Twitter Basics and Using the Official Twitter for BlackBerry Client
Last nights release of the Twitter for BlackBerry client is sure to have some people asking (still) just what Twitter is all about. Many swear by it, while others despise it, and some just don't know that much about it. The newly released client is sure to bring some new users to the Twitter game, and in hopes of helping to better understand the service, this video should give you a bit of guidance. If you are a seasoned Twitter user you honestly won't want to watch the video since it covers most everything that you already know. But if you are secretly wanting to get your Twitter on and are afraid to ask how it works, then pull up a chair for 9 minutes and watch it. It may not make you a Twitter expert, but it should give you a head start and help you get going.
nyc_rock Apr 9, 2010 at 1:51 pm
Other than following the tech guys for the latest info, I have no idea how twitter even works. What the heck is a "retweet"??
DenverRalphy Apr 9, 2010 at 4:43 pm
If you see a tweet from somebody you're following and think it's worth passing on to others, you can ReTweet it into your own timeline so that those who are following you can see it too. Basically it's just forwarding someone's tweet to others.
Lord Vall Apr 11, 2010 at 1:23 am
Thanks for the info, I have had openbeak for a while and never new what re-tweet was :-)
unc31 Apr 9, 2010 at 1:56 pm
I've been using this since first leak for a long time b4 last update came out. Only problem with this is that I can never retweet. i have to use social scope if i'm going to retweet. am i the only one that has this problem. i will retweet and it will go through normally but never posts it
vegagolf Apr 9, 2010 at 2:13 pm
after I downloaded it last night I tried sending out a tweet and then a retweet and neither one showed up when i checked it on the actual site. I reinstalled it and it seems to work fine now. I'm on a 9700, btw.
I'm actually pleasantly surprised at the design. I was expecting as unfriendly of a layout as Facebook...but i'm much happier with it.
tsatsut Apr 9, 2010 at 2:09 pm
Yeah RIM needs to let us seriously edit our RETWEET in this app, n then they can call this a 'super app' n possibly compete w/ socialscope and tweetgenius....JUST FIX DA EFFING RETWEET so we can enjoy this app!!!! Thanks in advance RIM!!
unc31 Apr 9, 2010 at 2:09 pm
i can't retweet at all. if i retweet a post then it will go through like i retweeted but never show in timeline
Striker317 Apr 9, 2010 at 5:13 pm
It's not a retweet in twitter's truest sense of the word if you can edit it...
http://help.twitter.com/entries/77606-what-is-retweet-rt
tony bag o donuts Apr 9, 2010 at 2:10 pm
sometimes but they do show up on the web....
A retweet is when let's say UNC31 "tweets" aka posts a message saying I can't retweet.
A follower of his or hers can hit the Retweet and it is basically passing the info that you saw onto your followers.
Another way of explaining it is if I said Kevin no longer owns a Blackberry.
Someone RT's it saying @xxxx Kevin no longer has a blackberry. Then each of their followers can retweet it.
It's like spreading a virus via sneezing on someone :)
sommerface Apr 9, 2010 at 2:18 pm
I like how quick this app is compared to ubertwitter, but I always have issues writing out the tweet. it gets wonky on me and goes too slow. If I wanted that, I'd go back to my iPhone.
But I will check this out after/if it's out of beta.
BeautifullC Apr 9, 2010 at 2:29 pm
This works perfect. I used SocialScope for a while until they leaked this last night. I can ReTweet, Reply, Favorite. Do everything on here. I can also Edit My Profile. Unlike SocialScope, this lets me change my picture. I will no longer be using SocialScope. I will stick to this Twitter App for BlackBerry. Love it!!!
kingbb99 Apr 9, 2010 at 2:33 pm
Retweet needs fixing pronto, and the spellcheck is super annoying. Can I turn that off? I also notice that it tends to freeze up when I type too fast.
It looks slick though. I'm going to hang in there for awhile with this one.
ronnierucker#cb Apr 9, 2010 at 2:45 pm
un-check spell check in options
kingbb99 Apr 9, 2010 at 2:59 pm
Two seconds after I typed that I went to Options and fixed it. I am dumb.
