10 Examples of Creative Twitter Uses

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When you think of Twitter, you probably think of a microblogging tool that helps you connect with friends across the world. But not every Tweeter uses their account just to chat back and forth with their online friends. Some have come up with truly creative ways to use their account.

What follows is a list of the 10 most creative uses of Twitter I’ve seen.

1. Laundryroom- The laundry room Twitter account helps residents at Olin College’s West Hall check on the availability of washing machines at the campus Laundromat. Anytime a washer or dryer is available, a Tweet is automatically sent out to the local residents following the Laundryroom account. Not only is this pretty neat, but it also improves the overall efficiency of the Laundromat.

2. Coffeegroundz Fundraiser- The Coffee Groundz is a Houston-based café that uses Twitter to interact with the local community. However, they recently had a very creative use for their Twitter account when they asked their followers to donate non-perishable food items to the Houston Food Bank. Their Twitter-based fundraiser helped them collect over 260 pounds of food to donate to the Houston Food Bank.

3. Askastripper- Yes, even strip clubs are getting on the social media bandwagon. This Twitter account is linked from a blog of the same name. Essentially, users have the opportunity to ask a stripper anything. Whether you have a question about the intricacies of their job or you just want their opinion on a random topic, the stripper will answer all of your questions.

4. JetBlue- This is another great example of businesses getting the most out of their Twitter account. This airline has different employees man their Twitter account throughout the day. If a customer has any question—whether about potential flight delays or how big their carry-on can be—the JetBlue account will Tweet a quick answer.

5. Missingchildren- But you don’t always have to use Twitter for personal gain. This profile sends out Tweets any time a child goes missing. The Tweet usually includes the child’s name, city, and a link to a picture with more information. They also send updates whenever a lost child is recovered.

6. TvGuide- When’s the last time you actually flipped through a TV Guide? It’s been years for me. This Twitter profile sends a Tweet out each day of all the new shows that will be on that night. You’ll never forget to watch your favorite shows again!

7. Liver4carole- It really is amazing to see all the great causes that people use Twitter for. This account is trying to accomplish exactly what its name implies—to get a liver for Carole. They regularly Tweet links to stores whose proceeds go directly to Carole, as well as updates about Carole herself.

8. GoodCaptain- I must confess, the writer in me is torn on whether this is really cool or a disgrace to literature. Whatever it is, it’s certainly creative. The Good Captain is a book written one Tweet at a time. Simply click back to the beginning, and you can read the entire book, Tweet by Tweet, online.

9. ProjectVino- For the most part, the Project Vino account is just like any other. It’s filled with chats to various friends, and there doesn’t appear to be anything unique about it. However, this social wine site holds wine tastings over Twitter occasionally. They send wine out to various popular Twitter users, and the testers microblog their thoughts live as they taste the wine. Where can I sign up?

10. Amazon- When you first land on the Amazon Twitter page, you might think the account is inactive. It’s not. The point of this profile is for followers to DM a book title or ISBN number, and then, they’ll receive a Tweet with the average price range on Amazon at the moment.

Have you seen any examples of creative Twitter accounts? Share them with us in the replies!

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104 Comments »

2008-12-21 22:52:08

When I was in school I would have paid good money for #1 on this list!

What a great idea, and all are a good example of the powerful and creative ways Twitter can be used.

Great article,
Matt

Matt | Small Biz Bee’s last blog post..The Hardest Easy Question to Answer

 
Comment by simon
2008-12-22 00:16:06

Wafels and Dinges is a food truck serving up tasty waffles in New York. They use twitter to keep people up to date with probably the most important information they could provide — where they are.

http://twitter.com/waffletruck

simon’s last blog post..Lifetime Television’s Annual ‘Fa La La La Lifetime’ Holiday Movie Festival Reaches 82 Million Total Viewers

Comment by Eric
2008-12-22 01:46:00

Great find! Definitely worthy of being on this list.

 
 
Comment by Dennis Edell Subscribed to comments via email
2008-12-23 00:36:00

Now this is definitely different. Very cool and some quite useful, thanks for the finds! :)

Dennis Edell’s last blog post..UPDATE: Free Permanent BackLinks: Are You A Subscriber Or Following Me On Twitter?

 
Comment by John Simpson
2008-12-23 04:03:01

I like #1 and #4.

John Simpson’s last blog post..Digest for 12/22/08

 
Comment by John Simpson
2008-12-23 04:04:49

I just thought up another one. You could use it as a password keeper online. If you forget a password, just go to twitter.com/johnspasswords, or something like that, to find the one you are looking for. Security may be a minor issue.

