Star siblings bond

They may not find time for each other in the real word, but Twitter is abuzz with star siblings bonding over tweets. A very active Shweta (@2earthtoangel) and Abhishek Bachchan (@juniorbachchan) talk about everything from rakhi to memories of their dadi, and Shweta even wished AB a “happy left-handed day” recently. Last read, Priyanka Chopra (@priyankachopra) and sister Parineeti (@ParineetiChopra) were both gushing about AA (Anjana Anjaani) songs to each other. Some siblings keep it low, though. Salman (@BeingSalmanKhan) follows only three people on Twitter, and one is Arbaaz (@arbaazSkhan). Siblings Riya (@riyasen24) and Raima Sen (@raimasen) take the cake, though. Riya tweeted sister Raima on August 20: “wru I just woke up pls come to my room NOW!”

Breaking news

Lalit Modi (@LalitKModi) and Shashi Tharoor (@ShashiTharoor) showed what 140 innocuous characters could do. And we are placing our bets that in the days to come Twitter would turn out to be the biggest source for breaking news in the world. The logic is simple: the communication is direct and instant. Also, the much-followed site is a super place for those in the news to confess, admit or clarify. What else can you possibly need for breaking news?

[Live] Interaction

Ever since our celebs got hooked on to Twitter, there is an almost obsessive attempt to keep the interaction with the fans going. Movie stars who never left their air-conditioned villas and dark-glass SUVs suddenly found a medium where they could instantly reach out to millions (and millions) of Netizens across the world. So each decided on his or her own way of staying in touch with the fans. Amitabh Bachchan (@SrBachchan) directly replies to his followers. Shah Rukh Khan (@iamsrk) has frequent question-and-answer sessions. On Twitter, Q&A is a way of life for our KBC kings.

Plug, play and pack-up

Not everyone has a long-term agenda on Twitter like AB and SRK. Some prefer to shamelessly register a couple of weeks before a movie release, tweet incessantly for a few days and when their film goes off-screen, they go off-Twitter. Such matlabi tweeters include Hrithik Roshan (@iHrithik), who would tweet by the minute during Kites, Sajid Khan (@sajidk23), who wanted to ensure that his Housefull went houseful, and even Sushmita Sen (@thesushmitasen), who tweeted about her “I Am She” pageant and disappeared.

Desi beats

Indian films, festivals and celebrities hardly made it to the Trending Topic list (the subjects being most discussed) on Twitter. We said ‘made’. Just like Indians had once taken over Orkut almost edging past the Brazilians, now they are all over Twitter. So much so that Raksha Bandhan tops the Trending Topic list that also includes ‘Rakhi’! KKR appears every time they take the field in an IPL match and an Aamir Khan (@aamir_khan) trends when he joins the micro-blogging site.

TwiTpic deglam

De-glam it seems is the new glam on Twitter, as far as the stars are concerned. Forget the powder and puff, the bright lights and the airbrushes preceding every star entry into the public zone. Giving a glimpse of their ordinary lives seems to be what the celebs are getting a kick out of on the micro-blogging site. Twitpics taken on phone cameras, new haircuts, study time with kids, friends’ birthday bash or just an ordinary spur-of the moment snap. Look on the other side of the page. Candid camera is the rage now and the fans are just lapping ’em up.

Contests and promotions

Plain old interaction can get boring. So, ace lensman Atul Kasbekar (@atulkasbekar) has an Amateur Photo Review every Tuesday, where one original image is allowed per entry, and the winner wins a prize.Bipasha Basu (@bipsluvurself) hosts a Friday Fit contest and the best answer to a question like, a “healthy snack recommendation for 4pm hunger pangs” wins a hamper. Smart!

Although beneficial for businessmen, it can be quite a bore being updated on a company’s every step towards a product launch. But marketing on a social media like Twitter works when you need to get across the picture in short. Plus, you always have the option of unfollowing a brand that begins to bug you with its constant campaign tweets.

Mobile apps

The best way to tweet is from the mobile phone, considering that one (normally) cannot be plugged in to a PC or laptop 24x7. More and more people in the wired world are moving to the comfort and convenience of mobile Twitter. Almost all celebs tweet from their cell phones. For BB holders, Uber Twitter and Twitter For Blackberry rule. For the rest, free apps include Snaptu, Tweetdeck, Fring and Echofon (primarily for Apple users).

Tweet for a cause

Whether it’s a flood or a train accident or a bomb scare, the twitterverse (twitter universe) really comes together. Emergency numbers and blood bank cell contacts are retweeted in a rush and in no time everyone is helping out those affected in some indirect way. The celebs do their bit here. Case in point: Aamir tweeting, “Just got a call from Salman to come to Almeda Park to donate blood. Come on all Bandraites. See you there.” And even if they are not always bringing out the cash, they spread the word around on Twitter and create awareness. Also, NGOs have been using the medium for a lot of charity work and events. Closer home, Derek ’Brien tweeted yesterday: “All passengers are safe on the Delhi-Cal Rajdhani Express. I just spoke to the GM... PASSENGERS SAFE...”

