Q1  Real name / Twitter user name

    Andrew Emmett @andrewemmett

Q2  Location

Isle of Wight ,United Kingdom

Q3  Website

 http://www.andrewemmett.co.uk 

Q4  Bio

Passionate about history, literature, tech, cheese and tea! Follow me on twitter to find out more! 

Q5  When did you start using Twitter and how were you introduced to it?

I’ve been tweeting for a number of years and can’t remember where I heard of it. Perhaps whilst I was surfing a blog such as lifehacker.com 

Q6  What are the main reasons you use Twitter (e.g. business, marketing, fun, community etc)?

My continued love for twitter is the international water cooler chat, but also I use it to promote my writing, a couple of communities, blogs and my business.

Q7  What aspects of Twitter do you love?…

Enabling people whatever their technical ability to say hello and share an insight into their world.

Q8  …and dislike (if any)?

Enabling people whatever their technical ability to try and spam me!

Q9  If you could make changes to Twitter what would they be?

 I’m fairly happy with the progress twitter continues to make over the years. Perhaps turning off the ability to post links in a direct message would be nice or the ability to disable direct messages.

Q10   What Twitter apps do you use to Tweet from? (e.g. main Twitter site/ Twitterriffic / Tweetdeck etc)

I’ve tried tweetdeck, but didn’t take to it. I’ve found working with the web interface enables me to keep twitter in perspective for my requirements. I don’t need any additional ways to manage my ‘stream’.

Q11  What are your criteria for following someone?

A twitter account that is serving honesty, niche content or insight I find interesting. I enjoy the international aspect of twitter – so that works in someones favour and vice versa if closer to me. I enjoy following and chatting with people in communities I’m also a part of. Celebrities or wannabes tend to bore, but someone who is living life and is fun, I might follow.

Q12  What type of behaviour would make you unfollow someone?

If people turn into constant complainers or use twitter as an anger outlet. I don’t like being asked to ‘retweet’ either, especially if directly asked. Sometimes I just unfollow because I don’t enjoy someones updates anymore.

Q13  What tips do you have for newbies?

Don’t follow hundreds, put together a private list of twitter accounts you deem interesting. Watch the list for a while and then later ‘follow’ if your initial reaction was right, else remove that account from you list.

Q14  How do you find new people to follow (e.g. Twellow, Summize, friends of friends etc)?

I used to search via keywords or nosey at follow friday recommendations. These days I might follow someone who sends me a twitter message and I find interesting.

Q15  Qwitter – do you use it? If someone unfollows you do you reciprocate?

No.

Q16  If you agree that Twitter should be monetized do you have any suggestions how?

It has now I believe. Minimal advertisement and perhaps some bells and whistles features for a fee I am happy with. I would consider paying a small fee if they had paid features that improved my twitter experience.

Q17  Who do you enjoy following the most?

I can genuinely say there isn’t one specific twitter account I enjoy following the most. If my girlfriend used twitter it would be hers.

Q18  How do you see the future of Twitter?

A couple of years ago I gave this some thought. These days twitter is part of the furniture and it is up to others to rearrange and change if needed.

I’m just sending my 140 tweets.

Q1 Real name / Twitter user name

Andy Hayes / andrewghayes

Q2 Location

Edinburgh, Scotland

Q3Website

http://andyhayes.com

Q4 Bio

Andy Hayes is a professional writer and photographer based in Edinburgh, Scotland. He helps companies in travel and tourism ensure their content, both print and online, matches their needs and their brand. When not crossing the globe for his next travel adventure, he is hitting the walking trails near home.

Q5 When did you start using Twitter and how were you introduced to it?

I resisted Twitter for the longest time. I heard it talked about on many of the blogs I read regularly (almost all of them mentioned it, actually) but I feared it would be too much of a time suck. I finally jumped on board in the autumn last year and never looked back.

Q6 What are the main reasons you use Twitter (e.g. business, marketing, fun, community etc)?

For me it is a community builder – a virtual watercooler. I’ve met so many wonderful people both in Edinburgh and other travel lovers. It is a great way to help build relationships, whether be a marketing opportunity to a new customer or to collaborate with a potential new partner.

Q7 What aspects of Twitter do you love?…

I love how “open” Twitter is. You can head to the search tool and see what everyone is talking about. You can directly approach anyone with an @ message. I also like the 140 character limit; it forces folk to think about their message and focus in on the core points.

Q8 …and dislike (if any)?

It is unfortunate that spammers have managed to infiltrate Twitter – but I suppose it was bound to happen with any social media network.

Q9 If you could make changes to Twitter what would they be?

I would decommission the Auto-Follow feature. I think this would eliminate the culture of “more followers = better” and encourage the idea that it is better to have 100 followers that you’ve engaged with versus having 100,000 that are basically anonymous. Auto-Follow is a great tool but it has been abused by marketers and spammers. For example, I notice my Followers number slowly increases day by day, but in reality by checking the details I have 30-40 new followers and 30 folk unfollow in any given day. It appears to be folk shopping around for new followers. I’m on the fence about the Auto-DM feature as well. While I can see it as a useful sort of “out of office” type function, it’s abused and I find nothing more infuriating then to have a long, nice conversation with someone, then decide to follow them and get confronted with a DM “Hi. Welcome to my site – please buy my book xxx….” Maybe we just need some training courses on Auto-DM etiquette? (And while we’re at it, build a multiple-delete function for DM please.)