John Simpson’s last blog post..Digest for 12/22/08

 
Comment by 365 Hustle
2008-12-23 05:23:36

There are some pretty interesting ideas there…I wish I could have thought of some

365 Hustle’s last blog post..Risk Is Your Best Friend.

 
Comment by Shirley
2008-12-27 03:34:17

Great picks. Yes, it seems like Twitter is used for just about everything these days… And just yesterday, no one knew what it was. Its sudden popularity is astounding.

Shirley’s last blog post..Free Photos Part 2: Flickr Images for Your Website

Comment by Gerald Weber Subscribed to comments via email
2008-12-27 05:08:04

I have only been using twitter for a few months and I have found it to be an invaluable networking tool for meeting other like minded people/bloggers.

Gerald Weber’s last blog post..Gerald Weber Dancing with the Elves

 
 
Comment by Ikki at SEO Blog
2008-12-27 14:51:04

First one really impressed me! I mean, that’s creativity man! I never thought people could use it to do laundry xD

Also, the third one is kinda naughty :P Poor girls!

Ikki at SEO Blog’s last blog post..Blog Promotion for Dummies

Comment by Gerald Weber Subscribed to comments via email
2008-12-27 15:32:55

Yes the laundry is definitely different and I agree the 3rd one is a bit on the naughty side.

 
 
Comment by Sue Subscribed to comments via email
2009-01-23 20:50:44

Hi all, what an honor to see Carole’s (liver4carole) tweets mentioned here. We are working hard to raise the funds and raise the awareness for Carole’s blight. A crossing guard of 22 years, and she once saved a child’s life! Now it’s her turn!
Please visit her blog and see how you can make a small donation directly to:
http://www.transplants.org/
In honor of Carole Stites-Luka

Sue’s last blog post..We have a Contest Winner!!!

Comment by Gerald Weber Subscribed to comments via email
2009-01-23 20:58:15

No problem we are always happy to hlep. I notice your following me on Twitter now. I’m about to follow you back. Thanks for stopping by and commenting. ;-)

 
 
Comment by Will Paccione
2009-01-23 20:55:47

Great one! Love the laundromat idea & TV Guide.
Thanks

 
Comment by Lee
2009-02-05 21:59:16

I have two great uses of Twitter.

kogibbq

If you live in LA, you might know about the Kogi BBQ Truck. It travels around LA and serves up Korean BBQ Tacos and Burritos that are absolutely awesome.

MyBestDayEver

Each day at 6:30pm EST it automatically searches twitter for the phrase “best day ever” and then picks a tweet it likes, and re-twitters the tweet as it’s own.

best day ever arose out of my desire to find a twitter feed that always held meaning.

it is a compilation of our happiness

Comment by Ricky Buchanan
2009-02-06 12:28:52

Ohhh, I love the @mybestdayever feed! It’s picking up quite a few ironic uses of it though, are you trying to eliminate those at all? Great concept!

Comment by Zach
2009-02-06 19:12:51

thanks!

I was trying to figure out how people are discovering it, and i guess it’s this website.

I am somewhat trying to eliminate those. It’s kind of a toss up right now. In one sense I like them because they, despite the irony, still hold meaning and in some ways, our worst days can still be our best…. so they might not go away. I think the only ones that have been picked up that frustrated me are the ones that dont seem told hold meaning.

I’d prefer that they all are happy, but I appreciate receiving a solid and emotional post by sms that defines each day, and I feel like even the ironic ones are being successful with that.. I dunno, what do you think?

(Comments wont nest below this level)
 
 
 
Comment by Nicholas O'Brien
2009-02-05 22:01:19

there are 2 very important ones that this list is missing. One of them is @iknow_lol (unfortunately down at the moment, and @answersonly.

These two helpful and interesting uses of the Twitter API are examples of creative implementation of an otherwise narcissistic web2.0 social networker.

enjoy.

 
Comment by Arnold - Mr.Gadget
2009-02-05 22:14:05

Great article!

I didn’t know that so many people were using Twitter in such creative ways. It’s inspired me to come up with some new methods myself.

Arnold – Mr.Gadget’s last blog post..More details about the LG Arena KM900 revealed

Comment by Gerald Weber Subscribed to comments via email
2009-02-06 21:13:49

It’s getting more creative all the time. That’s the great thing about twitter.

 
 
Comment by Alison Lee Cousland
2009-02-06 00:25:40

You may be interested in @Genny_Spencer too * A Twit who doesn’t have to follow anyone to gain followers.

This is the real line-a-day diary of a young farmgirl growing up in Illinois in 1937 * Maintained by @griner whose family found a line-a-day diary maintained by his great-aunt from 1937 to 1941.

Entries like ‘Mr. Mark Patterson killed himself with a shot-gun. Dad went to town. Vernon Gardin came over this evening.’

