Some of my friends recently got interested in Twitter, so I decide to do this post to get them started.
What's Twitter for?
Twitter is a platform where users post messages called "tweets", and followers receive these tweets.
Why do that?
Twitter allows you to
- talk about what happens to your life in 140 characters (microblog), not unlike Facebook.
- share information that is happening right now (e.g. a traffic jam at a road)
What if I have nothing to share, or if I value my privacy?
You can still use Twitter to follow other users so that you ("follower") can receive tweets in your account. You can also set your Twitter to private so that only followers you approve can see you tweets. But remember, that does not stop your followers from forwarding (retweeting) your tweets, so I always tell my friends who set their Twitter accounts to private that it doesn't mean your tweets are safe. The only way to guarantee privacy is not to even mention it on any social media.
Why should I follow Twitter users?
By following these users, you will receive tweets that they post. Note that many organisations or news agencies or interest groups use Twitter to share useful information like news, promotions, tips.
What's so interesting to search in Twitter?
You can search for the most recent tweets that users posted at http://search.twitter.com/ . For instance, during the recent floods around Singapore, I use Twitter to search and find who, what, where, when and how the floods occur. Some users even post photos. You can't find this news anywhere outside Twitter, until it's officially reported on the news sites. That is the wonder of Twitter, and this is made possible because of users like you who wants to contribute such information by tweeting.
So, the next time something interesting happens, you might want to tweet it so that people will find out (provided your tweets are public and you do not set your account to private).
How do I interpret and use the symbols on the tweets?
The "@" sign before a name (e.g. @musicdiary) refers to the Twitter User ID. When you use that, the tweet would be visible to the user. This is useful when you are mentioning something in the tweet about other users and you want them to be aware of the tweet too. If you don't do that, then the user would not know that you are mentioning him/her and would have no idea of your tweets, even if the user is following you. That's because the user may overlook your tweet among the dozens or hundreds of tweets he/she receives.
The "#" sign is a hash tag. It's basically like a tag or keyword that you often do on articles. It's useful if there is a popular (trending) topic that the Twitter community is heavily discussing or searching, so you can insert the hash tag to include your tweet to be part of the topic, e.g. #ndp2010. This feature is not really important, so don't use it if you don't know how to use it. I rarely use it, and I treat it like a short form (e.g. National Day Parade 2010) and many people must also use the hash tag in order to make it work. If only you is using it (e.g. #ilovendp) then the hash tag is meaningless.
Use "RT" to denote that you are retweeting (like email forwarding) a tweet from another user. In 2009, Twitter enhanced the "RT" feature to allow you to retweet in its entirety without having to include the tweeter's user ID in the tweet. This allows the original tweet to be passed around without having the retweeter to try to shorten the tweet in order to fit the entire tweet due to the possible list of previous retweeters' user IDs. The result is that the retweeter cannot edit the tweets, which might be rather handicapped as sometimes you want to include your comments before retweeting. This "primitive" method may still be allowed depending on the Twitter applications you use. So, if you want to do a complete retweet, just look for the "retweet" button and click it, which means no editing. If you want to edit before posting, look for an option to say "edit and retweet" (or something to that effect).
OK that's all. Leave me a comment if you have anything to ask or share. Cheers!
Showing posts with label Twitter. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Twitter. Show all posts
Saturday, June 26, 2010
Saturday, June 12, 2010
Bedridden for a Week
Last Saturday was my Grandpa's 7th death anniversary. We brought a Reverend to do some rituals. Many people came back, including my 15-month niece, Xiyuan. Here are some of their intimate moments.
In the same evening, I attended Zoe's 21st birthday party with Melody.
The next day, I started to get throat irritation and runny nose, and by afternoon, I felt I needed to rest and took some painkillers. Alas, the virus has begun their assault.
Monday, I tweeted:
In the same evening, I attended Zoe's 21st birthday party with Melody.
The next day, I started to get throat irritation and runny nose, and by afternoon, I felt I needed to rest and took some painkillers. Alas, the virus has begun their assault.
Monday, I tweeted:
I'm very sick since ytd. The usual throat-nose-bodyache symptons. Last nite was terrible, just waiting for dawn so i can see doc. #fb
This time round the first sympton was headache on sat, which was unusual cus i usually have sore throat first.