Tweet it and fix it

Celebs don’t waste time calling up customer service. Shashi Tharoor posted his annoyance with Norton Security, a global anti-virus software solutions firm, on the micro-blogging site and within two hours, Norton Security had contacted Tharoor and fixed the problem. Konkona (@konkonas), who began tweeting in September 2009, had written on July 20 evening: “Tata Sky sucks! Not been working for three days and they refuse to fix it!! #fail.” By the next afternoon, Tata Sky had contacted her and fixed the problem. Even Anand Mahindra (@anandmahindra) gets his team running when some customer complains to him on Twitter.So, the next time a home app dies on you, just tweet it alive.

ADVANCED COURSE IN TWITTER

“Henna art”, uploaded by SRK, a week ago

We know the basics. Here’s level next…

DP: Display picture. Better known as profile picture.

DM: Direct messaging. You can send a DM to someone only if that someone is following you. It is a private communication between the sender and recipient.

Hashtag: Creates categories on Twitter. Looking for tweets on Twilight? Search with #twilight.

#FollowFriday: On Fridays, list the users you recommend following and add #followfriday anywhere in the tweet so others can find it. Other popular Twitter memes are #nowlisteningto, #notetoself, #win and #fail.

Twitter groups: Tag your followers in different groups so you tweet each group instead of each individual.

+1:: Agree with what a Twitterer has tweeted? Retweet with +1 before his/ her tweet. Agree vehemently? Key in +500 or +1,000.

Trending topics: Located on the right hand side of your Twitter home page. Know what the world is talking about.

Tweetup: Twitter meet-ups. Organise or join one when you have more than 140 characters to share, in person.

WHAT NOT TO DO ON TWITTER

“According to my fortune cookie, there’s still hope.” Uploaded by Rahul Khanna on August 28. Well, at least he knows his worth

Tweet quotations: It’s the most boring read.

Use Twitlonger: The idea of Twitter is to stick to 140 characters. Making someone navigate to another webpage and write a full essay is contrary to the concept, and irritating.

Retweet retweets: RT @imurs RT @workaholic RT @naveen RT @rahul RT @angela @ vikram Best thing about Goa? Beer at Rs 40 and coffee at Rs 80. Simply RT @vikram if you like his tweet.

Tweet things best said in person: “@XYX will you marry me?” is way too personal!

Follow tweeple (people on Twitter) just to get followed.

Tweet when drunk. Uh-uh. Always followed with regret.

Upload albums: Remember, Facebook is still there for albums. So avoid tweeting one picture every minute, please. You can upload the occasional picture through Twitpics.

“Always a pleasure to meet Aamir Khan :)”, uploaded by Arbaaz Khan on August 29

Avoid abusing: It sounds the same as it does in real life.

The Calcutta Twitterer

I don’t think most Calcuttans take Twitter very seriously. Maybe they have “Twriters Block”. @SCGanguly (Sourav) has a lot of followers but hasn’t tweeted for the last eight months. But as far as I know, the (former) Calcuttans who frequent Twitter are Shreya Ghoshal and Konkona Sensharma. For me, Twitter is a completely personal forum, which I try to avoid to make strong political statements. It is also a space for me to share interesting facts with “followers”. It is not a medium to pontificate but due to its instant connect, a great method to express oneself and de-stress.

Some other Calcuttans on Twitter:Konkona Sensharma, Aparna Sen, Celina Jaitly, Shaan, Shreya Ghoshal, Bickram Ghosh, Jeet, Dev, Riya Sen, Raima Sen, Bipasha Basu, Kalyan Ray, Koel Mullick, Priyanshu Chatterjee, Koneenica Banerjee, Dhritiman Chaterji, Aniruddha Roy Chowdhury, Gautam Bhimani, etc.

TWITTER QUITTERS

He hasn’t quit himself but Karan Johar (@kjohar25) tweeted recently: “Many twitter farewells...will this now be a trend??”And honestly, we can’t help wondering the very same thing. One thing we have learnt from twitterverse is that the tinsel town family loves “showing” solidarity and doing things together… “Twitter pause” or “not right for me,” however they term it — is Twitter Quitter the next bandwagon they will all hop onto?

Imran Khan (@1mrankhan) quit Twitter not because he is “upset or angry” but because he has suddenly realised that Twitter “is not the best medium” for him.“Thank you for all the good times,” signed off the I Hate Luv Storys star, who seems to also hate short stories, which can’t exceed 140 characters.

Chetan Bhagat (@chetan_bhagat), on the other hand, has more than personal reasons for taking what he calls a “Twitter pause”. Professional reasons it is, for this idiot-maker! “During the writing process, I withdraw as much as I can.” So… “Twitter has to stop,” he blogged, for the sake of his next book.

KJo being KJo doesn’t want to cut short his link with his followers. He is doing something smarter instead. Recently he tweeted “The one feature I have begun to use a lot on twitter is BLOCK!! So many abuses coming my way I must be doing something right!!!”So, who is next?