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Posts Tagged ‘Twitter’

Haiti Lessons re Tweets That Save Lives

January 19th, 2010 by Admin | 1 Comment | Filed in Inspirational Stuff, Social Media & Media

On January 14, 2010, in my stream (@judyrey) I saw a Tweet that said CNN had just announced a massive 7.0 earthquake had occurred in Haiti.

Since I follow back the over 130,000 people who follow me and I can quickly skim, I have an advantage.  I can spot news and important information quickly.  Awful news like a 7.0 earthquake means my day just changes as I will use my tweets to work to help people and hopefully save lives.

I immediately did a Twitter search for “Haiti” and found tweets and re-tweets of news coming from Twitter’s news sources, but there seemed to be scant few from anyone in Haiti. That was strange.

The earthquake in Haiti is far from the first emergency where I used my Twitter network to help not the first quake I have been active in using Twitter as a helpful resource.

The first emergency when I participated in Tweeting information was the Mumbai attack on November 26, 2008. It was an event that changed how I saw Twitter and my role on Twitter.

I noticed that “Mumbai” had become a Trending Topic. Curious, I did a search for #Mumbai and discovered a stream of tweets coming from people in Mumbai, plus those outside who re-tweeted information. No one in Mumbai seemed to know what was going on, but there were gunshots coming from various places and suddenly regular citizens were under attack.

Essentially, when people in Mumbai knew of a safe or dangerous place they tweeted the information via their cell phones. This was re-tweeted again and again, so it would be seen by others in Mumbai when they searched on Twitter on their cell phones. Twitter The Twitter platform allowed those of use who cared enough to volunteer to become a link in a large stream of walkie-talkie type communications between people in a common emergency situation who otherwise would not be connected.

The secondary information we re-tweeted concerned helping friends and loved ones find their loved ones in Mumbai.

I had fewer than 2000 followers so I wondered how much good by re-tweeting the helpful information would do, but it was worth a try.  Since my re-tweets were again re-tweeted (passed along by others), and since I used #Mumbai I re-tweeted the Mumbai showed up in searches, it became quickly apparent that my meager two cents was worth a lot for #Mumbai.

I noticed that as I veered away from my usual tweeting topics of art, inspiration and awareness with some humor and comments on Social Media tossed in I lost followers.  Clearly diverging from what others perceived as my brand was not welcomed.

It seems to me that tweeting to help others during a crisis or emergency is totally part of any real artist’s brand. We artists were (and some would say are) the original spiritual leaders, the ones who bring the “fire down from heaven” making it seen and heard to inspire others. What is more spiritual than helping to save lives?

Since many people have cell phones with internet access that they have with them most of the time Twitter has quickly grown to be an initial and important information broadcasting media, especially in an emergency. During the past year it has become standard that major TV, radio and print media follow Twitter to pick up early information about breaking news.  But, unlike old media, through Twitter lives can be saved and injuries prevented as people in dangerous situations are tweeted immediate information.

After Mumbai, some of the events where I have re-tweeted possibly life saving and helpful information include the “Miracle on the Hudson’, the earthquake in Italy, the protests in Iran, the recent quakes in Samoa, plus several hostage situations, including Fort Hood. Stepping in and helping via Tweets has become a part of my life.

Until Haiti’s 7.0 earthquake.

Within ten minutes of the first tweet I saw it was apparent that whatever had happened in Haiti was unlike anything we had dealt with on Twitter before. The majority of the news about the Haiti quake was coming from news sources, such as CNN, not from Twitter members in Haiti.

I went to wefollow.com and discovered only a few members based in Haiti.Only three had tweeted recently. I found one missionary tweeting in Haiti who knew the situation was catastrophic but he was outside of Port au Prince. His phone was running out of power.  A different missionary source in Florida who  relaying some information from their people in Haiti, while also seeking to discover more. Plus a follower found someone else who was in Haiti and also running out of power on his cell phone. Several people outside of Haiti had received phone calls from loved ones there and tweeted the little information they had.

The few first and second hand tweets informed us that Haiti was devastated. The overwhelming lack of tweets from Haiti itself indicated a catastrophe beyond what we had dealt with on Twitter so far. There were no safe places. No shelters. No emergency responders. There was nothing we could tweet to the people in Haiti that would help them get fare better that first night.

The Twitter stream was filled with re-tweets about Haiti, relief organizations to contact and ways to give, but not tweets from Haiti itself. Haiti’s poverty and lack of communications infrastructure, plus the massiveness of the quake was experienced on Twitter. Until relief personnel and newscasters arrived in Haiti Twitter members lacked first hand tweets.

What caused the majority of deaths and damage in the San Francisco quake was not the quake itself but the fires it started. Haiti’s poverty may have also helped to save more lives than were actually lost from the views that I have seen in newscasts. Since many of the homes and shanties in Haiti lacked electricity and gas lines, since not many people own gasoline powered vehicles and there are few gas stations, fire was not an additional problem from the quake.

Today, a week after the quake, there is a hopeful sign on Twitter.

The first few messages from people in Haiti asking for specific needs, such as water at specific locations indicates the Haitians and relief workers are beginning to create some order, plus the hope that there is someone who can bring the necessary aid. Twitter is again being used to relay to unknown people, which are again tweeted and seen by others who can help or use the information.

I am grateful to be a Twitter member and to have the opportunity to join with strangers who often become friends as we tweet and re-tweet within hashtags such as #Mumbai, #Italy, #IranElection, #Samoa and now #Haiti. Join us. Thanks to Twitter, wherever you are, whatever you’re doing, you can take a few moments to tweet and re-tweet to help people in emergency situations and disasters, and even save lives.

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Twitter Hope: Happy, Fulfilled and Safe

January 5th, 2010 by Admin | No Comments | Filed in Inspirational Stuff, Social Media & Media

If you are on Twitter you know I, @judyrey,  usually begin and end my day Tweeting my hope that  followers (and readers) are “happy, fulfilled and safe.”

On an almost daily basis that message is ReTweeted. It moves people, and that makes me happy because it is sincere and my real hope.

What do I mean by it?