That's why i didn't think much abt the headache, thot i was tired or something. Then sun morning the usual symptons started appearing liao.
Tried self medication since this is kindda "normal" symptons. But last nite was excruciating! Tried to sleep thru e nite so i cld see doc.
http://twitpic.com/1unbfs - Is this how i looked like when i'm bedridden?
My fever went up, so now going for second opinion.
Doc says, suck it up! Ok basically it's respiratory infection and as long as conscious level is up, it's ok.
Could incense have triggered such infection? Perhaps it's my grandpa's way of telling me to take a break.
Fever taking me on a roller coaster ride. Still bedridden. I've never felt so ill in my life. 2 days sleeping non-stop.
Looking forward to my next medication so that i will feel better. Meds work, but seemingly only for a few hours.
Why can't they make meds that consume every 3hrs? Can't wait for mealtime so that i can wallop the pills.
Clinic for 3rd opinion. Throat got worse thou fever subsided (@ Mount Alvernia Hospital) http://4sq.com/7BihVL
Doc diagnosed tonsilitis, gave me 3day MC. Never been ill for a whole week in my entire life. #fb
Doc gave me a jab, hopefully that would speed up the recovery. Fever went back up, i'm back on bed now.
For the first time in 3 days, I am FEELING hungry. #fb
After sleeping non-stop like an invalid for 4 days, it feels good to be useful again. #fb
My fever's gone, but the World Cup fever's just started! #fb
Monday, February 1, 2010
Where Blog?
Jan 2010 is a really bad month for me. I checked my archives and found that this month has the lowest number of entries since I started blogging - only 2. Comparatively, I tweeted no less than 20 posts for the past 7 days.
Lemme take this chance to summarise some snippets of what I missed blogged for the entire month of January.
2010 sets to be an exciting year for techies. Here's why.
1. Mobile: Google Android continues expansion plans with Nexus One, albeit hiccups. It's a start of an eternal battle for a piece of the market pie. I also noticed the trend that more youths in Singapore are using Blackberry phones because it has its own strong networking platform, which means you get to access to all the facebook, instant messaging, twitter, with real-time push notifications via your BB. My E72 doesn't have that icon notification when I have updates, so I had to check once a while, but Symbians or Windows Mobile-based devices have more design variety. Feliza (meetlilprincess) asked me which one should she buy, and my summarised response to her in twitter:
So if you are not that hard-up for keeping in touch constantly online and need the casual checks (like me), a Nokia will do fantastic, certainly does well in the battery life area. BB may be an overkill unless you are a full-time (or extremely avid) blogger. For iPhone, get it if you are a fan or want to be "in". The only real technical advantage I hear of iPhone users are its nifty interactive interface. Other than that, camera is poor, battery life is poor, keyboard needs getting used to, no multi-tasking, rather big... the list goes on.
2. Imaging: More hybrid digicams with interchangeable lenses, with HD video recording. Apart from the micro four-thirds system, in which 4 models were released by Panasonic and Olympus last year, Ricoh announced the GXR, where the lens and the sensor is attached to the "body". This concept means that you can have different lenses with different sensors but operating on a same "body" of processor and LCD monitor.
Then this month, the Samsung NX10 is finally announced. Similar in concept to the micro four-thirds, the NX10 has a sensor size of the cropped DSLR, while keeping the entire system compact. Not forgetting, these models can record video, and mostly in HD.
So the $3650 question: which system should I get? If I were a casual shooter and wanted something more advanced to allow me to snap DSLR-like images with better controls in depth of field, I would go for the compact lens systems, albeit costlier. If I were a casual shooter and wanted a pocketable camera, I would get a very good compact digicam, like the Canon S90, that allows me to shoot low light scenes and fast. If I do not bother about the bulk issue, then nothing beats having a DSLR.
3. Computing: Return of the Tablets (thanks to Windows 7 and the Apple iPad). Years back, I already dreamt about a powerful touch-screen smartphone that can be detached from the main body and still functionable. Lenovo IdeaPad U1 is close to what I desire, but it's a laptop. Still, it demonstrates the possibility of a modular computing device. As for iPad, well, seriously, anything that Apple builds will be embraced by Apple fans. Afterall, there is no substitute. It's not as if there are a dozen other brands of Tablet PCs to choose from. I never like to go into the argument about Apple vs. non-Apple devices, and the truth is that owning an Apple device transcends logic and rationality. Most important thing is to get the device that suits your lifestyle.