Q10 What Twitter apps do you use to Tweet from? (e.g. main Twitter site/ Twitterriffic / Tweetdeck etc)

I’m playing around with Tweetdeck but not entirely happy with it – I need to explore the other available tools more. I also use Twitterfeed to send posts from my blog feed onto Twitter.

Q11 What are your criteria for following someone?

Although there are a few exceptions, I’d actually like to have spoken to them first. If their Twitter account is purely a one way conversation (e.g an extension of their RSS feed) then I’m not really interested.

Q12 What type of behaviour would make you unfollow someone?

I think excessive talk about their number of followers and sending out links about increasing their number of followers is a huge no-no for me. Additionally, while I don’t mind self promotion, repeatedly resending out the same stuff isn’t in the spirit of community.

Q13 What tips do you have for newbies?

Don’t get overwhelmed. Figure out what your core passions are – for example, mine is travel as well as meeting locals here in Edinburgh – and focus on that first.

Q14 How do you find new people to follow (e.g. Twellow,Summize, friends of friends etc)?

I don’t use any of the Twitter directories. I follow new folk mostly by finding them in their ‘real world’ or other online counterpart (e.g. new blog, company referral, etc.)

Q15 Qwitter – do you use it?

If someone unfollows you do you reciprocate? Last time I checked, Qwitter wasn’t doing so well. But yes I typically reciprocate.

Q16 If you agree that Twitter should be monetized do you have any suggestions how?

Yes, I agree. Who else is paying for all that infrastructure and bandwidth? I would say advertising is the obvious choice – although it needs to be clear what is advertising and what is user content.

Q17 Who do you enjoy following the most?

@alexfayle is an inspirational genius

@amypalko is probably the cleverest person I know

@jonathanfields is always adding value.

Q18 How do you see the future of Twitter?

I don’t think it will stay at the top of the social media kingdom, per se. Something else will come along and be the next big thing. However, Twitter conceptually is solid and it works. So it’s not going anywhere.

Q1 Real name / Twitter user name

Help Find My Child / HelpFindMyChild

Q2 Location

We have volunteers located in several countries around the world.
HFMC are currently assisting with families of teen runaways, child abduction and online grooming cases and are always keen to welcome new volunteers. To be a volunteer with HFMC the most important skills are a little time, a little computer knowledge and a willingness to get involved. So if you are motivated, compassionate and eager to help, we would love to hear from you. Our application form is here – http://www.helpfindmychild.net/volunteer-application

Q3Website

www.helpfindmychild.net

Q4 Bio
The “Help Find My Child” volunteer group has been in action for just over a year. The group originally stemmed from 4 mothers who had all been involved in helping or following previous missing child cases on line. Knowing there are thousands of children worldwide who go missing or are exploited each year, we quickly realised there was a void of structured assistance available to parents or affected families and so we started HFMC. In a nutshell Help Find My Child (HFMC) is a small International volunteer group using the latest online technologies to assist families searching for a missing child, we’re a friendly bunch dedicated to trying to make a difference with practical and positive action.

Little video about us and some of the children that need finding

Q5 When did you start using Twitter and how were you introduced to it?

One of our admins is a bit of a geek and kept mentioning the potential and excitement around twitter, we finally made the leap this year on Feb 1st with the belief that if micro blogging can help just one family or one child who are enduring the nightmare of a missing son or daughter, it’s a community to which we are eager to contribute

Q6 What are the main reasons you use Twitter (e.g. business, marketing, fun, community etc)?

Our main reason was to get information out there fast, and hopefully add value to the network with our tweets plus people can get information to us instantly. Twitter has become so much to us, with the friends we’ve made and the assistance we’ve received already. From our admin’s personal point of you view its a problem solving, latest hack, news, and humour social fest heaven, like a late night cybercafe full of writers, programmers, celebs, news crews, friends and drunks putting the world to right over last orders.

For our group its the real time immediate global communication we’ve been able to participate in on twitter. It’s quickly become a vital companion to our site, service and volunteers. We’ve now integrated twitter with our main site, so people can send their own tweets from any of our cases as well as follow us.

Twitter really could help generate the key information needed to find a child, given that each twitter that follows @helpfindmychild our reach expands and could potentially lead to a child being located.

Q7 What aspects of Twitter do you love?…

We been addicted since nearly day one, and truly believe in the power of the twitter community. Our motto of “1 tweet could help find a missing child” gathers more meaning with each follower we gain. Whilst we already have many tools like blogging, facebooking, and podcasting with which to raise awareness , it’s this real time, dual flow of information that’s essential, particularly in the earliest hours after a child goes missing.