First, as some Twitter members have mentioned, it is a blessing. I was and continue to be inspired to send it. I actually prayed before the first time I Tweeted it, asking for a message and blessing for all followers.

I cannot come up with a better greeting of sign off Tweet or message as I sometimes use it on Facebook.

The English word “happy” translates to “blessed” or “barak “, which is also a Hebrew name you may recognize.

I begin with the heartfelt hope that my Twitter and sometimes Facebook friends are blessed.

In truth, most everyone is blessed just by being alive, but my intent is that each friend feels or is experiencing being blessed. That recognition puts a person in the position of gratitude and abundance.

All of humankind’s major faiths teach that when we feel we have rather than lack, we will be blessed with more. It is a primary lesson of Job, the earliest book in the Bible.

When I use the word “fulfilled” I refer to being on your unique path in life. I am sure that each person has special gifts and ways to give to the world. When we are in the moment, in the now — what athletes call “in the flow” we are most fully alive and on our path.

For me  being fulfilled involves living inspired, which is easy to say and type but on a moment to moment basis very difficult. Yet, we all have experienced those moments. This is what I pray for my friends and loved ones to be do and have always.

The word “safe” has many ramifications. For me, the major way that I feel safe is when I am fulfilled and feel close to The Divine (always substitute your own name for The Divine when I use the term). Safe means safe from feel, worry, lack, pain and other unwanted negative emotions, etc.

My wish and prayer for your safety also means safe from disease, injury, famine, exposure to extreme elements, and intolerance. We need to be safe from intolerance to fulfill our purposes and share our Divine gifts with the world.

It blesses and fulfills me to wish and pray that my friends and loved ones, including collectors, readers of my blogs (you!), articles and books, be, do and have a happy, fulfilled and safe day and life.

I must admit that expressing that wish, and living where I can safely express it, makes me happy and fulfilled too.

I hope wherever you are, whatever you’re doing, that you’re happy, fulfilled and safe!

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Nominate @persiankiwi for a Free Iran

October 30th, 2009 by Admin | 1 Comment | Filed in Inspirational Stuff, Social Media & Media

The Open Web Awards are currently accepting nominations. This is the third year for the awards, which are presented by Mashable and Motorola. From the categories it is clear that the awards began to celebrate and promote web innovation, especially in social media.

One category is Tweet of the Year

Three years ago it was unlikely, if not impossible to foresee some of the ways that people would use social media. Twitter was still being promoted as a place where one could go to let friend’s know you are enjoying a cup of coffee. Some people continue to use it as such.

But a large and growing number of people now rely on Twitter to meet new and interesting people, plus get or announce real time news and events.

One of those people was an Iranian known as @persiankiwi.

@persiankiwi came to be one of the people, perhaps the person who represented the unsung heroes who risked their welfare and lives to bring us reports, via Tweetcasts of the Iran Freedom protests. This Twitter member became so well respected and known that he/she merits a page on Wikipedia .

@persiankiwi’s follow count continues to grow along with his Twitter legend since his last tweet at 11:36 AM June 24 th . He is already included on 23 lists as I write this, although the list function is still in Beta testing stage.

@persiankiwi’s poignant second to last tweet deserves to win for Best Tweet of the Year – but there’s a catch that disqualifies him.

According to the Social rules: “The nominee must be publicly available.”

In other words, anyone who wins the award, or representatives of a company, has to be able to accept the award, which is generally a good rule as it excludes criminals, spammers, and fictional characters. Three years ago this was a good rule.

However, unlike the Nobel prizes, The Academy Awards, Grammys, Emmys, and many other notable awards, the rule also excludes political prisoners and those who became deceased during the year.

That rule means that nominations for any of the any of the brave Iranians who risked their lives for freedom by peaceable means by posting Tweets, videos, pictures, blogs and messages to Social Media and web sites.

NEW!  Until November 11, 2009 we only knew that @persiankiwi was arrested by the unconstitutional Iranain dictatorship forces on  June 24, 2009. Due to this article and campaign, on November 11, 2009 @judyrey received compelling evidence that @persiankiwi is alive and supports this nomination and effort.

We know that as things stand, even if “The Kiwi” as many of us called him might not be allowed to travel to the USA, where is would be an instant media darling as he reported first hand on the repressive and brutal dictatorship in Iran. However, @persiankiwi seems to be available to come to the USA, unless prevented by the Iranian government to now all the nomination criteria are met!

We can bring good publicity to the awards, social media, the ongoing cause on and beyond social media of real freedom, democracy and religious tolerance in Iran, plus be a tribute to @persiakiwi and those brave Iranian members of social media and the peaceful Green movement.

Although the brave and usually peaceful Iranian freedom protesters used many forms of social media well, it was the moment by moment Tweetcasts that upstaged and usurped the reporting of traditional media, such as CNN, BBC and NYT.

While You Tube videos are and were riveting and incredible, there is not one specific videographer who stands out. There are several shot from various angles of most of the important events. There is not one single You Tube video or Flickr picture that can be successfully attributed to any individual. What is impressive and newsworthy is that there are such a grand amount of visual materials uploaded despite the ongoing peril of injury, imprisonment, torture and even death for such activity.

There are two tweets that memorably stand out

One inspired a new large scale work of art that I am creating. Immediately after it was tweeted by an Iranian protector many people RTed it, or translated it into many of the world’s languages.

I call it the “Tweet heard around the World”. Unfortunately, I have no idea who originally tweeted it.

My own Art Tweet, using a Twitter character I created and a painting that uses strokes that are the original letters of the Bibles book of Esther, which is set in Persia is below. It is part of a large scale art piece and group of works about Social Media and the Iran Protests for Freedom that I am creating.

“Tweet Heard ‘Round the World” (detail) by Judy Rey Wasserman

Although by the Social Media Award rules we could nominate my artistic rendition of this tweet, the honor of representing the cause of Iran’s freedom needs to go to a brave Iranian not me, even though for a while my Twitter Profile sported the information that I lived in Tehran. In reality I am the American artist who is the founder of Post Conceptual Art, including the branch known as UnGraven Image.

