Are the domes online? How’s the weather? Who’s on radio tonight? You may have noticed the mention of Twitter recently around Slooh, including here on the blog and wondered what it’s all about. Here are the answers to help you use this service to get more out of your membership.
Slooh uses Twitter to help keep members informed of observatory status, weather, special announcements, and current
events. At minimum, Slooh members can receive this information on their computers by following the link to Slooh’s Twitter Page. You can also subscribe to the RSS feed to work directly in your browser or through a reader.
That’s only the beginning. At its best, Twitter will help you get to know other Slooh members as well as other astronomy enthusiasts and services. To do this you need to join Twitter (it is free!), which you can do right from the Slooh Twitter Page.
Simply defined, Twitter is a service for friends, family, and coworkers to communicate and stay connected through the exchange of quick, frequent answers (less than 140 characters) to one simple question: What are you doing? It is not instant messaging and it is not full-blown blogging (although some do call it “micro-blogging”). The content can include text and links to pictures and web resources.
The basic Twitter user interface is a web page where you can manage your account, send and receive “tweets,” explore and find other members and news feeds to follow. While this basic interface is a good start, to really enjoy the benefits of Twitter on your desktop you should consider installing Twhirl, a PC or MAC application (again, this is free). Twhirl gives you a self-contained application that makes using Twitter much more effective - it runs as a startup program and is available all the time whether your web browser is running or not.
You can use your cell phone to interface with Twitter as well. This allows you to receive all, or only selected updates wherever you are. (Note: please make sure you have an appropriate text messaging plan with your cell phone provider or this could get expensive). You can also post right to your Twitter account from your cell phone using SMS (text messaging). There are many other options available for interfacing with Twitter and new ones being added all the time.
Slooh chose Twitter to update members of timely information because it is safe and flexible. Twitter is a social networking application. By default, what you type is sent to those who are “following” you and is readable by everyone. However, many users easily opt to restrict their updates to only be viewable by those they approve. You are never forced to endure anyone you find unpleasant and your member identity and profile are based on what information you want to provide.
If you enjoy Slooh and want up-to-the-minute information on telescope operation and news give Twitter a try. Several members are already using it and you can search for Slooh related Twitter conversations on Summize, a tracking site. This is also good place to search for any keyword that interests you to find other interesting Twitter accounts (try @marsphoenix, tweeting from the surface of Mars:). I think you will also find it is a great way to participate in Slooh on your schedule.
