How to Twitter
April 15, 2009 by Kristyna Murphy
I have recently become obsessed with Twitter and, to my surprise, there are still many people who don’t know what it is or how to use it. People keep asking me if it’s like Facebook or Myspace, but I consider it to be quite different. And it’s more than just status updates. For instance, as a journalism major, I find that Twitter is the easiest way to stay updated with current events. All you have to do is ‘follow’ news sites: Azcentral, The New York Times, FoxNews and CNN and you have their headlines combined with a link to the full story delivered to you on one convenient page. Twitter can be used for personal use, marketing, networking, notes, to do lists, feedback and more. Whether you’re promoting yourself or a business, Twitter is a useful social networking tool. But also keep in mind that it is a conversation with people, not a press release.
Photo Credit: Google Images
Getting Started
1. Go to Twitter.com and join.
2. Once you have created your Twitter site, personalize it using the Settings link.
3. Include a short bio and link to your website, blog, Facebook or Myspace.
4. If you only want your followers, and not just anyone, seeing what you ‘tweet’ check the ‘Product My Updates’ box. This allows you to control who can or can not see what you write.
5. You can use Twitter through your cellphone. Go to Devices and program your phone to where you can text your ‘tweets’ to your account.
6. Upload a picture of yourself or your business using the Picture tab.
7. Now you are ready to design your page, including the color and background. You can choose one of the theme backgrounds already provided, upload your own or change it to the color of your choice. The ‘change design colors’ tabs allows you to change the background color, links color, font color and sidebar color.
8. Now you are ready to ‘follow’ people. Use the ‘Follow People’ link to search for companies and/or people.
9. When you go to make a ‘tweet’, you are limited to 140 characters. See something interesting or an article you want to share with your followers? Copy and paste the link.
10. Enjoy twittering!
The Lingo
- Followers or ‘Tweeps’: Recognized as @username. For instance, if you ‘follow’ me on Twitter, you can respond to what I say by writing @kristynam with your message.
- Tweet: A tweet is your 140-character update about what you’re doing or thinking.
Tools
- Twitpic.com: Allows you to ‘tweet’ pictures.
- Twt.fm: Allows you to tweet music to your profile.
- Twittercounter.com: Allows you to view statistic of your account.
- Tweetdeck.com: Allows you to install Twitter on your personal browser.
- Search.twitter.com: Allows you to search what other people are saying. For instance, want to see who has mentioned American Idol or College Affair Magazine? Type it in and it will provide you with tweets that talked about College Affair Magazine, for instance.
Photo Credit: Google Images
Celebrities
You can also follow musicians, actors and politicians. Several articles have been published by news outlets, like the New York Times, providing you with who is real or a fake. Here are some of the real people. Here are some people I follow:
- The President: @BarackObama
- John Mayer: @johncmayer
- Hugh Jackman: @RealHughJackman
- Miley Cyrus: @MileyCyrus
- Heidi Montag: @heidimontag
- Ryan Seacrest: @RyanSeacrest
- Perez Hilton: @PerezHilton
- Ashton Kutcher: @aplusk
And Be sure to follow College Affair Magazine: Twitter.com/CollegeAffair
Other
- Trying to get people to follow you? Follow them. A lot of the time, they will follow you back.
- You can follow conversations of numerous celebrities. Perez Hilton is always conversing with other celebs, for instance.
- There is a ’suggested users’ option on the ‘Follow People’ link where you can find your favorite celebrities or organizations to follow.
- If you don’t want to @username someone, you can send them a direct message. Go to Home. Click on the Direct Messages tab and you can send a Direct Message to your followers.
- See a tweet you thought was interesting, funny, etc. select the star next to the update and it will be saved to your favorites which can be viewed from your profile.
I also recommend watching this funny video about the site: Twitter
How to Preserve Your Flowers Forever
November 10, 2008 by April Stolarz
A couple special occasions in life are fortunately filled with the promise of red roses, white carnations, yellow lilies, or a mixed bouquet. Flowers brighten up any room, but they can only last for so long. Eventually, they wilt away. I know that every time I have to throw away my flowers, a certain sadness creeps over me (especially if they were from that certain guy). But now, instead of throwing away your flowers, use them for much more. Create a craft project out of your beloved flowers- press them. After pressing flowers, you can use them for an array of arrangements. Add an extra touch to pictures, spice up your scrapbooks, design a homemade card- the creative possibilities are endless. Make sure you press the flower before it wilts. It’s easier than you think- the hardest part is waiting. 
- Place the flower into a piece of tissue or sheet of newspaper. Fold the tissue or newspaper over. Make sure the flower is as flat as possible.
- Grab a dictionary or phonebook and place the tissue or newspaper (with the flower) in the middle section of the book.
- Close the book and place other books or heavy objects over it.
- After about a week check the flowers, and change the paper inside. Leave the objects over the book for another 2-3 weeks.
- Open your book, and voila! Your flower will be pressed and ready to use.