OK, aside from tech stuff. Shopping-lovers would be elated to know that so many new malls have sprung up for the past months. I happened to go on course at 111 Somerset (building names are getting so boring). So it was the first time I visited 313@Somerset. I quite like the mall design, and nowadays the underground shopping area is as big (some even bigger) than the above ground spaces.
And then I realised that Orchard Central is possibly the cheapest car park around the Somerset area: $1 for first hour and $0.80 every half hour. That's even cheaper than the open space URA car park!
To end this post, here's a quote I posted on Twitter a week back.
Lemme take this chance to summarise some snippets of what I missed blogged for the entire month of January.
2010 sets to be an exciting year for techies. Here's why.
1. Mobile: Google Android continues expansion plans with Nexus One, albeit hiccups. It's a start of an eternal battle for a piece of the market pie. I also noticed the trend that more youths in Singapore are using Blackberry phones because it has its own strong networking platform, which means you get to access to all the facebook, instant messaging, twitter, with real-time push notifications via your BB. My E72 doesn't have that icon notification when I have updates, so I had to check once a while, but Symbians or Windows Mobile-based devices have more design variety. Feliza (meetlilprincess) asked me which one should she buy, and my summarised response to her in twitter:
@felizaong BB provides the best integrated experience but bulky. iPhone has the most apps. Symbian or WM has most variety of phones.
So if you are not that hard-up for keeping in touch constantly online and need the casual checks (like me), a Nokia will do fantastic, certainly does well in the battery life area. BB may be an overkill unless you are a full-time (or extremely avid) blogger. For iPhone, get it if you are a fan or want to be "in". The only real technical advantage I hear of iPhone users are its nifty interactive interface. Other than that, camera is poor, battery life is poor, keyboard needs getting used to, no multi-tasking, rather big... the list goes on.
2. Imaging: More hybrid digicams with interchangeable lenses, with HD video recording. Apart from the micro four-thirds system, in which 4 models were released by Panasonic and Olympus last year, Ricoh announced the GXR, where the lens and the sensor is attached to the "body". This concept means that you can have different lenses with different sensors but operating on a same "body" of processor and LCD monitor.
Then this month, the Samsung NX10 is finally announced. Similar in concept to the micro four-thirds, the NX10 has a sensor size of the cropped DSLR, while keeping the entire system compact. Not forgetting, these models can record video, and mostly in HD.
So the $3650 question: which system should I get? If I were a casual shooter and wanted something more advanced to allow me to snap DSLR-like images with better controls in depth of field, I would go for the compact lens systems, albeit costlier. If I were a casual shooter and wanted a pocketable camera, I would get a very good compact digicam, like the Canon S90, that allows me to shoot low light scenes and fast. If I do not bother about the bulk issue, then nothing beats having a DSLR.
3. Computing: Return of the Tablets (thanks to Windows 7 and the Apple iPad). Years back, I already dreamt about a powerful touch-screen smartphone that can be detached from the main body and still functionable. Lenovo IdeaPad U1 is close to what I desire, but it's a laptop. Still, it demonstrates the possibility of a modular computing device. As for iPad, well, seriously, anything that Apple builds will be embraced by Apple fans. Afterall, there is no substitute. It's not as if there are a dozen other brands of Tablet PCs to choose from. I never like to go into the argument about Apple vs. non-Apple devices, and the truth is that owning an Apple device transcends logic and rationality. Most important thing is to get the device that suits your lifestyle.
OK, aside from tech stuff. Shopping-lovers would be elated to know that so many new malls have sprung up for the past months. I happened to go on course at 111 Somerset (building names are getting so boring). So it was the first time I visited 313@Somerset. I quite like the mall design, and nowadays the underground shopping area is as big (some even bigger) than the above ground spaces.
And then I realised that Orchard Central is possibly the cheapest car park around the Somerset area: $1 for first hour and $0.80 every half hour. That's even cheaper than the open space URA car park!
To end this post, here's a quote I posted on Twitter a week back.