Love the general community vibe, the fast pace and randomness of some of the messages or news you catch. Its really been like having an extended virtual team, we have had such kind offers of help and useful direct messages in our short time on twitter, it really reminds you of the compassion people have to help a neighbour in need; this is often in stark contrast to the pain and suffering behind the cases we work on. For example a couple of weeks ago we had a message sent to us in a language none of us were fluent in, it took one tweet and viola 10 minutes later a perfect translation with a new friend made.

Q8 …and dislike (if any)?

The following limit restrictions

Q9 If you could make changes to Twitter what would they be?

It be great if I could search our followers list, sometime you remember you have a follower from a certain area or with a certain skill but there’s not easy way to search there name/bio to locate the right one

What about a little icon that appears next to the follow/following button only when you both follow each other? Be nice when looking down the list of people we follow to see at a glance which are also following us.

Or the URL pasted in to the message box auto shortened before submitting so you can use the extra characters in the message that the auto shrink will create on submit.

Hmm and for us we’d love to have a couple of filter options, say a couple of links next to @replies of @news and @chat so we could filter those we follow making it easy if we want to check on factual/latest info twitters or chat/fun/goss tweets … but then is that going against in essence what twitter actually is maybe and with everyone doing a bit of both it only lead to more filtering and so on lol

… with all that said, love twitter just the way it is, with or without any tweaks.

Q10 What Twitter apps do you use to Tweet from? (e.g. main Twitter site/ Twitterriffic / Tweetdeck etc)

So far we’ve used twitter from its main site, just last week we asked our followers what apps helped them to see what they suggested and tweetdeck came out on top from the feedback treading water at the minute

Q11 What are your criteria for following someone?

We’re interested in not only subjects dear to our hearts but those that add value to the twitter network, any one that’s interesting, fun, as well as innovation, technologies, trends and news we are avid readers.

Q12 What type of behaviour would make you unfollow someone?

We’ve not really come across anyone we felt needed unfollowed yet, but I guess someone who constantly spams the network with RT’s when we already follow the original poster or someone that doesn’t post at all would probably mean we’d stop following them.

Q13 What tips do you have for newbies?

Read a little before you jump in so you have a little awareness of the general etiquette and don’t be afraid to ask a fellow twitter if your stuck on something.

Haha and follow @helpfinmychild … are we allowed to say that – its great tip for all twitter newbies to join our HFMC twitter team ??

Q14 How do you find new people to follow (e.g. Twellow, Summize, friends of friends etc)?

Reading the tweets that fly by someone will catch your eye, or from recommendations, #followfriday and using MrTweet too has been good. Were still learning so I’ve no idea yet what twellow or summize are *blush* or if we should check them out ..

Q15 Qwitter – do you use it? If someone unfollows you do you reciprocate?

erm erm *blushing* again having not heard of Qwitter, but I don’t think we would, although of course we think followers are crucial to our ability to get word out, twitter is more than that, its your own personal space, not everyone will agree we add value to there personal space… we hope they tell us of course, give us some feedback or chat with us first though .

Q16 If you agree that Twitter should be monetized do you have any suggestions how?

havn’ yet formed an opinion on this one, having read various views.

Q17 Who do you enjoy following the most?

Some firm favourites at the moment are .. @curiouslt @rjsingledad @HolisticMamma @guykawasaki @AlBoeBNO @dlayphoto @nonprofitorgs

Q18 How do you see the future of Twitter?

Hopefully continuing to grow, the way we use twitter probably deviates somewhat from the “what are you doing?” idea, we’ve been concious not to over do sending tweets and also been very keen to get to know people and chat in between the more factual tweets we send, we hope our alerts are timely, read and useful, rather than become background noise or worse an annoyance. We all hate spammers it would be a shame if twitter became overrun or completely deviate away from simplistic minimalist concept to become bloated and just another site in a crowd.

If you’d like to feature on Tweetabix or know someone you think would be interested in participating please contact Richard McKay on Twitter or email him at holeinhiseye@gmail.com

The lovely people at KillerStartups.com recently covered Tweetabix.com

If you have time please check it out and add your vote for Tweetabix.

Q1 Real name / Twitter user name

Amy Palko / amypalko

Q2 Location

I live in a small town in the hillfoots of Clackmannanshire in Scotland, UK, but I’m looking to relocate to Edinburgh in the very near future.

Q3Website

http://amypalko.wordpress.com & www.lessordinary.org.uk

Q4 Bio

Fascinated in everything with a limitless curiosity – I live in a state of constant intrigue

Q5 When did you start using Twitter and how were you introduced to it?

I started tweeting in January 2008.  As for how I was introduced to it, I’d been hearing of others using it for a while, but I think it was actually Caroline Middlebrook’s Big Juicy Twitter Guide that prompted me to give it a go: http://www.caroline-middlebrook.com/blog/twitter-guide/

Q6 What are the main reasons you use Twitter (e.g. business, marketing, fun, community etc)?

The main reason why I use Twitter is that it gives me a sense of community – it allows me to connect with others without the limits of geography, status or time.  Everyone is multivalent and open to dialogue.