(more…)

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How to Deal with Thank You’s in Twitter DMs – both Sending and Receiving

September 3rd, 2009 by Admin | 24 Comments | Filed in Social Media & Media

This is the story of my early days on Twitter, how I discovered my Direct Messages (DMs) and why I never send a thank you to a new follower via one, plus how I deal with the messages I receive that may thank me for a follow.

When I first became active on Twitter, during the last few days of October 2008, I quickly followed about 1000 people. I knew one person on Twitter so I sent him my one and only message until a few days later, and then followed the two people he followed, then the people they followed, then the people the followed… until I found someone who had about 20,000 followers and I then began to follow people who were following over 1000 people.

From the beginning, I was more interested in following than being followed.

I find people interesting, often surprisingly wonderful and I can learn from others. I already know the stuff I know.

Suddenly my email was filled with messages from people I was newly following on Twitter. At first this was fun. Then it became a tiresome chore as I answered each one. I was even checking out links!

I sat back and happily watched my stream for about three days until I saw a message about something on Twitter called a DM. One of my earliest messages, since I was watching not tweeting, was to ask what a DM was. I put the question out generally as I had no idea how to reply or ReTweet.

That is how I discovered my DMs. Or, as I refer to it today, my Dratted Messages of Spam.

Dratted Messages of Spam

As I waded through over a hundred messages, wondering which ones I’d seen and answered and if any were new, I noticed that over two thirds contained links. Since I am polite it seemed important to answer each person, even those who did not follow back.

Less than a year ago the situation in my DMs was easier to manage as bots were sending an individual’s messages, but the hucksters had not caught on to setting up dummy accounts and getting unsuspecting members to spew there offerings of games, “free gifts”, amazing ways to get 500 new followers daily sent by people who have under 500 followers, and other …well, stuff that is junk to me.

However, there were some very nice people sending simple thank you’s for a follow. There still are. Some of those thanks you’s are not automated.

I wondered if I should send thank you for the follow DMs too? It seemed like a lot of work as I still did not know of automated services on Twitter. What to do?

I had discovered @ChrisBrogan, who was and is one of the wisest and best Social Media advisers I know. I scanned through all my DMs, which I had not deleted as I thought they might come in handy somehow – and I did not have a DM from Chris. No DMs thinking me for a follow from any of the good Social Media advisers I knew or even those who had many followers.

I believe I scrolled through Chris Brogan’s (@ChrisBrogan ) web site looking to find advice. I may even have figured out how to reply to someone in order to ask his advice. I wanted to be polite to the people who had decided to follow me, which was then about 150, but I was looking to get out of writing 150 more emails!

What I discovered is that none of the people who are great social media advisers send DMs when someone follows them. I followed their lead. It has been very successful for me.

To date, I have only sent one DM for a follow, which was a heartfelt message without a link to a celebrity musician I admire. Soon after that he unfollowed me.

When someone follows me, I follow back. A follow is a kind of “Hello”. I do not use an automated service to do it so I can see their avatar, the most recent Tweet and even check out the profile page. I often check out links to websites after we are tweeting in the stream. Is easy to follow back as we can always unfollow.

When I meet someone and say “Hi” I never hope for a thank you , just a “Hi” back. Same goes for a follow. I have never wondered why someone I followed did not thank me, but I have wondered why they chose not to follow me back if our interests are obviously related. Oh, well…

How I Handle DMs that thank me for a follow

I read but immediately delete all DMs that include a link in the thank you but follow me back — except if the link is from a fellow visual artist, writer, filmmaker or musician who is clearly not sending an automated or buy-my-stuff message. Those are the only links that I will check. I may even respond.

I immediately unfollow everyone who sends a spammy link but fails to follow me back.

I do this very quickly before they have a chance to catch up with the speed of their automated message and follow me back. I also delete the message.

I do try to respond back via DMs usually to those who send a thank you without a link.

People who mention my art and website or Tweets—showing that the message is not automated will generally get a reply.

People who use True Twit validation service have a strong chance of my unfollowing them.

If they have a nice smiling avatar and seem really new to Twitter I may follow the link and fill out the captcha, but I’m wondering if this person is worth following since they can’t be bothered to simply check out my stream and follower count themselves.

True Twit is a service that people subscribe to in order to make sure they do not follow back spammers. While the idea is good, since it is an automated service that also sends an automated message, I find it annoying although ironic. Even more ironic is that when one follows the link True Twit is pitching there service. So in essence it a kind of spammy link that the unsuspecting True Twit subscribers are sending automatically to DMs.

The simple way for anyone to check if a follower or someone you’re considering following is not a spammer, but interesting to you is to look at their stream. Plus, anyone with over 5,000 followers is probably not a spammer.

Yet, the need for someone to check out who is real to follow back exists. Probably some clever VA’s will step on and provide this service, which cannot be done by a bot. Or True Twit will figure out a way to validate accounts of recognized good Twitterers so those people never see or get the DM with the link to True Twit again.

Some of the True Twit users do just also follow back, but their automated message arrives in my DMs anyway. Those who do not manage to figure out that I am real and use no bots on Twitter I simply unfollow after a few days so that I can follow others who want a relationship.

I hang in with people have not followed back but send the bot message in DMs, “You can join the discussion by sending a message to @ “mytwitterID.”

This is a really dumb message that newbies are duped into sending by some bot service. This message infers that the follower is not already joining in discussions, which is dumb, because they did manage to find the sender to follow.

But, I was a newbie once, so now I wait a period of three days. If the newbie has not followed back, I unfollow. I might continue to follow if the Tweets were really interesting, funny or informative, but so far this has not happened. What we had potentially going was some relationship and that involves two way communications.

Next

OK. Now you know how I handle thank you’s regarding DMs.

Follow me, I’m @judyrey . I will follow you back—and you know I won’t DM you with a thank you or link. I never send an unrequested shortened link in a DM.

And importantly, next it’s your turn.

Voice your opinions and ideas in the comments below. What works for you? What do you agree with or like? What do you do differently? Several of my blogs re Twitter have become a kind of ongoing discussion, which benefits the community.

Please do include your Twitter ID in the body of your comment so people can follow you!