Many people are so used to communicating via social media that they forget people can be instantly reached via mobile phone.
Saturday, December 12, 2009
Hong Kong Nov 2009 - Day 4 and 5
29 Nov 2009
Morning to Day 4. Going for dimsum at Maxims then to Citygate factory outlets.
http://twitpic.com/re69b - Dim sum at Maxim's, located at City Hall.
When we arrived:
Before we left:
After the breakfast, we headed back to the MTR.
On the MTR heading to Tung Chung, the (2nd) last station of the line.
Tung Chung is where Citygate, the factory outlet shopping mall, is located. The train ride didn't feel very long, although it's actually one stop away from the airport. We forgot it was a Sunday, so that place was very packed. We spent the rest of the day there till about 3pm. I bought some shirts at Timberland and Esprit. Had lunch at Food Republic, tasted the Chicken Rice and "Hokkien" prawn mee. The chicken rice, apparently famous, tasted pretty authentic but the prawn mee lacks the prawn taste, it's more like a normal seafood noodles.
Done with Citygate. Now moving on to new destinations.
We took the MTR to Mongkok, visited a few electronic stores but bought nothing. Too many people. Walked along Ladies Street and bought a cheongsam for Mayenne to don during Chinese New Year.
Back to hotel. Getting earlier by the day, as we are really tired from all the walking. Maybe we'll go out again later after a rest. #fb Had dinner at a small cosy shop. The wantons are bigger, better and cheaper than Mak's!! I will recommend 桂记云吞面 along Carnarvon Rd.
30 Nov 2009
Day five in HK. About to check out at 8.3am.
Went to the rooftop for the last time to capture the morning glory.
Checked in at the airport. Waiting for the flight at 11.35am. #fb
Ok boarded the plane. It's been a good trip with a different experience from my previous vacations. This HK trip wouldn't be smooth without technology. Thanks to Google Maps, Facebook, Twitter, IM. Most impt, unlimited data service!!! #fb TOUCHDOWN to Singapore land!
Morning to Day 4. Going for dimsum at Maxims then to Citygate factory outlets.
http://twitpic.com/re69b - Dim sum at Maxim's, located at City Hall.
When we arrived:
Before we left:
After the breakfast, we headed back to the MTR.
On the MTR heading to Tung Chung, the (2nd) last station of the line.
Tung Chung is where Citygate, the factory outlet shopping mall, is located. The train ride didn't feel very long, although it's actually one stop away from the airport. We forgot it was a Sunday, so that place was very packed. We spent the rest of the day there till about 3pm. I bought some shirts at Timberland and Esprit. Had lunch at Food Republic, tasted the Chicken Rice and "Hokkien" prawn mee. The chicken rice, apparently famous, tasted pretty authentic but the prawn mee lacks the prawn taste, it's more like a normal seafood noodles.
Done with Citygate. Now moving on to new destinations.
We took the MTR to Mongkok, visited a few electronic stores but bought nothing. Too many people. Walked along Ladies Street and bought a cheongsam for Mayenne to don during Chinese New Year.
Back to hotel. Getting earlier by the day, as we are really tired from all the walking. Maybe we'll go out again later after a rest. #fb Had dinner at a small cosy shop. The wantons are bigger, better and cheaper than Mak's!! I will recommend 桂记云吞面 along Carnarvon Rd.
30 Nov 2009
Day five in HK. About to check out at 8.3am.
Went to the rooftop for the last time to capture the morning glory.
Checked in at the airport. Waiting for the flight at 11.35am. #fb
Ok boarded the plane. It's been a good trip with a different experience from my previous vacations. This HK trip wouldn't be smooth without technology. Thanks to Google Maps, Facebook, Twitter, IM. Most impt, unlimited data service!!! #fb TOUCHDOWN to Singapore land!
Monday, November 30, 2009
Hong Kong Nov 2009 - Day 1
This vacation has been a unique experience for me, mostly because of mobile technology within my palm. For the first time, I am updating my whereabouts via Twitter and Facebook so that you people can get my latest status and photos.
And for those that missed my tweets, here's a chronological compilation over the past 5 days, plus additional footage (hahaha sounds like I'm marketing some "special edition" or "best compilation" or sorts).
Day 1, 26 Nov 2009
http://twitpic.com/qx5fd - 5.30am, i'm up, and so is the coffee shop.
