The most common method of checking Twitter for myself is on the mobile (iPhone) using the new Twitter app. Scanning for posts/Tweets that I am interested in and in most cases, emailing to myself to read later. Very much the same way I manage my RSS subscriptions. My Google Reader is set up with folders specific to the topics of the feeds I am subscribed to. Eg. Design, Photography etc.. For most Twitter users I suspect this is common to them also.

So who do you follow?

In the early days, Twitter began its rise to fame and stardom as a tool in which to share updates to a select group of friends or followers. Nothing much here has changed. However there has been a shift recently in how you manage your Tweeting practices and what you may come to expect from those you follow and in turn, your followers.

If Twitter did not exist would you phone a friend to tell them you’re eating a grouse hamburger at your local cafe and ask them to call your other mutual friends to let them know also? I am guessing probably not. In essence, this is what you (or just some of us) are doing on twitter. You should probably ask yourself – Do your friends really care about those kind of updates? I am sure some of you reading this would probably say yes, they do. However, there is an entirely different group of us out there that use Twitter differently. How differently? Well, we use it to share anything of common interest. It is this common interest that is the key to managing your followers.

Doing a search on Twitter and visiting some Twitter users pages will give you a general idea of the kinds of things they Tweet about. Generally, if you don’t know this person or business, you may look over their Tweets and form an on the spot opinion of whether you feel they are worth following. However over time, and Tweets, this opinion may change and you will find yourself wandering if they are really worth following any more. If the answer is no you will pretty soon find yourself clicking on the “unfollow” button. Would you do this to your friends that you follow though? probably not…

What we have therefore begun to see is many Twitter users using Twitter similar to an RSS reader. You subscribe to feeds/Tweets of interest and have them delivered straight to your device. Simple! Is this just the beginning though? Will the next generation of mobile devices allow us to build and integrate applications that will do much more than just deliver such types of information to us while on the move. Will they end up making the laptop or desktop computer extinct all together? Who knows!

What’s your thoughts?

New to twitter? There’s help around the corner

Running on Skype version 2.8 (Beta), there are some noticeable improvements over previous versions and you can now see when I am online via the Skype button below. So go on, Skype me!

The main thing I have against the iPhone (and it’s a personal one) is that to manage play lists or switch between tunes (particularly while on the train to work) I would have to take the device out of my pocket, unlock it, scroll through the menu, make my selection, lock the device, put it back in my pocket and neatly put the cord back in my pocket after it (if not in jeans pocket). Right now with my trusty 3rd Gen 60Giga I can control it entirely while in my pocket and without taking it out. Easy! I don’t really need the phone capability as I am very happy with the recently acquired Nokia 6300.

Now don’t get me wrong, the iPhone is a sexy device! Last year I said I could not wait for it to arrive on our shores but some time has passed since then and I am now over the hype. I now also spend most of my time at a laptop wherever I go so I have developed a nice selection of online tools to manage my life with. Right now I don’t need another one.

Update:
But there’s more…

Update:
Vodafone and Optus now taking pre-registrations of interest.