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New Media vs. Old Media – The Conversation is the Message

June 8th, 2009 by Admin | 3 Comments | Filed in Social Media & Media, Uncategorized

A revolutionary shift in how we relate as a society and even what defines a society is swiftly and quietly occurring. A new kind of media, spawned by advances in technology is quickly and steadily replacing the old forms of written and printed letters, newspapers and magazines and may soon extend to books.

The most natural form of communication is interaction. Newborns communicate with their caregivers, who communicate back. Throughout most of human history immediate interaction was only possible when people were in close proximity. This communication can involve the most senses, as we see, hear, smell and perhaps touch and even taste (for instance, kiss) each other. It is our basic, essential form of communication.

Our predominant sense is visual. Over 60 % of a healthy human brain’s space is dedicated to visual perception. The second favored perception is sound.

A Brief History of How Media Developed

The earliest methods of communication that traveled over great distance were based on sight and sound. One could send signals through smoke from a high place or via musical instruments such as horns, such as a ram’s horn or a drum. However, these messages had to be simple, complex ideas could not be communicated.

Messengers could be sent, but the original message might not be identical to the one conveyed. Pictures could also be sent with a messenger to show the idea(s) behind the message. The earliest writing was a form of art known as pictographs. Sight and sound, including art and music, continued to be the primary methods for communicating information.

Since only a few people could read, a paradigm for communication from one individual or a group to another group developed. Essentially information was received by one media distributor, which then broadcasts it to the community.

Until the late nineteenth century, distance equaled communication delay. News traveled slowly. When news arrived it was communicated by calling the people together in some way. After the printing press was invented more people learned to read so local newspapers and print media became the way of disseminating the news.

The invention of the telegraph meant news traveled faster, but it was still disseminated via word of mouth and print. Telephones allowed for more information to be quickly conveyed, but only top one person from one person. Mass news dissemination still continued to rely on printed media.

Radio and then television changed that. News could be delivered as it was breaking by reporters who were on the spot. Printed media and movie reels were used for more in-depth coverage plus editorial opinions.

While a few people were able to make their views known via books, art and films reaching many people, the majority of people could only influence those in their own immediate circle. Access to large scale publishing and broadcasting was limited or expensive. The advertising industry blossomed into mega profits as companies paid information channels to disseminate “news” of their products. Few individuals can afford a major media advertising and PR campaign to make their news and views known.

This paradigm can be useful and effectively convey important information that people need to survive or make their lives better.

Dictators, both political and religious use this type of communication have used this paradigm to control people. The fewer media distributors there are, the easier it is to control what information people receive.

The people who control the channel(s) that broadcast information to any group basically control the group. When many differing, even conflicting, channels of information are available the group or society enjoys more freedom.

Enter the World Wide Web

From its beginning, the world wide web allowed people to send messages and images quickly over a distance. People could “chat” even with total strangers, post messages to bulletin boards and create their own web sites. One could meet more people, but it was difficult to create any interesting or meaningful communication with more than one or just a few people via email.

The original paradigm of news being sent to a source, such as a town crier or newspaper, radio or television show, which then conveys the information to the community, remained the same.

Blogggers Begin the Media Shift

The early blogs were much like web sites where anyone could easily voice their opinions. When the technology developed that easily allowed for comments the paradigm began to shift. Anyone could write a comment, which is posted, and often replied to by the blogger and further commented upon by others.

New kinds of news and magazine sites developed where breaking news stories were immediately posted and commented upon. Bloggers, some of whom were journalists and reporters, were uncovering news and making ideas and information known that was then picked up by the old, regular media of newspapers, TV, radio and magazines.

A New Paradigm Emerges from New Media of Blogs and Online News and Magazine sites

Blogs and online magazines and news sites that encourage comments are understood to be New Media. The paradigm has shifted from the old one way flow of information to a two way, responsive communication flow.

The degree of the shift for any site depends on the amount of freedom allowed in the comments. My blogs, and most of the ones I frequent and post comments to allow people to voice any opinion as long as it is on the topic, does not use profanity and is not raciest, sexist, treasonous, etc.

Again the amount of freedom is indicated by the number of information sources plus the degree of conflicting information allowed. Recently, I have seen several blogs here individual comments could qualify as blog articles, as they were that long and well conceived.

A recent development is that individuals can subscribe to updates on comments to any individual blog via email. This lessens the time lag and allows for further dialogue, although it is not as immediate a chat, or Twitter.

New Media is Social and Quickly Responsive

New Media functions to allow more of the essential original communication paradigm experience for groups.

Social media sites like Ustream and similar sites are currently the best New Media platforms but only when they are broadcasting in real time . In real time these broadcasts include interactive keyboarded chats where participants and audiences interact freely with one another, as well as phone in availability. Ustream and sites like it, have the capacity to actively involve more people communicating, engaging the senses of sight and sound in real time.

Twitter , Tumblr , Facebook and sites that have the capacity to allow many viewers to simultaneously message and exchange information in real time conversations potentially including many participants are the second best examples of New Media. All of these sites are also called Social Media.

A fourth communication paradigm shows the interaction possible on sites like Ustream, Twitter, Tumblr and Facebook. Notice how it resembles the original paradigm.

Can Old Media Survive?

Old Media is floundering in our new age of immediate interconnectedness. Many print newspapers, including The New York Times are desperately chasing lagging readership and advertising revenues. These are being blamed on the economy, instead of being recognized as a problem with adapting to the new paradigm.

Of course, most Old Media is founded on the paradigm of their own superior expertise and information. The slogan, “All The News That’s Fit To Print” implies a superiority of knowing what information we need to know.

Old Media seems to have an ongoing message and position of, “You Need Our Opinion and Information, We Don’t Need or Want Yours.” This worked before we had the technology to allow for inter-connectivity.

When old media goes online it basically replicates its ongoing print presentation. This may seem to provide immediate additional advertising and even subscription streams of revenue, but it hurries the demise of the newspaper, magazine or television show itself. In the long run all that is accomplished is legitimizing the relevancy of obtaining pertinent information from an online information source.