Queueing to check-in manually at T1 Row 1. The self service counter is buggy, cannot process our e-tickets.
In the queue, i see everyone's irritated faces, and it really spoils the whole vacation experience for me. Flight is overbooked. The staff requested us to volunteer for the next flight at 1010hrs with compensation. We agreed n now processing.
For the inconveniences, we were compensated with S$90 cash and US$75 in-flight vouchers. Each. On top of that, they gave us breakfast vouchers to consume at the cafeteria. But the vouchers wrote for 5 pax, and the cashier lady so cute She insisted that we utilise the full value, even if it means take-away. And so we ordered an American breakfast, 2 croissant, 2 coffees http://twitpic.com/qxuli - ...1 tea, 2 mineral waters, 1 fruit punch, 1 can drink. Total worth about $33. And here's the photo of it all. Of all places, i found the SD card reader i've been looking for, in the airport duty free electronics shop. Just boarded the Cathay Pacific plane. Over and out, Singapore! Live reporting from Kowloon, Hong Kong!!! Got my unlimited data pack activated. China Mobile doesn't have a strong 3G network, now connected on low bandwidth and can't open too many connections on the phone. Bleah.
http://twitpic.com/qzrdh - Ingenious shop name! Can read front to back. http://twitpic.com/qzu38 - A magnificent view of the skyline! Great xmas lights!!!!
Here's another shot on the Samsung ST550.
HK weather was around 20s degree. The breeze is rather chilling but not freezing. If there is no wind you could comfortably walk around with a t-shirt. But it is a must to carry a windbreaker just in case of sudden climate changes.
From there, we walked to Hankow Road where the ESPRIT outlet was, and dropped by HMV to get "The Very Best of Enya" CD+DVD album.
http://twitpic.com/r2yet - My newest enya compilation CD album, bought only becoz of the DVD music videos included.
I already had a bootleg Enya DVD years back, but this album contains new music videos. I didn't like the track selections. Actually, the track listing is different from the CD-only version, very puzzling why Warner Music did that. This is the first compilation album I bought of Enya. I had all her studio albums and a dozen of her singles, meticulously collected to avoid duplicates, as many of her singles contain unreleased tracks.
After a quick shopping spree, we headed back to hotel and had a good rest in preparation for the next day trip to Macau, which I will continue in my next blog entry.
And for those that missed my tweets, here's a chronological compilation over the past 5 days, plus additional footage (hahaha sounds like I'm marketing some "special edition" or "best compilation" or sorts).
Day 1, 26 Nov 2009
http://twitpic.com/qx5fd - 5.30am, i'm up, and so is the coffee shop.
Queueing to check-in manually at T1 Row 1. The self service counter is buggy, cannot process our e-tickets.
In the queue, i see everyone's irritated faces, and it really spoils the whole vacation experience for me. Flight is overbooked. The staff requested us to volunteer for the next flight at 1010hrs with compensation. We agreed n now processing.
For the inconveniences, we were compensated with S$90 cash and US$75 in-flight vouchers. Each. On top of that, they gave us breakfast vouchers to consume at the cafeteria. But the vouchers wrote for 5 pax, and the cashier lady so cute She insisted that we utilise the full value, even if it means take-away. And so we ordered an American breakfast, 2 croissant, 2 coffees http://twitpic.com/qxuli - ...1 tea, 2 mineral waters, 1 fruit punch, 1 can drink. Total worth about $33. And here's the photo of it all. Of all places, i found the SD card reader i've been looking for, in the airport duty free electronics shop. Just boarded the Cathay Pacific plane. Over and out, Singapore! Live reporting from Kowloon, Hong Kong!!! Got my unlimited data pack activated. China Mobile doesn't have a strong 3G network, now connected on low bandwidth and can't open too many connections on the phone. Bleah.
http://twitpic.com/qzrdh - Ingenious shop name! Can read front to back. http://twitpic.com/qzu38 - A magnificent view of the skyline! Great xmas lights!!!!
Here's another shot on the Samsung ST550.
HK weather was around 20s degree. The breeze is rather chilling but not freezing. If there is no wind you could comfortably walk around with a t-shirt. But it is a must to carry a windbreaker just in case of sudden climate changes.