Q7 What aspects of Twitter do you love?…

I love the immediacy of it – I love the fast-paced exuberance of information passing through finger-tips: the staccato beat of keyboards across the globe conveying information, sharing stories, linking to posts, images, tools, news.

Q8 …and dislike (if any)?

I suppose the only thing that I dislike about Twitter is that it can come across as a bit clique-ish and unwelcoming to newcomers, when really that couldn’t be further from the truth.

Q9 If you could make changes to Twitter what would they be?

The change that I would like to see is not one that could ever be effected, but I would like to get rid of the spammers entirely.  I think that Twitter do a fairly good job of monitoring dodgy use, but it’s still irritating to find that your new follower is a bikini-clad vamp following thousands, followed by 17 and whose 4 tweets display a rather unbecoming desperation that you click on their link.

Q10 What Twitter apps do you use to Tweet from? (e.g. main Twitter site/ Twitterriffic / Tweetdeck etc)

I tweet from Tweetdeck and I have groups set up on it so I can keep up with my followers.  I love that wee chirp it makes every update.  I’m sure it drives my family near berserk, but it never fails to leave me with little flutters of excitement.

Q11 What are your criteria for following someone?

It varies, but they must have at least some of the following features: a profile pic, a bio, a background other than the default, and a healthy mixture of tweets which show that they are interested in communication as well as providing some form of content, whether that’s links to interesting websites, quotes, retweets or just a general sharing of their day.  In other words, if you have a pic, customised background, bio etc. but all you have in your twitterstream is tweet after tweet linking to your latest blog post, I won’t follow.  If you’ve opted for the default background and avatar and have yet to provide a bio, but I find your tweets engaging & interesting, I will.  Also, more recently, I’ve been paying a lot more attention to the ratio of followers to following to updates.  If it’s skewed in some way, then I probably won’t follow.

Q12 What type of behaviour would make you unfollow someone?

If someone reveals themselves to be arrogant, aggressive or offensive I will swiftly unfollow.  I look for compassion in both my offline and online relationships and if I’m receiving tweets that show a decided lack of compassion for others, then I’ll remove them from my ken.

Q13 What tips do you have for newbies?

Connect! Twitter is not a soapbox: it is far more complex than that.  Like any medium that facilitates communication, Twitter requires you to reach out and form relationships.  @ is your new best friend.

Q14  How do you find new people to follow (e.g. Twellow, Summize, friends of friends etc)?

Recommendations mostly, but more and more through retweets.  I’ve noticed that there’s been a big rise in retweeting recently, and that’s a great thing as those who are sharing tweets worthy of forwarding are becoming highlighted.

Q15  Qwitter – do you use it? If someone unfollows you do you reciprocate?

I signed up for it a wee while ago, but I’ve actually not received anything from them.  Whether that means that I set it up wrong, or that I don’t lose followers, I’m not sure.  However, unfollowing, to my mind anyway, indicates that they wish to opt out of the conversation and I duly unfollow them back.

Q16 If you agree that Twitter should be monetized do you have any suggestions how?

Perhaps I’m an idealist, but I actually enjoy the fact that Twitter isn’t monetized.  I don’t particularly like advertising, and I want to know that those I’m following are sharing tweets for which they’re not being paid.  In some ways I think Twitter satisfies the desire for folk culture nostalgia; it represents a culture created by individuals connecting on a level playing field.  If Twitter is to become monetized, I think it’ll have to be a relatively sophisticated strategy which does not create that sense of top-down cultural production which operates through control & manipulation.

Q17  Who do you enjoy following the most?

Out of all the questions, this is by far and away the hardest.  However, I’m going to say my Scottish lady tweeters: @joannayoung, @peoplemapsjulie, @emilylagrange, @28parkave, @annttkerr, @jayseetoo, @miss_smidge @ukdivorce and @lindiop.

Q18 How do you see the future of Twitter?

I think we can expect Twitter’s growth to speed up significantly.  I think already because of Twitter’s recent press from relatively late-adopting celebrities, we’re beginning to see a new phase in Twitter, as those who were initially scathing or ignorant about using Twitter as a medium for effective communication, are now flocking to sign up.

If you’d like to feature on Tweetabix or know someone you think would be interested in participating please contact Richard McKay on Twitter or email him at holeinhiseye@gmail.com

Q2 Location
A2 Glasgow/Edinburgh

Q3 Website
A3 http://www.netaid.co.uk

Q4 Bio
A4 Founder/Owner of Netaid.co.uk Social Media Networker online since 1999,
formerly ranked No1 and Top10 Connected and Endorsed at Britain’s and the
Worlds’s Top Business Social Networks, then built a Network of 37,000+
Friends (Still Growing Faster than my Twitter Network) at Myspace.

Q5 When did you start using Twitter and how were you introduced to it?
A5 I think I joined and was not impressed early on and stuck my Myspace.
Re-joined again 3 or 4 months back due to media storys about Twitter users
breaking stories first like the Hudson Plane Crash and Jonathan Ross
Scandal etc. I saw it being used more and more by other Plaxo users and
decided to give it another go after tracking growth on Alexa.