Consumers shift to participate with a welcoming, responsive interconnected New Media Site with similar information. During the recent Tony Awards the Times was busily updating it’s site and had the news online at it’s site almost immediately—but not as quickly as Twitter members who were busily messaging each other with the news and their views.

But, imagine the traffic the Times would have had if they had hosted a chat, or Ustream style event with one of their top theatre critics from their web site during the Tony’s show!

For Old Media to survive it must focus on immediately opening and encouraging streams of social interaction to its communications, become quickly responsive to customers far beyond support desk help through meaningful dialogue. The old paradigm that can be understood as: “Me to you and you and you and you…” – must be replaced by “Us.”

How Oprah, Larry King and Local ABC News NYC Became New Media

Two years ago I wandered into Oprah Winfreys’s web site . Back then it was already a hub of interaction and connectivity. Members have blogs, discussion groups were active, and could contain comments that criticized or disagreed with Ms. Winfrey or any of her guests. From her television show, Oprah frequently asks viewers to go to the web site to receive a special bonus, participate in discussions. Regular viewers appear as guests on the show via Skype. Oprah has done shows on social media, Tweets from Twitter and has a Facebook fan page. The audience is made to feel that their opinions are valued and that they could be active participants and participate with Oprah and her staff.

Larry King – @ kingsthings and also other CNN hosts such as Anderson Cooper encourage comments and questions via the CNN web site and Twitter where they are @kingsthings and @andersoncooper . Larry King reads and answers some of these audience communications on his show. King listeners often call into his show, which is common in radio, but not in a live national show.

Nightline also makes great use of Twitter via < a href=:’http://twitter.com/Nightline”>@Nightline. They regularly Tweet with links to their stories, reply to members and ReTweet others’ messages. Where Nightline stands out ion their Twitter Profile page . Here a “LEGAL NOTICE” warns that any message, can and may be used , including on their television show. What an invitation to participate! Plus, The Nightline web site encourages visitors to comment on shows and those comments are shown.

Where I live local ABC late Night News leads into Nightline anchor Bill Ritter ( @eyewitnessbill ) and others on his team are Twitter members. They respond to tips sent to them through Twitter and their web site. Unlike The Times, Ritter often replies to those who Tweet to him. This news team reads comments from Twitter followers on-air, asks for input and works to make their news somewhat interactive and responsive, from news stories to suggestions for their & On Your Side Consumer Investigations the audience is encouraged to participate.

New Media is a Choice

In essence all media are information distribution channels. For any media to be and remain viable it must be a source of meaningful information, which can include entertainment. This is a cornerstone for both New and Old Media.

Thanks to today’s technological breakthroughs New Media can follow an exciting new paradigm that allows for social interconnectedness between audience members and media source, real time or fast responsiveness for potentially vast amounts of world-wide participants. New media is so social and participatory that at web sites like Digg and Stumbleupon people nominate and vote on their favorite news stories.

New Media is a seminar with a leader or facilitator where the chairs are in a circle and many participants, including the leader come prepared with the latest information, but everyone is encouraged to contribute ideas and questions. Old Media is an unresponsive authority, a professor lecturing from his notes to people he ignores in his lecture hall. When the information communicated is identical, which would you choose?

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Twitter Tweets & RT’s for Inspiration and Tolerance

May 19th, 2009 by Admin | 3 Comments | Filed in Uncategorized

Twitter is the real-time social media site that has the most members, thus it offers the best opportunity for immediate and spontaneous interactive conversations. Any speech or conversation cab always also bee understood as a kind of prepared or improvisational performance. Art imitates life but life can be art.

When people have the freedom to make connections and immediately interact responsibly the results can be inspiring and even transforming.

On a recent weekend morning when when I was still not quite awake, I was relaxing and enjoying my coffee as I began the day on Twitter. After messaging my good morning greeting I sat back to lurk the ongoing stream of messages.

Immediately I came upon a quote by St. Francis of Assisi, “For it is in giving that we receive,” which was tweeted by @skystjohn.

It is a concept that is universally found in most religions and paths worldwide. I have always appreciated that quote so I ReTweeted it (RT).

Over 47,000 people follow me and I happily follow them all back as a strong supporter of promoting equal two-way communication relationships. I am good at visually skimming for information. What sort of “jumps out at me”, is usually information that tends to become useful to me. I use this knack in libraries, books and printed materials, art shows, and just about anywhere I am looking, including the Twitter stream.

After I hit click to send the St. Francis RT, another great quote “popped out”.

annq “How soon not now, becomes never.” Martin Luther.

Of course this is another way to say Hillel’s famous, “If not now, when?”

I RT’d the Luther quote, too.

This was fun. It’s easy to ReTweet someone else’s message when I agree or it adds value for my followers. It promotes whoever I RT to my followers and I share credit for passing on the information.

Before I could move on the originate information myself , almost as if it was swimming in the stream straight to me came:

sczepanski “The softest things in the world overcome the hardest things in the world.” Lao Tzu

So many ways to say ideas such as “And the Truth will set you free..” and promote lovingkindness, charity, prayer and trust, which are all soft things.

At this point I realized that in a matter of minutes I had RT’s a Roman Catholic monk, a founder of the Protestant Reformation and the author of the TAO.

More significantly, my Tweets were being busily RT’d and then RT’d again my others.

Although I am not for a one world religion, I do appreciate and promote how many truths the religions and paths of the world share. My life work is founding Post Conceptual UnGraven Image Art theory, which among other firsts is the only religious theory of art founded in the USA As such it is fully inclusive for all religions and spiritual paths.

Almost immediately came this:

ultimateAleks up to YOU – The thing always happens that u really believe in; & the belief in a thing makes it happen.” Frank Lloyd Wright

Frank Lloyd Wright was a Unitarian. Yet, again the quote is restated in one way or another universally. Almost immediately a flip way of stating the Wright quote was RT’d in the stream.

MatchesMalone RT @vesselproject:”Everything is possible for him who believes”— Mark 9:23

I RT’d both quotes.

At this point it dawned on me I was going to use this week’s blog.  It was as if the blog was being divinely handed to me through the stream.