From there, we walked to Hankow Road where the ESPRIT outlet was, and dropped by HMV to get "The Very Best of Enya" CD+DVD album.
http://twitpic.com/r2yet - My newest enya compilation CD album, bought only becoz of the DVD music videos included.
I already had a bootleg Enya DVD years back, but this album contains new music videos. I didn't like the track selections. Actually, the track listing is different from the CD-only version, very puzzling why Warner Music did that. This is the first compilation album I bought of Enya. I had all her studio albums and a dozen of her singles, meticulously collected to avoid duplicates, as many of her singles contain unreleased tracks.
After a quick shopping spree, we headed back to hotel and had a good rest in preparation for the next day trip to Macau, which I will continue in my next blog entry.
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
Hong, Kong, Hong Kong
I'm off to the airport in less than 4 hours and I'm still blogging here! Just wanna drop a quick note that I'll be spending my days in Hong Kong from 26 to 30 Nov. And this time, I plan to utilise the social media to update my trip via Facebook or Twitter or Blogger or all of the above, depending on whether I have time and whether I can get the SIM to work with my E72 without any hiccups. China Mobile has this HK$78 Mobile Data Package that offers unlimited data usage for 30 days. They also have this IDD prepaid SIM that offers free IDD to selected destinations including Singapore, and all you pay is the local airtime of HK$0.25.
So if you are kaypo and want to know my every move in Hong Kong, check for my updates on the following sites:
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/chestertan
Twitter/Twitpic: http://twitter.com/musicdiary/
And while you are there, please comment and say hi.
Bye!
So if you are kaypo and want to know my every move in Hong Kong, check for my updates on the following sites:
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/chestertan
Twitter/Twitpic: http://twitter.com/musicdiary/
And while you are there, please comment and say hi.
Bye!
Thursday, November 19, 2009
Flood at Bukit Timah
I heard about the Bt. Timah flood yesterday from Keropokman's tweet around noon. From there, I searched in Twitter and found many tweets mainly from students in Ngee Ann Polytechnic. As soon as I found some photos and video, I tweeted them by 3pm.
Yesterday's flood reminded me of a similar one I experienced in the early 1990s (or was it late 1980s) when I was in Secondary (or was I in Primary?) school. Similar to that effect, Bt. Timah Rd was flooded and traffic came to a stall. I was actually at Bt. Timah Road itself, at the stretch where it was no flood. But there was no traffic, probably because the other stretches of the road was flooded and thus no vehicles could pass through where I was. My parent's car was along the affected stretch and my mum described how the waters seeped into the car while she was driving and flooded the seats. We had to endure weeks of damp smell whenever we sat in the car.
Back then, Internet was non-existent and we had to wait for the following days to see the full impact from the newspapers or the evening news on TV. Today, I got the news within minutes after it happened from Twitter.
Today, everyone can get news the moment it happens. If you know where and how to search.
http://www.straitstimes.com/BreakingNews/Singapore/Story/STIStory_456468.html?vgnmr=1
http://www.straitstimes.com/BreakingNews/Singapore/Story/STIStory_456808.html
http://www.razor.tv/site/servlet/segment/main/news/39240.html
Yesterday's flood reminded me of a similar one I experienced in the early 1990s (or was it late 1980s) when I was in Secondary (or was I in Primary?) school. Similar to that effect, Bt. Timah Rd was flooded and traffic came to a stall. I was actually at Bt. Timah Road itself, at the stretch where it was no flood. But there was no traffic, probably because the other stretches of the road was flooded and thus no vehicles could pass through where I was. My parent's car was along the affected stretch and my mum described how the waters seeped into the car while she was driving and flooded the seats. We had to endure weeks of damp smell whenever we sat in the car.
Back then, Internet was non-existent and we had to wait for the following days to see the full impact from the newspapers or the evening news on TV. Today, I got the news within minutes after it happened from Twitter.
Today, everyone can get news the moment it happens. If you know where and how to search.
http://www.straitstimes.com/BreakingNews/Singapore/Story/STIStory_456468.html?vgnmr=1
http://www.straitstimes.com/BreakingNews/Singapore/Story/STIStory_456808.html
http://www.razor.tv/site/servlet/segment/main/news/39240.html
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