IshvaMal Apr 9, 2010 at 2:37 pm
Thanks for making this video Adam! My mom just joined the "Twitter Set" and having a video like this is an awesome tool to help her understand the basics of what its about and how to use the app. And more importantly to stop BBMing me with questions every five minutes! :P
ronnierucker#cb Apr 9, 2010 at 2:38 pm
I think the Blackberry Twitter works good. It has all the drawbacks that using their site directly but thats what I expected when I installed it. I like it but think I'll do all my re-tweeting with ubertwitter. I'm pro editing!
If you need followers I always follow back: @beneathradio
donniejett Apr 9, 2010 at 2:40 pm
I shared this with my facebook friends hoping they will jump ship and go to twitter!!
FrankDLR1972 Apr 9, 2010 at 4:45 pm
I use both and think that they compliment each other. I first started using Twitter and about six months later got my FB acct. I love using both of them, but I cant see how you can compare them. Twitter is just a news bulletin-style social app. Facebook blows Twitter away on so many levels, but I wouldnt friend @CNNbrk or @MtvNews. They just work well together, especially on your BlackBerry.
Filmsnob Apr 9, 2010 at 2:40 pm
Prior to this, I was a devout Ubertwitter user. But the BB app has it beat in layout, speed, and functionality. Only one small problem. You can't edit a retweet (shorten or add your own comments.) If RIM can fix that, they've got a super-app on their hands.
its_a_bb_thing Apr 9, 2010 at 3:09 pm
I will be very clear, fix these small hick-ups(retweet& the ability to shorten or add your own comment.) Then I'll dump Ubertwitter.
unc31 Apr 9, 2010 at 3:22 pm
can anyone confirm when they retweet that it shows in timeline. I can go to my tweets and my retweets are not there. when i use social scope they go through. i've been using this since first leak came out and have always had this problem. so are ppl really retweeting with this any?
allargon Apr 9, 2010 at 3:46 pm
The lack of a proper re-tweet is a dealbreaker. Anyone compared the new BB client to Seesmic, yet?
Iron_Hide Apr 9, 2010 at 3:58 pm
@unc31: Am RT'ing without a problem - 9550 running 5.0.0.607
@allargon: this beats Seesmic hands down. All RIM need to do is allow us to edit our
RT's and this will be a killer App!
Well done RIM! Love the Twitter for BlackBerry App!
unc31 Apr 9, 2010 at 4:07 pm
thx maybe i can't retweet b/c my account is private
vx1 Apr 9, 2010 at 4:14 pm
I like it , it helped me out .. as a newbie twitter user :o)
other stuff like re tweet I still have no idea what they mean, but this was a great starter ! I don't feel so much in the dark with all this twitter stuff hehe the new rim client is great its fast and to the point.
Thanks!
hitman52 Apr 9, 2010 at 5:33 pm
I hope they fix the retweet option but I doubt they will. You can't even see if the retweet is there. That's one reason I don't use the web for tweeting. If you could edit your retweets you can forget about every other twitter app bc this would be superior but they put themselves at the bottom in my opinion bc you can't do a simple thing as retweet. Overall good video though.
bishopberry Apr 9, 2010 at 5:43 pm
Has anyone or does anyone have experience now with both applications and thereby which one would one recommend? I currently have Uber-twitter and like it, but if BB's is better I will switch.
honnydipp Apr 9, 2010 at 5:53 pm
I'm addicted to Twitter via UberTwitter, so I have been waiting for this release. I tried this out for a few hours, and I quickly went back to UberTwitter's format. First, tweets directed to your account should be a different color. Second, easy access to starting a tweet should be easier to get to by pressing a button on your keyboard, also refreshing your account should be easier too. If these are fixed, then I will give it a try.
mburfeind Apr 9, 2010 at 5:57 pm
i'm a tweeter but still find this post valuable. you did a great job top-lining the point of twitter and how the app works.