Often I am asked why I follow everyone back.  One of the key reasons is The Divine [please substitute the best Name for your faith] works through people. People who I know, those who are fairly new to me in a follow/follow relationship and others who were followed by my followers were Tweeting and ReTweeting messages that became the heart of this article. Had I not followed, I would have missed a meaningful and uplifting experience, plus the opportunity to share it with you.

I tweeted: “Now lurking stream hoping to find more uplifting quotes to RT, esp Jewish or Hindu or LOA now. So I get all in.”

Immediately aimed as replies to me came:

pacmanangel “Optimism is positive thinking lighted up.” ~ Norman Vincent Peale

studentofsucces“Develop success from failures. Discouragement & failure are 2 of the surest stepping stones to success.” Dale Carnegie

Twitter Members Tweeting in the Stream #1

I RT’d them and watched as others did also. Then Again I Tweeted a request.

“Com’n. Someone send me a Jewish or O.T. quote Reply (so I don’t miss it) to RT. Rather RT you that originate 1, but I can do that”

InnerWizard “What you don’t see with your eyes, don’t invent with your tongue. ” – Jewish proverb

Of course, this is another way of dealing with the commandment on coveting.

I RT’d it the also replied with this message:

judyrey @InnerWizard WOW! That 1’s new to me & as an artist I love it’s many ramifications. Watch me RT it at times. TY!

Still lacking one needed quote, I tweeted:

judyrey Next I need an uplifting, inspiring Hindu quote to RT.Reply one 2 me plz (hint: many avail from Dr. Chopra

GONeill @judyrey “Oprah has made me a fortune” – Dr. Deepak Chopra

judyrey @JGONeill ROFL. I’m sure that’s uplifting to Dr. Chopra & Oprah but not sure it will encourage or inspire my followers. But, TY

Twitter Members Twee6ing in the Stream #2

Twitter Members Tweeting in the Stream #2

Then a wonderful tweet floated down the stream headed to me:

InnerWizard “Happiness is a continuation of happenings which are not resisted.” – Deepak Chopra

I RT’d it.Then followed up with:

judyrey Quotes I just RT’d are each & all echoed in the teachings of Catholic, Protestant, Bhuddhist/Tao, Jewish Hindu, LOA, Pos Thinking

Later that afternoon I was received a reply about a quote Tweeted by SMARTBuddhist that I had RT’d a day or so before:from @ bolora:

@bolora @judyrey @SMARTBuddhist “Fall seven times, stand up eight.” – This is actually in Proverbs 24:16 http://tinyurl.com/p9ywhkProverbs 24:16 (New International Version)

Social media such as Twitter is providing people around the world with ways to connect and share their truths and discover how much we have in common with one another. As we share friendships are built and tolerance becomes a meaningful experience that can actually bring us closer to The Divine I ourselves, others and everywhere.

[Note: Discover more about how you can learn to see The Divine everywhere at Art of Seeing The Divine. See more about Judy Rey Wasserman’s Post Conceptual UnGraven Image Art through the You Tube videos and information, including images at http://ungravenimage.com.]

All avatar images used by permission of their Twitter owners, otherwise they are blurred. Please leave comments and if you are a Twitter member include your @ ID at the bottom so others can find and follow you!

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Celebrating National Day of Prayer on Twitter

May 7th, 2009 by Admin | 2 Comments | Filed in Uncategorized

Thursday, May 7, 2009 is National Prayer Day in the USA .

Prayer is understood to be communication with the Divine. Most major religions in the world involve prayer in some way in there teachings and rituals.

Prayer is an immediate, present time communication.

Twitter has become the Internet’s number one place for immediate present time communication.

Twitter members have created and celebrated real time events through hash tag gatherings, such as New Year’s Eve, #jourchat and #pillow on World Pillow Fight Day [See TwitterWhack! World Pillow Fight Day –Twitter as Interactive Conceptual Art ]] hash tag “parties “ such as the one held this past New Year’s Eve.

On the National Day of Prayer Twitter members of all faiths are able to gather together through the ongoing #pray4 to Tweet their requests and pray for others’ requests. #pray4 is open to all members. It can be easily found by entering the term “#pray4” in Search.

Tweets began going out and being ReTweeted on May 5 th, asking that members Tweet one heartfelt request to #pray4 on Thursday, May 7 th , 2009 and also asking that members visit #pray4 to pray.

Although on any other day a Tweet to a particular member announcing that one is praying for the belongs as a DM as a whispered, private aside, far more than it belongs in the stream, Perhaps on this day of prayer it is fitting to Tweet these in the stream. An example of such a message could be “@TwitterFriend I just prayed for your request at #pray4.”

Let’s remember that this day is a celebration of our religious freedom, our diversity and friendship that goes far beyond tolerance. These ideals that are part of the Constitution of the USA, and also are held by many other countries world wide are also echoed in Twitter’s Terms of Service agreement.

Light of Hope

Light of Hope

Strokes: Psalm

Personally I thank and encourage others to join with me thanking @Ev, @Biz and all the people of Twitter for the opportunity we have on a world wide scale that is unlimited by Twitter to come together to communicate our concerns, hopes, truths, joy and friendship. Please include our Twitter hosts in your prayers on this day. None of these celebrations or events mentioned in this blog were or are created by or promoted by Twitter.  Twitter provides a microblogging site and service, where members create content for the community, which is governed by its TOS.

Most of all though this is a day when we can come together to pray for the US and it’s leaders (whether we agree with them or not), those who serve here and abroad and all Americans, plus people throughout the world that we could all know and enjoy peace and prosperity.

[Judy Rey Wasserman is the Founder and an Artist of Post Conceptual UnGraven Image Art, which among other things is the first theory of religious art founded in the USA . Being uniquely American, it is fully inclusive for all. Learn more at http://ungravenimage.com ]

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How Using Twitter Increases Intelligence

March 18th, 2009 by Admin | 13 Comments | Filed in Uncategorized

Why being active on Twitter is like can be like playing brain games to increase awareness, perception and intelligence

Among the Social Media sites Twitter stands out as unique for its short 140 Tweets (micro blogs) and totally visual presentation. While other social media sites rush to incorporate video, music, groups, games, and other applications, Twitter execs keep plodding along ignoring possible competition and just being twitter. Twitter is all sight, no sound, no video, and as its screen based so smell or taste – just messages with 140 characters.

