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ken_in_dfw

Aug 9, 2009, 10:29 AM

Post #1 of 20 (4300 views)

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Anybody tweet down there?

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Well, thanks to Rolly's blog site, and a few of my own favorites, I have concluded a whirlwind tour of Inglés-speaking web sites / blogs in México for the purpose of locating fellow Twitterers with un interés común in all things México. But nada!

Not one invite to "follow me on Twitter!" :-(

So I thought I would post here and see if anyone had any recommendations. Gracias a todos por su ayuda.

BTW, if you would like to reciprocate, you can follow me @ KEN_IN_DFW .

esperanza

Aug 9, 2009, 11:11 AM

Post #2 of 20 (4285 views)

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Re: [kenhjr] Anybody tweet down there?

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Follow me on Twitter: @mexicocooks.

http://www.mexicocooks.typepad.com

La Isla

Aug 9, 2009, 2:48 PM

Post #3 of 20 (4252 views)

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Re: [kenhjr] Anybody tweet down there?

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Could you explain exactly what "tweeting" entails, and why people do it?

Rolly

Aug 9, 2009, 4:00 PM

Post #4 of 20 (4242 views)

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Re: [La Isla] Anybody tweet down there?

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Could you explain exactly what "tweeting" entails, and why people do it?

As best I can tell, this is one of those "if you have to ask, you won't understand" things.

I understand what it is, but why people do it escapes me.

Rolly Pirate

Papirex

Aug 9, 2009, 4:27 PM

Post #5 of 20 (4230 views)

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Re: [Rolly] Anybody tweet down there?

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Rolly, I love your definition. It is exactly what I would have said if my brain had woke up with the rest of me this morning.

Rex
"The supreme happiness of life is the conviction that we are loved" - Victor Hugo

Brian

Aug 9, 2009, 4:28 PM

Post #6 of 20 (4226 views)

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Re: [Rolly] Anybody tweet down there?

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It is just another way in which people can use the Internet to spread information in real time. I can remember when a fellow in San Cristobal de Las Casas began posting on a usenet newsgroup about violence breaking out in the tranquil town. It was the first reports of the Zapatista rebellion and wasn't picked up by the mainstream media for several hours. Likewise the events in Iran following the disputed election were chronicled by everyday people using Twitter and, in this case, the news agencies relied upon them for content. It isn't all important news, there is a lot of inane and silly stuff but one can easily filter what is received. I follow some political pundits and also keywords like San Miguel de Allende, Tijuana etc. People post messages and they appear in a queue on my IPhone twitter app.

Some Twitter apps also allow you to see all messages sent within a specific distance from your current location. While I was writing this post, I got a Tweet about a thunderstorm approaching Austin which has been in a serious drought. A couple of minutes later, the rain began but doesn't look like it will amount to much.

(This post was edited by Brian on Aug 9, 2009, 4:39 PM)

ken_in_dfw

Aug 9, 2009, 4:35 PM

Post #7 of 20 (4223 views)

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Re: [La Isla] Anybody tweet down there?

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Using Twitter is like doing a mini-blog - 140 characters at a time. It's a way to keep up with activities quickly in real time. A lot of what goes on Twitter can be pretty frivolous, I'll admit. But some of the biggest news stories in the past couple of years (eg, the plane crash landing in the Hudson River in NYC, the protest of the Iranian elections) have appeared first on Twitter.

And if you have a blog or other web site, using Twitter can be an excellent way to drive traffic to the site. It's just an extension of the universe of social media out there - in other words, another way to keep in touch.

Thanks for asking! (You'll never learn unless you ask. And to keep learning is to keep living!)

Ken

La Isla

Aug 9, 2009, 7:57 PM

Post #8 of 20 (4181 views)

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Re: [kenhjr] Anybody tweet down there?

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Thanks to everyone who answered my question. It sounds like you need equipment I don't have (and don't intend to buy) like an iPhone and a twitter app (what is an app, by the way?). I have enough trouble keeping up with emails from my friends as it is, so I'll pass on this latest method of keeping in touch with people. I do appreciate, however, how useful it has been in getting urgent information out to the world, for example, keeping us apprised of the recent (and ongoing) events in Iran.

ken_in_dfw

Aug 9, 2009, 8:18 PM

Post #9 of 20 (4170 views)

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Re: [La Isla] Anybody tweet down there?

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You don't have to have special equipment - you can Twitter from your PC just fine. Just go to twitter.com and set up a free account. However, having a web-enabled phone and some type of Twitter application makes reading and posting Tweets more accessible (you don't have to be near your PC).

Ken

La Isla

Aug 9, 2009, 8:36 PM

Post #10 of 20 (4164 views)

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Re: [kenhjr] Anybody tweet down there?

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Thanks for the instructions, Ken, but I still don't understand what I would want to twitter and why anyone would be interested in what I have to say using this format. These are honest questions, not attempts to put down "twitterdom".

richmx2

Aug 9, 2009, 9:52 PM

Post #11 of 20 (4152 views)

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Re: [kenhjr] Anybody tweet down there?

