Tweet Me.

What do Lady Gaga and Barack Obama have in common; they each have over 7 million followers in Twitter. Rainn Wilson (Dwight Schroot), 2 million followers. So what is this phenomenon known as Twitter? Well if you are not living under a rock then you would know the social networking tool known as Twitter is an outlet for a user to let you know, well, anything they want really. By becoming a follower of said user you will then receive updates as to what this user is doing, thinking and or wanting you to know.

Dubbed “A source of breaking news and rumors” Twitter was launched in 2006 and since has gained much popularity, it is estimated there are over 170 million users. That is 170,000,000 users speaking their minds, sending updates on important topics instantly.

One feature becoming very popular on websites and, blogger sites is a small appliance utilizing Twitter. The “twitter feed gadgets” can be set up on your web-page with some simple code and configured to display twitter feeds or what are simply known as tweets.  The concepts behind this feature are simple, select some keywords for search parameters and in turn the gadget displays what the social network is talking about as it pertains to that topic. Essentially this tool becomes a conduit for displaying the information you would like to broadcast. I have incorporated this tool into my blog with a few key words, Graphic design and Information design.

The social networking concept will be with us for awhile, and we are in the midst of a want it now society and this is true with information. Do you want to know the association between the African Blue Dual Coned Picklelittle to the rain forests of Nigeria, guaranteed somewhere there is someone tweeting about just that very topic. Information travels at light speeds now thanks to the internet, and Twitter has taken advantage of that. Also by incorporating mobile applications into their services, information dissemination may occur on the fly versus having to wait until one is behind the computer.

So the conclusion, Twitter is designed to get information out there quickly, whether informative in nature or just a person’s sharing of thoughts the purpose is the same. Get you the information you want, NOW!

The interface of interpretation.

In our content guide in module 3, we read about web typeography. Within these articles what I found most interesting and really have never even considered was “using text as an interface”. One example of good interface techniques given was the on the website Subtraction.com, within this site there are many examples of user interaction within the text. My interpretation of interface is interaction of course. Merriam Webster defines interface as “the means by which interaction or communication is achieved at an interface”.  Within the site Subtraction.com there are many keywords that are able to be clicked and take the reader to a keyword topic page. This feature is a great feature, often seen these days on websites and referred to by some as keywords.

In web design I think it is especially true not only to have fonts that are appealing and easily readable, but the ability to capture and involve the reader’s attention. “95% of the information on the web is written language.” WC3 or the World Wide Web consortium posted some advice on fonts indicating some proper techniques. We read also in the article, “Typography has one plain duty before it and that is to convey information in writing. No argument or consideration can absolve typography from this duty." (Reichenstein, 2006). That information being conveyed will have a stronger impression by having some interaction associated with it.

When I originally began this blog it is clear my posts were basic text only posts with no interaction at all, I will not retrace steps and place some interface objects within, instead I will work forward and begin with this post and enable my reader some interaction within. I will state that I have made adjustments to my post, font changes to be specific. I have toned down considerably the font choices, what I may have found as attractive was after my readings, clearly not sending the message of being clear and easily readable. I have reduced text sizes, made color changes and otherwise made this page a little more eye appealing and readable. Let me know your thoughts if you are following me. Thank you.