Q6 What are the main reasons you use Twitter (e.g. business, marketing,
fun, community etc)?
A6 Networking, Networking and er, Networking but I also like to think of
myself as an Artist.

Q7 What aspects of Twitter do you love?…
A7 I love to Re-Bulletin tweets to Myspace Bulletins and Re-Tweet Myspace
Bulletins to Twitter and I like to Tweet in reflection in real time to
what im listening to in other forms of media.

Q8 …and dislike (if any)?
A8 I dislike the restrictions on Follow limits.

Q9 If you could make changes to Twitter what would they be?
A9 I could tell you but then I’d have to kill you! I take it my cheque is
in the post?

Q10 What Twitter apps do you use to Tweet from? (e.g. main Twitter site/
Twitterriffic / Tweetdeck etc)
A10 None, I won’t use anything that requires my Password.

Q11 What are your criteria for following someone?
A11 A Pulse.

Q12 What type of behaviour would make you unfollow someone?
A12 Anyone who expresses that they would prefer me not to follow them.

Q13 What tips do you have for newbies?
A13 Some people have larger Networks because they are recommended users to
follow and assisted by the site owners etc. or listed in ways that makes
them easier to find, don’t be fooled by this. Most of the early adopters
across Multiple Social Networks know those who have built their networks
without this. You can too!

Q14 How do you find new people to follow (e.g. Twellow, Summize, friends
of friends etc)?
A14 Recently I’ve been using Twitterholic and Grader.

Q15 Qwitter – do you use it? If someone unfollows you do you reciprocate?
A15 No, recently I Unfollowed everyone so I could Follow more people
Locally and and in response my Followers who Unfollowed me back took my
2150 Followers down to 1650 in one week.

Q16 If you agree that Twitter should be monetized do you have any
suggestions how?
A16 Easy, just put me on the Board First.

Q17 Who do you enjoy following the most?
A17 Anybody who Follows me back.

Q18 How do you see the future of Twitter?
A18 Bright Future, their ranking is 285 Globally at time of writing this
and the 100th in the Top100 sites globally is ranked 107th so Twitter are
well on their way to catching Myspace and Facebook usually in the Top10.

Q1 Real name / Twitter user name
@jfderry

Q2 Location
Edinburgh

Q3Website
http://darwinmonkey.com

Q4 Bio
Author, scientist, speaker, partner, fledgling entrepreneur and Dad, not necessarily in that order Oh, and I once collected lion semen (intentionally).

Q5 When did you start using Twitter and how were you introduced to it?
Sadly not one of the pioneers. Only started in Feb 09, but had been following the growth in usage. Signed up to find out more. I think that I “got it” about two weeks later.

Q6 What are the main reasons you use Twitter (e.g. business, marketing, fun, community etc)?
All of the above: mainly to be amongst enough like-minded / like-careered people. The digital tribe. Writing is so solitary that a window, out into a world populated by other writers and creative types, is more a lifeline than a curiosity. I also promote my writing, articles, stories and books on Twitter. Alas, I also, shamelessly promote parallel business interests, although I have recently separated that out to another account @DarwinMonkey (Sale now on!).

Q7 What aspects of Twitter do you love?…
The immediacy and potential for individuals to act together for the good and to uphold truth. Take @Glinner ‘s #expressgate for example. That went from Graham’s recognition of a moral injustice to a 6000-signature petition within days. Behold the power of Twitter. @BenGoldacre was being threatened for rightly criticising a radio broadcast for irresponsible comments on the MMR vaccine. The culprits tried to cover up the story, removing comments from a blog and trying to block distribution of the recording and its transcript.They failed simply because there are enough Tweople who care about the truth, and/or Ben and Graham to ensure that the original material was archived and duplicated beyond their reach. I would hope that Twitter will develop a reputation for a being a place of good.

Q8 …and dislike (if any)?
Professional Tweeters. The “Top” ranking who say things like “it’s a numbers game”. They are nice people I’m sure, but they seem to be on Twitter for very different reasons than me. If they are after the business, then they should be honest about that, rather than cloaking it in false friendship. If they are after the following, then there’s likely no hope for them. It’s like a text-only version of Big Brother, complete with accusations of falseness. Perhaps related, celebrities are cramming in intensive sessions to answer their fans with one word / short responses. In bulk these jam up the stream, but it’s sufferable at present levels. On a personal level, I am struggling to get work done while Twitter is there. Every few minutes another excuse to be distracted for half-an-hour arrives, all smiling and seductive, and half-an-hour later I’m left thinking, “now, where was I”. Then *bing*, off we go again. Five hours later and bugger all actually done.

Q9 If you could make changes to Twitter what would they be?
Not to Twitter, but to Twhirl the client I use: small stuff only, right-click options and that sort of thing. Twitter is based on very simple rules, but you get this amazing complexity arising from them. Twitter is a true emergent property, and I don’t have enough space here to explain what one is, sorry, but there’s plenty here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emergence.

