Tim O'Reilly and Sarah Milstein. Given what I had seen of it before it arrived, I was thinking it'd be a perfect book for newbies, but that I likely wouldn't get much out of it. WRONG! Even if you've been using Twitter for awhile, you'll find new tricks in here that will take your Twitter usage to a new level.
Contents:
Get Started; Listen In; Hold Great Conversations; Share Information and Ideas; Reveal Yourself; Twitter for Business - Special Considerations and Ideas; Index
I think the layout of the book is what first led me to believe that this was going to be "basic" stuff. On each two page spread, you have the subject matter on the right side, and screen prints or graphics on the left side. It's a perfect format for showing exactly what you're telling the reader, and the subject matter is short and to-the-point. If you were to sit down and decide to read straight through the 234 pages, you'd probably be done in a couple of hours, if that. But it's the gems I kept finding that slowed me down and caused me to significantly change my view of the material.
The chapter on getting started lays a solid groundwork for the person who is wondering what Twitter is all about. The terminology, guidelines, and basic features are all covered in enough detail to get the person started without overwhelming them. And it was here that I encountered the term "ambient intimacy", meaning that Twitter allows you to know what your friends are up to and dealing with, without the need to have to give them a call or apologize for not keeping current. The more I thought about it, the more it made sense. Twitter adds context and color to those I'm interested in.
Everything else in the book, from Listen In through Special Considerations, is where things started to get very interesting for me. I've not used Twitter Search a lot, but after understanding more about it, I'm hooked. Even more important, I learned about new sites where I could track trends in Twitter content, such as What The Trend and Twitscoop. If you're using Twitter to see what's going on in the world, these tools let you be on the bleeding edge of what's happening. I already use a Twitter client as opposed to the Twitter website, but I saw a few new options I might want to explore. I learned a number of etiquette tips on how best to retweet someone, especially if the basic retweet would go over the 140 character limit. I even found a few new options for my Twitter account that apparently were added after I set mine up, and I haven't noticed.
Oh, and if you run a business and you want to incorporate Twitter into your online presence? You can't afford to miss the chapter on Twitter for Business. It's not long, but it will keep you from making some mistakes that would make your corporate Twitter experience a disaster (and make you wish you had never gone down the path).
If you have the chance to read The Twitter Book, I would highly recommend it. I can only think of a few people I know on Twitter who would already know everything in the book. The vast majority (ie., the rest of us) would benefit tremendously.
| Permalink |
