Twitter: Good or Bad?

How has Twitter been used beyond socializing, and for marketing? Use the articles connected to the project to outline how Twitter was used in these instances.

One of the things Twitter is used for beyond socializing and marketing is for emergencies. In one of the articles, people in Houston during hurricane Harvey were trying to survive the floods but couldn’t get in contact with emergency crews via 911. Instead, some people took to Twitter, posting that they needed help and including their addresses in the tweet in case someone would see it and somehow help. Another example of Twitter being used in emergencies is during the Boston bombing in 2013. After the bombing happened people who were at the event put their opinions that looked like facts on Twitter. This made it hard for the news and the investigators. Neither one knew fact from fiction based on the tweets of people claiming they know what happened. 

In what ways can Twitter be useful as a journalistic, political and / or organizational tool?

Twitter can be used as a political tool since the President and anyone in government gets to have a Twitter and pretty much tweet whatever and whenever they feel like. If they feel like saying something but don’t want to say it on TV or in front of people in real life, they can do it online and behind a screen. Regarding the journalistic side, a lot of journalists use tweets as a reference to an event. For example, if the article is about something the President said the journalist could use tweets from him to back up the statement or to add on to sway the opinions of the reader. 

Name and elaborate on three events (in the past twelve months) where Twitter was used as a communicator of these events. Discuss the success or failure of the use of Twitter concerning these events.

One event that happened in 2018 was March For Our Lives. This was a student-led movement about gun control in America. The movement demanded change in a lot of aspects of how the laws of guns are handled. It is way too easy to get a hold of a gun in the US and this movement was trying to change that. This event also happened a month after the school shooting in Parkland, Florida where a former student opened fire which killed 17 students and injured 17 others. According to Wikipedia, this school shooting surpassed the Columbine shooting in 1999, which killed 15, as the deadliest school shooting in the US. 

One event that happened in 2017, 2018, and still happening in 2019 is the #MeToo movement. This movement acknowledges the sexual abuse and sexual harassment many people have been through. The hashtag grew popularity in 2017 when actress Alyssa Milano asked people on Twitter to respond to her tweet about sexual assault with #MeToo to show just how prevalent it is around the world. This tweet lead to many celebrities coming forward about their stories.

Finally, the third event that has happened is regarding climate change. In September of 2019 there were climate strikes across the world between the 20th and 27th. This week was chosen because of the United Nations Climate Summit on the 23rd. Many people participated in the strikes around the world including Greta Thunberg, who has become an inspiration to many people at sixteen years old. As a side note, at the bottom of the Boston bombing article there is now a message at the bottom of the page that talks about climate change and what they are doing to help.

What topics / subjects did you choose to follow on Twitter and why?

The three subjects chosen for the Twitter project were YouTube, 13 Reasons Why and the Buffalo Bills. These topics were chosen because of background knowledge and to learn more about each subject. Twitter is a fast-paced media, especially with the Buffalo Bills account. It seemed as though every day there were hundreds of tweets. When there is a lot happening on a team it makes sense that they would tweet about it but it was just a bit overwhelming, especially with it being the one chosen as “someone you would never follow”.

How has this experience using Twitter differentiated from blogging? From any social media?

Twitter is different from the blog  because it is not as thought out. People usually spend time on an idea for a blog and take time writing it so it makes sense. On Twitter, people can just type whatever they want, even if it’s just LOL. Twitter is also different from other social media because of how fast-paced it is. There are not many people on Facebook or Instagram talking about their day-to-day life as much as people on Twitter. There may be some people who write things about things that happen on Facebook but it won’t be seen by anyone that hasn’t friended them. Twitter has a way of connecting people around the world in a very quick and easy manner, which allows for things to be spread quickly and efficiently.

How to write a wikiHow article

In order to communicate how to do something, like in a wikiHow article, there are many ways to effectively get the point across. A lot of people might think a wikiHow article is just writing down steps and an explanation to those steps. A problem with this could be forgetting a step or even multiple steps. There is also the issue of not having a good flow of these steps. If the article has too many, or not enough steps, the writer could run into a problem. The article can’t be too long, but it also can’t be too short. The writer’s job is to find a happy middle for the steps and the words that are included in the descriptions.

Only writing down steps and an explanation can be effective but it also doesn’t hold the attention of the reader. To intrigue the reader for a longer span of time, it is best to write the article in concise sentences. These sentences should be short but informative. The reader doesn't want to read a wordy four sentence paragraph that explains how to do the step in the first sentence. Avoid repetition of points and remove any excess verbiage. Some ways to help with this is to reread the article after it has been written. It is also a great idea to have another person, or multiple people, read the article as well. These people can help check for errors in grammar or help come up with ideas to add to the article. They can also help make sure the steps written down make sense and that there aren’t any steps missing.

A great way to write a wikiHow article is to choose a topic that has a personal aspect. This means to choose a topic with which the writer has had a personal experience. This experience could be something generic that many people may have experienced (ie. going on vacation) or something not well known (ie. a family recipe). It is also a good idea to talk to someone else who may have had a similar experience. Having two sides of an experience can help the writer bounce ideas off of the other person. Another place to look for information is the Internet.

The Internet has a bunch of articles to help come up with steps or to research a topic. The Internet is full of people who have had experiences. Sending out a Tweet or posting on Facebook and asking for help can bring in a bunch of people with knowledge of the subject. This is a good way to come up with steps or ideas that the writer may not have considered the first time. It is recommended to try multiple social medias, who knows what kind of people are out there. If using a website or another source of information, make sure to include a reference to the source to avoid plagiarism. The source should be relevant to the article. For example, if the article is about enjoying vacation, the source can list the items that the reader may want to consider bringing for the vacation.

(https://www.eaglecreek.com/blog/what-pack-ultimate-travel-packing-checklist.html)

Another good way to communicate information in a wikiHow article is to add pictures. These pictures can’t just be of anything, they should correspond with the message in the step that is being talked about. For example, if the first step is to prepare items for a recipe, it would be best to include a photo of all of the utensils and/or ingredients needed for the recipe. It is not necessary to have a photo for every step but it could be helpful to get the point across. Also, having a photo for every step helps create order in the article to help it flow.

In order to make any project for school, it is best to have good time management skills. These skills help the writer stay on track with due dates, especially the date that the project is due. By working on the project a little every day, it can help the writer feel like they are getting closer to the finished product. If it is hard to work on the project a little every day, it is okay to plan a few hours of the day to work on it. As long as the writer feels happy with the finished product, and it is handed in on time, then the times and days worked on it become insignificant. The writer should also remember to share the article and link people to it. This helps spread the word of the article and it also may help another person who needs help: https://www.wikihow.com/Enjoy-Vacation