Note: This is a guest article written by Tim Storck to try to convince you to nerd out with him about Twitter. I let Tim write it cause I am an Extremely Nice Fellow, and this counts as my One Nice Deed of 2021. Back to mean!
What Am I Talking About?
Twitter Developer Community is run by Twitter (you’ve heard of them, right?), and consists of resources for software developers who work with the Twitter APIs. Local chapters are organized by volunteers, with TDC’s assistance.
Who Is This For?
Probably not you.
Well, unless you’re a technology geek/programmer, like me. In which case, it’s for you! If you want.
What Is It?
I am starting a New Haven chapter for the Twitter Developer Community. We will be scheduling both online and in-person events. Events may include informal networking meetups, technical talks, Q&As with Twitter engineers, hack sessions and hackathons (which is like a hack session except you also lose your weekend).
Tell Me More…
Twitter offers a large set of capabilities through its APIs. You know. Tweets, analytics, the amount of sadness each Tweet generates (a lot).
The main API, called the Twitter API, has numerous endpoints for getting and posting data. Twitter recently launched v2 of the AP, which is much easier to work with and offers new features.
The three broad categories of people who tend to interact with the Twitter API are: professionals, academic researchers, and hobbyists (that’s us!).
Professionally, many developers and agencies are focused on the marketing opportunities provided by Twitter. In fact, some are focused exclusively on trying to generate viral marketing from this exact data.
Remember how much we all laughed at Wendy’s throwing shade at Burger King? Those were the days. Now it’s all very lame. We’re cooler now. But for a second we were all pretty psyched about Wendy’s Twitter account.
In the modern information ecosystem, viral marketing is essential. And it’s cheaper than traditional advertising, while also providing more exponential exposure. If utilized effectively, it can grow your online reach enormously. Professional firms know this and focus on it using systems like the Twitter API.
Social media integrations also work symbiotically with other forms of marketing. When you go viral with your adorable tweet about puppies or whatever, now people are coming to your Facebook page and learning about your business! Which has nothing to do with puppies! Suckers!
On an academic level, Twitter has become central to the public conversation. Journalism, current events and society at large all take place in the Twitter-verse. Hell, we had a President who basically half-existed on Twitter.
In the modern world, information is the greatest currency, and its exchange is online. Online influence is more relevant than ever, and the dynamics of how this plays out is a subject of interest among strategists, analysts, and researchers. Twitter offers an academic research track for universities interested in this kind of leading-edge social research. Many studies by major academic institutions are providing valuable insight into modern channels of influence.
The Twitter API is also fun for hobbyists who enjoy creative software design. The API rules allow for many forms of innovative applications. Software can be a medium of creativity and many developers enjoy using their engineering skills for personal projects, and produce great work. Sometimes, a side project becomes a main project. Sometimes a side project becomes nothing (usually when Josh does it). Because Twitter is a social platform, creative tools can be tailored for social impact and even tools for activism.
So, developing Twitter apps can be fun and beneficial, fellow kids. These local Twitter Developer Community events can be a way to meet other technologists, learn about social media integrations, and discuss projects.
To join the New Haven TDC chapter, follow this link to the Meetup group, and join the group. Events will be posted soon. If you plan to begin developing for the Twitter API, get out there and request a developer account.