Q10 What Twitter apps do you use to Tweet from? (e.g. main Twitter site/ Twitterriffic / Tweetdeck etc)
Twhirl mainly, but I’ve tried them all. I’m turned off by the Tweople management features of Tweetdeck and others. Okay, so I don’t have tens of thousands of followers, and I don’t expect to ever get that many. But filtering out replies and direct messages is just a button click away on Twhirl. I don’t need it set out, filling my screen; Twitter is supposed to run parallel to the rest of my life, not dominate it (although it is, today). Twhirl has a a nice small footprint, single column feed, nice features, but no OS-compatible right-click! (which on a mac includes searches in google and dictionary, etc.).

Q11 What are your criteria for following someone?
Informative (@bbcnews, @NatGeoChannel, @newscientist , etc), celebrity (@stephenfry, @wossy, @bobbyllew, @mrchrisaddison, etc), writers (@Glinner, @simonblackwell, @jemimakiss, @neilhimself, @etinarcadia) and more.

Q12 What type of behaviour would make you unfollow someone?
Very little: freedom of speech and all that. Tediously over-effusive celebrity polling is, er… tedious.

Q13 What tips do you have for newbies?
Make it your own. Twitter is undefinable. It isn’t anything in particular. There is no right way. The best advice I have had is that it is, “an externalisation of your inner monologue”.

Q14  How do you find new people to follow (e.g. Twellow,Summize, friends of friends etc)?
I see who my followers are following, otherwise I just click through from individual tweets.

Q15  Qwitter – do you use it? If someone unfollows you do you reciprocate?
That’s back to the numbers game. How can I change my behaviour to maximise my followers? Fuck that. I follow who I want to follow. I hope others feel free enough to do the same. Twitter etiquette is overblown. If someone says “hello” to you in the street you say “hello” back, right? The same on Twitter. But, if someone comes up to you and pokes you with a stick, or shouts “oi!”, you’d be unlikely to reciprocate. That’s what getting an “is now following you” email feels like.

Q16 If you agree that Twitter should be monetized do you have any suggestions how?
No, never! it’s all about free thought, free stuff and freedom. tax it and it dies.

Q17  Who do you enjoy following the most?
Anyone with tangible output, and those who want to interact over your interests. Lastly, and I’m biased, I do like the imagination / concept behind @cdarwin . It’s Bobby tweeting from the Beagle, describing what he sees, daily! Genius application.

Q18 How do you see the future of Twitter?
It’s almost already here: integrate Google Maps Street View, Twitter and Wikipedia, and you’ve got the best tour guide ever! But, I’m sure the geeks will think of something better. Even something vital: Twitter has already saved at least one life (the avalanche tragedy), it just needs imagination.

Related articles by Zemanta

• @mosyagin Linguist, politologist, geek, translator from Ekaterinburg, Russia (tweetabix.com)
• @cbeagrie Systems manager at Aberdeen University (tweetabix.com)
• @sarahnewton Gen-Y Guide of TV Series ‘My Teen’s a nightmare – I’m moving out’ (tweetabix.com)
• @colinkelly Clyde 1 radio presenter (tweetabix.com)
• ‘How To Use Twitter Now’ ecourse creator @clydeboom describes his Twitter habits (tweetabix.com)
• @Twitter_Tips Twitter tips from Minneapolis couple (tweetabix.com)
• The Twitter twoof about @pawluxury – “Eco -living for the everyday dog” (tweetabix.com)
• @davidlano – Business owner, web developer, blogger, designer and geek (tweetabix.com)
• @emmaboon Freelance broadcast journalist & qualified ski instructor (tweetabix.com)
• @swimturtle Blogger passionate about architecture, design, books & web 2.0 (tweetabix.com)

Q1 Real name / Twitter user name = Shéa Bennett / @Sheamus

Q2 Location = East Sussex, United Kingdom

Q3 Website = http://twittercism.com

Q4 Bio = I founded and edit Twittercism.com, a blog that provides
hints, tips, tricks, tools and tutorials on Twitter, as well as
comment on the celebrity culture and pretty much everything else.

Q5 When did you start using Twitter and how were you introduced to it?
= I started my @Sheamus Twitter account in July, 2008. I kind of
drifted in and out of Twitter a little being realizing the potential
towards the end of the year. I’ve been a lot more prolific since then.

Q6 What are the main reasons you use Twitter (e.g. business,
marketing, fun, community etc)? = I’ve always enjoyed sharing links
and content. I like engaging with people on Twitter and find it’s a
great way to pass time. This is occasionally a negative, too. I
also get a lot of information from the people I follow and often feel
I’m right on the edge of the information curve.

Q7 What aspects of Twitter do you love? = The social aspect,
predominately, and the way people will respond to open questions and
actually try to help you solve problems. There’s a lot of good humour
on the network.