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I can't think of any reason people need to contact me in "real time" and not Mexican time. And besides, "twitter" sounds like something done by twits.

http://mexfiles.net
http://voiceofmexico.com
http://editorialmazatlan.com

toddmc

Aug 10, 2009, 5:42 AM

Post #12 of 20 (4132 views)

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Re: [Rolly] Anybody tweet down there?

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I understand what twitter is.

And I know that when you make a twitter post it is called a tweet.

But...

Does that make the person who tweets a twit?

Todd

*************************
Our new life in Patzcuaro: http://lifeinthecorazon.blogspot.com

RickS

Aug 10, 2009, 8:37 AM

Post #13 of 20 (4092 views)

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Re: [La Isla] Anybody tweet down there?

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La Isla somewhere back in this post you asked, "what is an app anyway"....

App is short for Application which is just another way of saying a piece of software that performs a desired function.

It sounds like you, along with me, has NO inclination to tweet, twitter or become more of a twit than I already am....

jennifer rose

Aug 10, 2009, 9:12 AM

Post #14 of 20 (4077 views)

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Re: [RickS] Anybody tweet down there?

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Let's the conversation back on track -- about Mexico. There are plenty of other venues to discuss social media.

IslaZina

Aug 10, 2009, 9:38 AM

Post #15 of 20 (4066 views)

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Re: [kenhjr] Anybody tweet down there?

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I Tweet! I incorporate it into my blog, for those days I am too Mexican to write. I'm even sometimes too Mexican to tweet. IslaZina. See the blog at http://islazina.blogspot.com
I am not really up on it and tiny URLs, etc., but it serves my readers well. So invite me!
http://islazina@blogspot.com

Marlene

Aug 10, 2009, 10:46 PM

Post #16 of 20 (4003 views)

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Re: [IslaZina] Anybody tweet down there?

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Right, I've seen many Mexican blogs with the little "Follow me on Twitter" logo placed on the blog. It's growing...however it isn't really a thing for Joe Retiree in Mexico. You have to be really into sitting at your computer or hand-held device most of the day to appreciate Twitter, et al.

ken_in_dfw

Aug 11, 2009, 3:48 PM

Post #17 of 20 (3958 views)

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Re: [kenhjr] Anybody tweet down there?

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Thanks, all, for the great discussion. And I'd like to give special big GRACIAS to esperanza and IslaZina for their handles!

I guess if I had thought a little more about MexConnect's demographics, I'd have realized that this is probably not the best place to post my question. If you're retired, Twitter probably isn't very useful.

But that does beg the question in my mind: are there any discussion boards where folks who are still working hang out? I'm sure there are expats who work for big corporations in México. Maybe there's a Yahoo or Facebook group somewhere. Any ideas?

Thanks again.

Ken

Marlene

Aug 11, 2009, 5:20 PM

Post #18 of 20 (3940 views)

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Re: [kenhjr] Anybody tweet down there?

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There are many posters on this board who are working in Mexico, but as Richmx2 says, we don't necessarily do it in real time (or something like that) hehe. That's the beauty of working in Mexico.

La Isla

Aug 11, 2009, 7:02 PM

Post #19 of 20 (3922 views)

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Re: [kenhjr] Anybody tweet down there?

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I don't know any corporate expats working in Mexico, but I do have a bunch of friends who are English teachers here. Many of us hang out at this website: http://eltworld.net/forums/index.php . When you click on the link, scroll down to near the bottom of the page to find the Mexico forum. I'm sure that some of the posters there also tweet.

cristalhombre

Aug 11, 2009, 7:37 PM

Post #20 of 20 (3916 views)

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Re: [jennifer rose] Anybody tweet down there?

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JR... I think you are generally fair about your policing job here on MC. But I think you are "calling it quits" to this one tooo quickly.

Social media changes (including Twitter - Facebook - etc) are radically changing the methods by which a large segment of the population communicates. Who would of thought about participating on an electronic forum about Mexico 10 years ago??? Not me. But here I am. I am updated 24/7 on a Blackberry with electronic messages.....never would have thought I would do that either.

This "social media marketing" is sweeping rapidly across the landscape. This week I am in Atlanta attending a 3 day conference on this very topic at the request of one of my suppliers - Alcoa. Alcoa is about as "meat and potatoes" as a heavy industry + corporate model gets........but they clearly see the future on this one.

Social media will be transformational for those inside and outside Mexico, professionally and personally. I wouldn't discount this topic yet. Evidence of this is the early adoption of cellular technology in MX - at a more rapid rate than even the USA year ago.

I'll admit that I am not tweeting or on Facebook today, but from the discussion here this week of the dynamics of this type of communication....... I will be soon......AND.......believe it or not JR.......... I bet you will too - like it or not.

I would have claimed all of this as "BS and nonsense" last week. I'm now a believer as to how this will add yet another layer of the media/communication spectrum to society. It's well beyond the tipping point and for many it is the ONLY mode of communications. I know this is true for my 17 year old.

You grandparents........if you want interaction with the grandkids. You better get hip quick. Email and phone calls are fading quickly. Social media is where it's headed regardless if you live in Podunk, Indiana or Patzcuaro.

"NOT ALL WHO WANDER ARE LOST...."