terrrrrible Apr 9, 2010 at 6:35 pm
i just downloaded the app on my blackberry, and i seem to have a problem where if i go into the options and make a change, i hit back, and choose save, but it doesn't exit me from the menu. i'm sure this has already been brought up so if there's somewhere this is being discussed or a known bug list, point me to it.
zenatic Apr 9, 2010 at 7:18 pm
Blackberry version better than laptop or desktop version, and it's very easy to use.
dariuscuh Apr 9, 2010 at 7:21 pm
Useless, i dont even twit... i guess im not that "hip" RIM suckass well im patience i guess its all good... 6.0? HA!
dterio Apr 9, 2010 at 7:24 pm
Thanks Adam,
But do we need ANOTHER baby-sitting video on how to use Twitter?
Really?
Adam Zeis Apr 12, 2010 at 11:13 am
This one is specifically geared toward new users. Have to keep in mind we get between 2-3k new members a day, and not all of them are BB vets. This one is meant for the new BB users that haven't jumped into Twitter just yet.
Delrahim69 Apr 9, 2010 at 7:43 pm
i downloaded it but it says "twitter services are currently unavailable" when i try to log in
jtdjoseph Apr 9, 2010 at 7:48 pm
it bricked my blackberry....when i 1st downloaded it on my 8900 it wudnt show as an icon so i deleted and tried again first from appworld then from blackbery.com then it bricked my fone,never again
raa1112 Apr 9, 2010 at 7:51 pm
Why doesn't the app support Twitlonger?!?
SmokeyViolet Apr 9, 2010 at 8:36 pm
I'm having trouble finding the twitter app after downloading it twice. I've looked under downloads and also applications but its not there. Can someone help me out here please?
jonkjon Apr 9, 2010 at 9:42 pm
Is there a way to not show select people you're following in the home view? I'd like to just have some show up in my news list but not on the home view.....
bigmac05 Apr 9, 2010 at 10:44 pm
Maybe it's just me, but I find it annoying that it doesn't start at the bottom when showing new tweets. Like when I wake up in the morning, I go to open T4BB and it shows the most recent tweet (so I have to guess at my previous tweets on which ones are "unread"). It's not like Social Scope where it shows the unread tweets from the bottom up, so it's easier for me to scroll up and view the unread tweets.
Delrahim69 Apr 10, 2010 at 10:15 am
i still cannot login, it says twitter services are currently unavailable. i read comments from a few other people having the same problem.
any ideas???
tony bag o donuts Apr 10, 2010 at 1:26 pm
I just wiped my 8330 and will see if the app works as it should.
If not, even though I like the push notifications, it will be back to Uber for me....
Well installed on a wiped 8330 running 4.5.175 it still won't retweet so it's back to uber....
RIM sure makes it hard to want to stay with them.
kingb71 Apr 10, 2010 at 2:01 pm
Not enough features better than übertwitter to make me want to switch. Also, I found it a bit of a memory hog on my 8330.
the brother Apr 10, 2010 at 2:19 pm
i got the dreaded error Reload Software 552 white screen on my 8900 TWICE when trying to install this via app world....WTF!
NastyNeil Apr 10, 2010 at 3:06 pm
It is definitely a bit of a memory hog. They should take a few notes from Ubertwitter. I am going back to Ubertwitter as I type this. As far as I am concerned, UT is the best Twitter app out there right now. If the official can fix a few things, especially battery drain and memory drain, I might go back, but for now, UT all the way. I think the appeal of the Official Twitter is what draws people in, and it shows promise, but it is definitely not the best out there just yet.
the_one876 Apr 12, 2010 at 10:18 pm
the app is only eye candy....so much is missing....cant retweet...or edit retweet.... there is no shortcut when trying to find my friends user name by just typing the @ sign and the list comes up(like in uber)
sushilover63 Apr 14, 2010 at 2:01 am
I went to the BlackBerry App World and the download icon is there but when I hit download it says twitter is not available at BB App World does anyone knows WTF is going on ?
zatalie Sep 14, 2010 at 2:24 pm
Anyone know how to add something before the RT??
ie. HAHAHAHAA RT: @xxxx blah blah blah
thx