Clickability improves Discoverability
Michael Davis (@yellowfish_md) and I were talking last night about effective email and other electronic communication. We were discussing the utility (importance?) of making twitter updates/tweets clickable. (I really don’t like saying “tweet,” but I’m getting used to it.) You can make tweets clickable by adding URLs, using hashtags when appropriate, and using @twitter names whenever you can.
So Lance (@dmmandil) says, on twitter,
It’s meteor time. Grab your blankets, and get your view on Tuesday night into Wednesday morning for best view. #Perseids
I click on “#Perseids” which gives me a search across twitter. A guy in Sweden (@maltesk) posted:
(So many folk twittering about the #Perseids coming next week – they’re here now people. Deal! http://www.imo.net/live/perseids2009/)
… and I check out http://www.imo.net/live/perseids2009/ — which is an amazing breakdown of meteor sitings. (BTW, this site is a great example of reporting data points and geo summaries — refer to it for good vibes in your project.) The page/site says to send feedback to Geert Barentsen. “That’s a familiar name,” I thought. “I know that guy.” Sure enough, I do. I spent a week with him in Santa Fe; we spent a lot of time hanging out and headed out about the city.
So in this social+technical network, a guy I don’t know (@maltesk) in Sweden was connected to Lance (@dmmandil) because they both used the same hashtag (and used it very well). That guy in Sweden (@maltesk) is connected to Geert at least in that he uses Geert’s tool. I’m connected with Geert through past experience. I discovered all of this in 15 seconds thanks to clickability.
PS – Be sure to check your links after posting if you want people to find who/what/where you are discussing.