Q8 …and dislike (if any)? = I don’t like auto-direct messages. I also
don’t enjoy (or follow) accounts that do nothing but self-promote,
ignore your @replies to them, are rude, sarcastic or unhelpful. To
quote fake Steve Jobs, negative people upset me.

I also don’t like the suggested users list, as it plays favourites.
It’s a good idea if it was tailored to the new user by suggesting folk
specific to them. Otherwise, it’s a bad idea.

Q9 If you could make changes to Twitter what would they be? = I write
about this at length in my blog. I’d like to see a 30-second edit
window for tweets, as we all make typos. I’d like one-click access to
threaded messages so you could follow conversations more easily. There
should be a way to mass-delete, or at least mark direct messages. I
also support a fair ratio policy, where you can only have X followers
if you’re following a given amount yourself. Even something like 10:1
(10 followers for every one you follow) would stop a lot of people
(notably celebrities) not getting and/or exploiting the system. It’s a
social network. Socialise!

Also, I’d welcome a pro version of Twitter. For maybe $10/month, you
pay for a bigger chunk of the API and maybe some of the tweaks I
mentioned above (like an ‘edit’ option). This would help monetize
Twitter but would be entirely optional and it’s important that the
feed itself remained the same for everybody, pro or otherwise. If you
can pay for an account but it means abstainers look amateur, Twitter
will die. But they might die without monetization, so I think it’s a
nice solution.

Q10 What Twitter apps do you use to Tweet from? (e.g. main Twitter
site/ Twitterriffic / Tweetdeck etc) = I use TweetDeck most of the
time while at home, only looking at Twitter.com once in a while. The
site itself is very limiting. On the road, I use the excellent
http://dabr.co.uk and TinyTwitter.

Q11 What are your criteria for following someone? = If somebody
follows me I’ll check their account out and follow them back if they
seem okay. I use an auto-follower right now but still vet every new
follow.

Q12 What type of behaviour would make you unfollow someone? = If
they’re clearly a spammer or do nothing but self-promote. Also if
they’re rude or don’t ever respond to @replies.

Q13 What tips do you have for newbies? = Spend a lot of time reading
about how to use the service. There’s no strict rules or anything but
a lot of people don’t ‘get it’ because they don’t put in the effort.
When you start out, follow fifty people straight away and then watch
the feed, interacting and engaging with them. Use Twitter’s search
facility as it’s a great and easy way to find like-minded folk. Read
the blogs about Twitter, including mine.

Q14  How do you find new people to follow (e.g. Twellow, Summize,
friends of friends etc)? = I monitor the various top 100 lists as well
as sites like http://valebrity.com (and @valebrity) to check out the
big names/celebrities. As said I will follow most people who follow
me, and let them prove themselves (for want of a better term), as
opposed to the other way around. I think that’s fairer. Give everyone
a chance. If you’re a spammer or rude, you’re gone.

Q15  Qwitter – do you use it? If someone unfollows you do you
reciprocate? = I don’t, but I do use Socialtoo, which is essentially
the same thing. I’ll soon be above 1000 followers and when that
happens I may re-think my auto-follow usage. But I also like
Socialtoo’s daily emails that inform you at which tweet somebody
followed or unfollowed you. The latter is quite useful information,
and of course lets you\ now if you’ve lost anybody you really cared
about.

Q16 If you agree that Twitter should be monetized do you have any
suggestions how? = See above. I like a pro version of the service.
I don’t like adverts, certainly within tweets. I’d pay to go pro.

Q17  Who do you enjoy following the most? = I think if you’re at all
into social media/tech you can get a lot of value from @problogger,
@guykawasaki, @mashable, @jessenewhart, @copyblogger, @jackschofield,
@guardiantech and @chrisgarrett. I also like @valebrity, @mazi and
@tferriss. Of course I enjoy my friend’s tweets as well.

Q18 How do you see the future of Twitter? = I think unless they find a
way to monetize the service within 12 months they’re going to
struggle. They’ll either then need to find a partner, either fully or
whole, and move forward from there, or as I said introduce an optional
premium service.

If you’d like to feature on Tweetabix or know someone you think would be interested in participating please contact Richard McKay on Twitter or email him at holeinhiseye@gmail.com

If you’d like to feature on Tweetabix or know someone you think would be interested in participating please contact Richard McKay on Twitter or email him at holeinhiseye@gmail.com

Q1 Real name / Twitter user name
Sarah Newton @sarahnewton

Q2 Location
Northampton, United Kingdom

Q3Website
Http://www.theteencoachblog.com

Q4 Bio
Sarah Newton, Your Gen-Y Guide is here to demystify the world of the next generation. Having spent the last 14 years immersed in the culture of the millennials, Sarah helps parents, schools and companies to connect, engage and motivate young people in a way that gets long-lasting results. A recognised thought leader in this field, Sarah is passionate about presenting her thinking and ideas in practical and useful ways that allow people to guide the behaviour of the next generation without crushing their spirits.
Regularly appearing in the media, Sarah is best known for her 8-part TV series, ‘My Teen’s a nightmare – I’m moving out’. She’s been seen by 1 in 4 UK television viewers. Sarah’s approach is authentic, loving, firm, and compassionate – she is not looking to place blame or to shame anyone into change. Her work with clients is to find solutions that will last beyond the immediate situation and help guide young people to grow into conscientious citizens of the world. She incorporates equal parts of sensitivity, wonder, common sense, and humour to touch people’s lives.

