July 27, 2010

I'm a Twit

... or at least Twitter makes me feel like the Twit of the Year.
The Diabetes Online Community is alive and well on Twitter.  I miss a good deal of it because I am Twitter impaired.  I am just not very good at it.  Fortunately there are others who are creating exciting dialogs on Twitter and they are kind enough to help folks like me out speciffically Cherise Shockley who writes at http://www.diabetesdaily.com/shockley/.  You may be like me somewhat Twitter impaired and she will help you too.

She runs a weekly question and answer session on twitter.  Here is a little primer she wrote for me which is coincidentally a convenient question and answer format:


Bennet
Cherise I hear you run a weekly live diabetes conversation on Twitter. I am real week on my Twitter skills. What is this all about?

Cherise
I moderate a weekly Question and Answer about diabetes for 1 hour each week on Wednesday night. The questions will address topic's such as exercise, diet, endocrinologist, CDE's and meter accuracy--just to name a few. We blog about it, why not tweet about it...1 hour a week...3 questions and a whole lot of live responses!! This is another way We the DOC (Diabetes Online Community) can educate, spread awareness and promote advocacy via Twitter.

Bennet
I don’t use Twitter a lot or very well. I don’t have a lot of connections there so how do I, (or if there is anyone even less skilled at at Twitter than me, we) join in?

Cherise
Well first you need to go to www.twitter.com to create an account.  If you like, I could be your first friend, search @DiabetesSocMed.  Once you are following me, I will follow you back.  When you make updates, I'll be able to see them and vice versa and you'll be able to send me a direct message (DM)

Bennet
OK even I can do that but how do I join your conversation? Do I have to follow everyone ?

Cherise
Let me explain a little about hash tags, Twitter hash tags are pretty much like a directory of sorts, they make the conversations easy to follow.  You do not have to follow anyone to participate in #dsma (diabetes social media advocacy).  All you have to do is update your status with #dsma.    Example:  Q1.  I do not agree. #dsma 

Bennet

OK so I sign up. I find you and follow you. Then I send a update or message with this this tag thing. How do I send a a comment to everyone?  They don’t know me at all?

Cherise
If you follow me and you are a part of the DOC.  I will send a tweet out to everyone who is following me to let them know you are new on twitter and to please follow you.  but there is an easier way... follow a few people from the DOC and I am sure you'll get followed back.

Bennet
Cool when is the next conversation?

Cherise
Wednesday's at 9 PM EST. I am excited! I hope you all will join us last week we had  77 people join in.  The response was amazing! the more the merrier.

3 comments :

  1. Woot! Hope to make it this week!

    [wv: clenched
    I promised to not act or tweet clenched D stuff...]

    ReplyDelete
  2. Oh at least I am not the only soul in the world who is NOT on Twitter. Last week, I admit, I lurked on the DSMA chat, but couldn't find out how or where to jump in. I'll just lurk for now.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Hey Bennet
    It's been great to see you at #dsma, I wouldn,t worry too much about being Twitter proficient. I consider myself fairly old school and generally very wary of social media but I have conceeded to Twitter purely for dsma. Through that hour I have met a whole bunch of people who I correspond with. You will soon find your way around!

    ReplyDelete