What do you use twitter for?

I was asked this question last night, but I wasn't at my computer so the best I could do is send a couple of tweets in reply. But a 140 characters, even two lots of 140 characters does not begin to explain how I use twitter.

I think that the two comments above do a disservice to myself. I do "take" from twitter, but I also "give". I hope that is reflected in the number of my tweets that are marked as favourites or retweeted by other twitter users.

So what have a got out of twitter and how do I use it?

Firstly, I don't use twitter independently. I have this blog, a tumblr blog, a pinterest account a TES connect account, googlemail, googledrive, a delicious account and an about.me page. http://about.me/helen.rogerson

These extra accounts allow me to share resources. Pinterest allows me to link to photographs and describe them in 1000 characters. Many more than twitter. A link to this photograph and description can be tweeted, but the photograph stays organised on my "boards" so it is possible to find again in order to use. With tumblr I can create a blog post around a video, set of images, link, sound file or writing and add hashtags so I can find them again. Again I can automatically tweet from my tumblr account as I can from Pinterest allowing me to categorise the information and write more than 140 characters. 

Delicious and pinterest are also useful as I can save links and/or images to them an find them later. The ability to "favourite" tweets is great, but they are difficult to search. Pinterest allows me to save resources under titles and delicious allows me to tag them so I can search them later. 

If I want to share a resource then I can upload it to TES or store it as  googledoc and tweet the link. 

And if I want to give or receive more personal advice I will use the direct message service on twitter to send my email address to another twitter user so we can contact each other directly. 

Many users I follow use facebook because you can write more than 140 characters and comments are linked to the post, not spread out in a timeline. But twitter allows them to reach further and some social media apps allow you to post to more than one social media source at once. 

I think there is a lot more power in twitter if alternative social media is used.