As a relatively recent convert to Twitter, a microblogging service, I have become more acutely aware of the need for filters to increase the value of social networks sites. Twitter is a microblogging service allowing users to post messages of no more than 140 characters called Tweets. I have made one brief reference in a note to Twitter (see: Physician Bloggers and Communication with Healthcare Consumers). Part of my thinking about information filters has been derived from a video lecture by Clay Shirky on YouTube (see: It's Not Information Overload. It's Filter Failure.). I have posted a number of previous notes about Shirkey's ideas.
The optimal way to utilize Twitter is to only read the messages of other users that you have selected. Every Twitter user follows the messages of other users and also, in turn, attracts followers. The decision to follow another user's messages can be determined by that user's s profile, describing his or her interests, and also by searching the total body of Tweets for those that interest you. Say, for example, that you are interested in environmental issues. You would then search for messages about this topic and assume that subsequent ones from that same person would also be worth reading.
I have discovered that Twitter is a treasure trove of information about healthcare information technology (HIT) and biotech. My selection of people and "news services" to follow in Twitter relating to this topic is analogous to setting up filters that select for information and breaking news. If and when any of these people/services become less useful, I remove them from my list of followed users. In other words, careful selection of whom to follow inside Twitter allows you to pan the gold nuggets from the roaring stream.
One other little trick comes into play in this process. Other users of Twitter will choose to follow my Tweets and I am notified by email when this occurs. I can review their profiles and the messages that they post. Many such people also publish their own blogs which also may be of interest. The appeal of the filters that can be set up in Twitter is that they are dynamic and conditional and can be changed on the fly such that the flow of information is always customized to meet your needs. Tweets of particular interest can be starred and available for review at some later time.
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