According to Wikipedia : “Intelligence (also called intellect ) is an umbrella term used to describe a property of the mind that encompasses many related abilities, such as the capacities to reason, to plan, to solve problems, to think abstractly, to comprehend ideas, to use language, and to learn.”

Recent scientific discoveries in neuroscience have shown that a healthy human brain can continue to grow, by adding more connections and even mass throughout one’s lifetime. People can actually gain intelligence. What makes the difference is how one uses one’s brain on an ongoing basis. Stimulated, challenged and learning brains grow.

Spending time interacting on Twitter on an ongoing basis can foster growth in many kinds of intelligence.

Spatial, Visual and Kinetic Intelligence

Twitter is the most immediately interactive of all the major social media sites. Whether a person uses Twitter straight from the web (my personal favorite) or uses apps to break the streams up, such as TweetDeck , the stream continues to roll by. Blink and one may miss important information or a link, a great joke –or a comment in a fascinating conversation between other members.

Much like forms of instant messaging and chat, people hold real time conversations on Twitter. However, as the stream keeps moving the Twitter member must make quick decisions as whether and what to reply. This means that the type of viewing Twitter requires is not passive, but active and engaged. This is the type of viewing most aware and best suitable for learning.

Messaging back brings in the tactile or kinetic component as the Twitterer must use a keyboard and mouse quickly to message or copy and ReTweet (RT) someone’s message as the stream keeps relentlessly rolling along with new messages. While doing this many Twitters, have a second Twitter screen open to keep an eye out for other messages pertinent to the conversation while quickly composing one’s own reply.

This quick back and forth finding, reviewing and responding to several visual sources of scrolling information promotes greater skill with spatial, visual and kinetic (the typing) information. In a way this visually mirrors actively participating in a sport where one must follow a moving target, ball or player, access the situation and then take action in response.

Enhanced Creativity

Every great artist knows the luxury of rules and limits. Constraints foster creativity, as one seeks to get around them or at least transform them through one’s choices.

The Twitter rule of 140 characters per Tweet fosters creativity. One’s best idea or comment must be condensed to 140 characters and if one is in a conversation this must happen quickly. Plus if the message has a chance of being RTed and going viral, the maximum it can be is 128 characters. This extra shortening leaves space for one’s own Twitter ID, such as mine, @judyrey, plus the letters RT and a space.

The 140 character rule has prompted many creative abbreviations and terms within the Twitter community. For instance, the hashtag (#) sign is used to congregate messages on a topic, such as #pray4 or the most popular one, #TCOT (Top Conservatives On Twitter). Using a site such as http://search.twitter.com or http://tweetchat.com one can follow the separate # conversation much like a chat room.

While Twitter also incorporates texting abbreviations, terms, apps and many hash tag abbreviations are subset of English unique to Twitter, which fosters language learning skills.

Interpersonal and Emotional Intelligence

Twitter is a social site that fosters relationships. Aside from the celebrities and gurus who are followed for obvious reasons, the people who have the most followers often follow back and busily interact and build relationships. Just as in any real village, people who are popular are helpful, interested in other people, fun and busily interacting with others.

In order to explain #TCOT above, I turned to the Twitter stream at about 2 AM EDT on a Sunday evening and asked, “ What does #TCOT actually stand for T C O T? Needed for an apolitical blog article on Twitter & how it can promote intelligence.”

Within a minute I had five replies. When I Direct Messaged the people who replied asking permission to use their account ID’s in this article four immediately replied, while the fifth seemed to have stopped tweeting for the evening. In alphabetical order credit goes to @Bass_ @eMarv @you_count @vanityfairer and @AngelaVCampbell for being helpful, knowledgeable and demonstrating how Twitter helps bring people together and fosters relationships.

What is interesting is that I have not had any or much of a relationship with these specific Twitter members prior to asking this question. Partially, this is due to the time I asked it. Yet a reply came in from another member I have conversed with asking that I tell her answer to what TCOT is as she has wondered also.

As the information flowed in the stream as I publicly thanked those who replied, members who follow me and were present saw the interaction from my side and were introduced to the IDs of these Tweople.

No one in the Twitter village drives a really fancy vehicle, lives in a mansion, dresses well, or has any real world trappings that can impress someone. It’s impossible to show any of that in the stream. Everyone is reduced to using 140 characters, one avatar (which can be changed, but only one at a time), plus one bio page and URL link; that’s all, there is no visible gold, glitter or bling.

Tweets enter into the stream in an orderly fashion on a first come first served real time way. It is impossible to out shout, shove or bully anyone in the stream. Each tweet is just as loud and has the same space and visual importance as any other. Whatever one’s race, sex or creed, everyone gets a chance and is accorded the same space.

People who have a victim or nasty attitude soon either change their ways or discover that they have few followers and few people who are willing to engage in conversation with them. Their messages are not RTed.

Although there’s no body language and the only Twitter visual aids are each user’s avatar and whatever is used for a background on their Twitter Bio page, after a while people one follows become easier to read. It is a process that takes time. This can be a social learning lesson for those who tend to rush into relationships full steam. On Twitter it’s easy to spot obsessive behavior—even one’s own.

Everyone can easily see who follows who and how many people follow each member. Moreover, every single message tweeted is kept in a log of updates, which is also open to every other Twitter member. Thus, Twitter naturally fosters transparency.

Since the majority of conversations must occur in the stream as Twitter has limits for the number of direct messages allowed we witness each other’s behavior. The people who are successful on Twitter, who use it to foster relationships, including ones for business are opening doing their thing. Anyone can learn how to interact, spot phonies and users by watching and participating on Twitter.

Using TweetDeck type applications means a person may have three or more streams moving simultaneously as one interacts in several conversations on different topics with different members of the Twitter village at the same time. It’s a visual and metal juggling act that top Twitters with many followers who follow back many have learned to do well.