Q5 When did you start using Twitter and how were you introduced to it?
I think it was about a year ago and I joined after seeing a Twitter widget on someone else’s site.

Q6 What are the main reasons you use Twitter (e.g. business, marketing, fun, community etc)?
I use it to connect with people who are talking about similar things to me and to learn from others. There are so many great people out there doing fantastic stuff and I love it when I find them.

Q7 What aspects of Twitter do you love?…
Brevity and speed. As an ex-police officer these are two things that were drummed into us about radio speak, and that is what I love about Twitter.

Q8 …and dislike (if any)?
As twitter grows it is becoming challenging to manage all the followers and messages. A lot of people just follow anyone with no relvance at all and I get some very random messges.

Q9 If you could make changes to Twitter what would they be?
Great question…I think as it grows it may need a bit more policing in terms of spammers, etc.  Also, something that lets you manage multiple accounts effectively.

Q10 What Twitter apps do you use to Tweet from? (e.g. main Twitter site/ Twitterriffic / Tweetdeck etc)
Tweetdeck. I did use Twirl to begin with but I love the search and group feature on Tweetdeck

Q11 What are your criteria for following someone?
Are they relevant to me?
Can they add to my network and can I add to theirs?
Are their posts interesting and not just about what they had for dinner?
Do they look like fun?

Q12 What type of behaviour would make you unfollow someone?
Swearing
Spamming
Slamming others – my three pet hates. Do that and you’re outta here!
Oh, and thanks for following me. Want some free tips? Download my  blah blah blah … I hate that

Q13 What tips do you have for newbies?
Only follow people who are relevant to you. Download Tweetdeck and set up searches to find people. Twitter is all about becoming a resource for others, so 10 interesting tweets to one about yourself and what you do. Set up automatic welcome messages with Tweet later but don’t say download my xxx here, just make it fun and like you would speak to someone if you to first meet them. Get to know your followers, set up groups so you can watch the ones that interest you and Retweet others people’s stuff that is relevant to your audience. Converse with people you find interesting and just have fun.

Q14  How do you find new people to follow (e.g. Twellow, Summize, friends of friends etc)?
Searches in Tweetdeck on relevant keywords and checking out similar people @wefollow.

Q15  Qwitter – do you use it? If someone unfollows you, do you reciprocate?
No, a bit mean if you ask me. Just because they don’t find me interesting does not mean I feel the same

Q16 If you agree that Twitter should be monetized do you have any suggestions how?
Difficult one…. I cannot really see how they can monetise it…I would leave if advertising came in, for example. I do think a premium account that gave you extras could work but they would have to be worth it in terms of what they could do.
I think another option could be becoming a PR spokesperson for a product and Twittering about it, but it would have to be planned so as to not irritate anyone.

Q17  Who do you enjoy following the most?
My friends, my clients and people who Tweet loads of great content.

Q18 How do you see the future of Twitter?
Well massive growth is for sure. However I think with massive growth could come some restrictions as this Twitterbug just gets too big. I think Twitter may splinter off into more specialised areas which I think would actually be pretty cool.
I think there is and could be a massive way for Twitter to support home school education for example and I think it comes into its own for  cause-marketing. “Twitter For Good” is something we are seeing a lot of and I think this is a very valid way to use Twitter. I think that, assuming Twitter survives its massive growth, it will become the thing to have and companies  will have to have Twitter strategies to get anywhere. It has the potential to be very influential and be the way to bring people together to disucss what is important. I mean, can you imagine teens around the world meeting to Tweet about what is important to them? I think it could become a global phenomenon and I certainly am excited about that.

If you’d like to feature on Tweetabix or know someone you think would be interested in participating please contact Richard McKay on Twitter or email him at holeinhiseye@gmail.com

Related articles by Zemanta

• @colinkelly Clyde 1 radio presenter (tweetabix.com)
• @rainboweffect Crafty woman & chair of Cowal Open Studios (tweetabix.com)
• @davidlano – Business owner, web developer, blogger, designer and geek (tweetabix.com)
• Garden designer & landscaper @nickypatterson from Glasgow talks about Twitter (tweetabix.com)
• @300miles Fundraiser from the Scottish Fire Service (tweetabix.com)
• @missexpatria – The Internet’s leading enabler of travel addiction (tweetabix.com)
• ‘How To Use Twitter Now’ ecourse creator @clydeboom describes his Twitter habits (tweetabix.com)
• @dannybull Web developer, entrepreneur and founder of MyNeighbourhoods (tweetabix.com)
• @emmaboon Freelance broadcast journalist & qualified ski instructor (tweetabix.com)
• @arthurchappell Poet, author, civil war re-enactor and ex-cult member from Manchester (tweetabix.com)