Hidden among those who tweet their
every brain fart, there's a rich vein of tweeters who actually have things of
interest to share. Here are six to follow
Fourzerotwo
In a past life, Robert Bowling was a big
cheese at Call of Duty developer Infinity Ward. But since leaving in
March this year, he's set up a new company called Robotoki and announced Human
Element - a post-apocalyptic game that is being developed exclusively for
the Kickstarter-funded, Android-powered Ouya console, which is a project that
Bowling has donated $10,000 of his own money to. One to watch.
Human Element is a
post-apocalyptic, zombie survival game with a strong emphasis on the human
condition
Edgarwright
With a CV that includes Scott Pilgrim
vs. the World, Shaun of the Dead, Spaced, browser-based interactive graphic
novel Brandon Generator and, next up, a movie version of Marvel's cult
comic Ant-Man, E-Dubs is the undisputed geek-in-chief of UK cinema. And
with Simon Pegg, Peter Jackson and Robert Rodriguez on his Christmas card list,
it wouldn't be surprising if a promotion to Emperor Geek was just around the
corner.
The writer of Father Ted might not
seem like an obvious follow for tech heads, but Graham Linehan has embraced the
internet more enthusiastically than any other UK writer. Expect tweets on
everything from the Twitter joke trial to pictures of himself on the toilet.
He's also a big gamer, with a particular penchant for Battlefield3.
Plus you can also pass off his jokes as your own at your parties (please don't
really do that).
Trent Reznor's DIY-themed band Nine Inch
Nails might be lying dormant at present, but his work with Atticus Ross on the
score for The Social Network, plus the soundtrack for classic PC
first-person shooter Quake, prove his wider (and long-running) geek
credentials. His tweets are sporadic (especially when compared with someone
like @Glinner), but his thoughts on the current state of the music industry and
the internet are always spot-on.
If co-writing classic 8-bit inter-planetary
trading game Elite wasn't enough for you (we'll just pretend Kinect
Star Wars didn't happen), games veteran David Braben's most recent venture
was as part of the Raspberry Pi project to create an affordable mini-computer
that helps to teach kids how to code (and you how to make a media streamer for
peanuts.
With two TED talks under her belt -
including one on how playing games can actually make you live longer - San
Francisco-based (where else?) games designer Jane McGonigal knows a thing or
two about living life in front of a screen, pad in hand. Expect thoughts on how
games can do you good (rather than turn you into a serial killer like your mom
would have you believe). You might also get the odd tweet about shoes.
And how not to behave
1. Don't re-tweet compliments
This is like walking down the street
bellowing quotes from your school reports through a megaphone.
2. Don’t beg for RTs from celebs
Having your life validated online by a
celebrity is a bit like rewarding a dog for not wiping its bum on the sofa.
You’re better than that. We hope.
3. Don’t be an internet warrior
You wouldn’t walk up to someone in the
street and tell them you don’t like their face, so why do it on Twitter?
Website:
www.twitter.com
4. Don't hash tag everything
Very tedious. Not everything needs to be
reduced to a slogan. Signing off with a summarizing hash tag suggests that the
rest of your tweet was pointless.
5. Don't cross post content
Linking your social media accounts might
seem like streamlining, but the two should be different: Facebook for your
friends, Twitter for public.
6. Don't auto-post from apps
You might be immensely proud that your Sat-Nav
has successfully guided you home rather than into the sea, but nobody else
cares. Nobody.
7. Twitter isn't an email account
Don’t tweet as a means of organizing your
social life. Why not send your mate a direct message? Or a text? Or even an actual
email?
8.
Don't brag
Boasting online doesn’t endear you to
anyone. Adding #humblebrag won’t get you off the hook.