In prior generations men and women hunted for game, watching for movement or searched for food to gather. Visually Twitter supplies some of our natural need or enjoyment for spying out discoveries or even prey.

Visual and Logical Intelligence

Thus just following the Twitter stream forces a person to concentrate, skim relevant information, and make quick appropriate choices as to what links to follow, bookmark for a later time (by using a favorites star) or ignore.

This is the type of information sorting teachers try to instill when explaining how to take outline notes – only on Twitter the information seems more relevant than classroom learning ever did. Increasing one’s recognition of what is important and what is less so is a way to directly increase functional intelligence.

Twitter for Learning

Like a book, Twitter lacks sound, and so mimics a streamed book current life in its stream of ongoing Tweets.

Many of the Tweets contain links to articles that range from fast breaking news to arcane knowledge. Information can be found on health, childrearing, business, investing, the arts, religion, self help, books, and of courses how to use Twitter. At times Hanging out on Twitter can seem like a stroll through a library where links in Tweets are book titles.

Using Twitter to Increase Intelligence is Fun!

Studies in neuroscience continue to indicate the benefits of mental challenges, especially those that involve the perception of vision, socializing and social networks, hand eye coordination exercises, etc.

Twitter can be so much fun and so interesting that it has not been noticed as a brain enhancing tool. Brain enhancement was not the purpose or goal of Twitter’s founders, but Twitter definitely succeeds at it when a member uses it to interact and build community. Community is what sets Twitter apart from other brain enhancing programs on the web as on Twitter one is never alone.

Judy Rey Wasserman is the founder of Post Conceptual UnGraven Image Art theotry at http://ungravenimage.com. Discover how this new way of painting using symbols for strokes can actually change your vision by adding visual memories we noramlly lack to your brain. This in turn has an amzing and freeing effect in realtion to unwanted, negative and reative emotions. See more at http://artofseeingthedivine.com.

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Are People Who Use Social Media Happier?

November 20th, 2008 by Admin | 4 Comments | Filed in Uncategorized

The results of a recent study conducted by sociologists seem to point to another conclusion: people who socialize through the Internet’s various social media are happier than people who watch TV instead. The study’s authors, John P. Robinson and Steven Martin analyzed over 30 years worth of national data in a study that concludes that unhappy people watch more TV, while people who describe themselves as very happy spend more time reading and socializing. The study can be found in the December issue of the journal Social Indicators Research .

As reported in an article at Brain Mysteries, the study did not take into account the effects of social media. How could it when the study began in 1975? Yet the conclusions of the study can easily be applied to social media.

The same mental activities employed when socializing and reading a newspaper are also used when a person is engaged in interacting through social media.

Social media, interacting at sites such as Twitter, Face Book, MySpace, Google, Yahoo and AOL groups, and even commenting in a discussion on a blog involve both social interaction and reading. Social interaction is further revved up by sites such as Stumble Upon, Digg and Delicious where people share what they appreciate. These sites add an interactive and socializing aspect to the news that links people to each other around the world. Skype, IMs and other one to one immediate communications all add a component of further socializing.

“TV doesn’t really seem to satisfy people over the long haul the way that social involvement or reading a newspaper does,” says sociologist John P. Robinson, the study co-author who is also a pioneer in time-use studies. “It’s more passive and may provide escape – especially when the news is as depressing as the economy itself. The data suggest to us that the TV habit may offer short-run pleasure at the expense of long-term malaise.”

The people who were in the study were adults in 1975, so the youngest are baby boomers. Statistically, although boomers have embraced the internet, older Americans have been slower to use social media beyond email until the last several years. The time period of the study indicate that it could barely have included Internet social interaction, especially through social media, especially by people younger than baby boomers.

Yet the findings of the study are relevant and can be applied.

The two University of Maryland sociologists conducted the study to discover what activities contributed to happiness in people’s lives. They analyzed two sets of data spanning nearly 30 years (1975-2006) gathered from nearly 30,000 adults:

  • A series of time-use studies that asked people to fill out diaries for a 24-hour period and to indicate how pleasurable they found each activity;
  • General Social Survey attitude studies, which Robinson calls the national premier source for monitoring changes in public attitudes – in-depth surveys that over the years consistently asked subjects how happy they feel, how they spend their time among a number of other questions.

Robinson and Martin found that the two sets of data largely coincided for most activities – with the exception of television.

From the General Social Survey, the researchers found that self-described happy people were more socially active, attended more religious services, voted more and read more newspapers. By contrast, unhappy people watched significantly more television in their spare time.

The findings of the study point to the validity for involvement in social sites and web interfacing as these activities involve human connection and focused mental activity, especially involving sight as reading.

The early adopters of Internet social interaction were teens and twenty-somethings. At the time the study was completing baby boomers and younger adults had moved beyond email and shopping to interact in social media sites. That migration continues as new groups and sites develop or expand to encompass niche interests.

Interacting through social media involves socializing, concentrated reading, decision making and focused visual perception, which watching television does not. People watch TV fairly passively taking in the overall picture, but not actively looking to spot visual details. Socializing develops a feeling of community and belonging, including through the web. There is little community developed by watching TV alone.

When people socialize they are actively looking for visual clues about the other person’s feelings and intent, facial expressions, body movements, gestures are seen as significant. Where to focus one’s attention needs to be consciously decided for best results.

When watching TV the camera does the deciding for the viewer. This occurs in every type of show, but may be best illustrated by the difference between attending and watching a sports event or watching it on TV.

The study’s basic research and findings could not include the effects of social media itself on a person’s level of happiness. Yet when the when the findings are distilled to the underlying meanings and activities they can be applied to new activities, such as social media. Socializing and newspaper reading both point to information gathering, intense communication from other individuals about current concerns, decision making, and concentrated focus of vision. These activities are all a part of interacting through social media.

Social media is new and developing as this article is being written. It is too new for any valid study to have had the time conduct meaningful research, which takes time. However the results of the study conducted by sociologists John P. Robinson and Steven Martin at the University of Maryland seem to strong point to the idea that people who are active in social media are happier than people who instead watch television in their spare time.

Is social media contributing to your happiness?  How? Comments are welcomed!

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