I thought it was capturing fragments of Aussie rural life at first * So similar

Ally

Comment by Gerald Weber Subscribed to comments via email
2009-02-06 21:15:00

Wow that is definitely unique.

 
 
Comment by Brent Friedman Subscribed to comments via email
2009-02-06 00:46:54

On our last webseries, “Gemini Division” (starring Rosario Dawson), we used Twitter as a story extension platform. What that means is, we created Twitter accounts for two characters in the series (@LaReinaDelSass and @El_Presidente_C) and, weeks before they appeared in the series, allowed them to start a Tweet-based dialogue. The dialogue was seeded with keywords which alerted fans who searched Google for blog and forum posts on the show. From there, word got out that a “preview” of upcoming characters and, as it turned out, a pivotal storyline, was unfolding on Twitter. Fans started following the characters – even interacting with them – and when one of those characters died in the story, it created a memorable online moment. A few online media sites reported on this use of Twitter while it was happening, but the great thing is that anyone coming late to the party can still start watching “Gemini Division” and retrace the Twitter storyline to add another compelling layer to the story.

Brent Friedman
Co-Founder, Electric Farm Entertainment

 
Comment by Lee Subscribed to comments via email
2009-02-06 00:47:20

The story one is an interesting concept as it was what we were trying to accomplish in a way when we created Dear IE 6

And if your interested the app behind it is available at twessage!

Not to spam… much ;)

Lee

 
Comment by VickyH
2009-02-06 03:06:31

@NateRitter wrote a program that brings Missing Children’s Alerts to twitter, with a link to the child’s photograph http://remarkableparents.com/missing-children-alerts-twitter/

I think that’s fabulous!

VickyH

VickyH’s last blog post..Free Online Business Classes from HP

Comment by Gerald Weber Subscribed to comments via email
2009-02-06 21:16:16

That’s a great idea. I really like that one myself.

 
 
Comment by James
2009-02-06 03:26:15

Another great example of customer service via twitter – Polar heart rate monitors….@chrispolarusa I just read an article about Polar/Twitter and actually reached out to them..Awesome response…

 
Comment by thehat
2009-02-06 09:00:47

There are loads of creative uses of Twitter I like, eg recipes at http://www.twitter.com/cookbook, crossword clues at http://www.twitter.com/clueaday and short stories at http://www.twitter.com/thaumatrope

Comment by Gerald Weber Subscribed to comments via email
2009-02-06 21:17:29

I’ll be sure to check those out. Thanks for stopping by and commenting.

 
 
Comment by Judy O'Connell
2009-02-06 10:55:31

I have been twittering over the last week or so of the amazing service from my internet provider, whose twitter team leaves the traditional IT helpdesk in the 20th century. @bigpondteam operates for one of our much disliked phone/internet providers – but their twitter team has turned around my faith in some of the people and I have received fabulous, friendly, and responsive support. Twitter is changing the face of how we can do business and provide support.

Judy O’Connell’s last blog post..Eye catching mashups for the Grammy Awards

Comment by Gerald Weber Subscribed to comments via email
2009-02-06 21:18:55

I agree. Twitter opens up all kinds of new doors of communication. The future is looking bright. :-)

 
 
Comment by rich whitaker
2009-02-06 11:03:59

BrilliantTrips.com is offering a personalized travel service via twitter.

program description http://tinyurl.com/cnqrhr

customer samples http://tinyurl.com/aaz67y

Comment by Gerald Weber Subscribed to comments via email
2009-02-06 21:19:48

That will come in handy for those who travel a lot.

 
 
Comment by Jeff
2009-02-06 11:18:47

An excellent and most important use:

@zombiereports

 
Comment by Greener Leith
2009-02-06 11:29:05

Lots of great uses here.. particularly like the laundry one.

Thought you might be interested to know we use Twitter to alert our followers to the latest local issues that people have reported to the City of Edinburgh council on http://www.fixmystreet.com

Follow us on twitter @greenerleith

Comment by Gerald Weber Subscribed to comments via email
2009-02-07 23:29:56

Yes we have several local ones like that for Houston as well. It’s a great way to keep up with the local news, weather ect.

 
 
Comment by Diyan Yap
2009-02-06 11:40:10

Cool idea , so i have to think more before involve deeper on twitter

Diyan Yap’s last blog post..Leica D-Lux 4 is Seriously Good

Comment by Gerald Weber Subscribed to comments via email
2009-02-07 23:31:18

Well there certainly are a lot of possibilities with Twitter. Thanks for stopping by and commenting.

 
 
Comment by Snowball
2009-02-06 12:20:02

Here’s a different use of Twitter for you. I’m a medium, following on from the work of two mediums to Queen Elizabeth the first – and it looks like they got tweets back then. Beat that for a story!

Edward Kelley and John Dee received information in a number of ways, one of which was short messages very, very much like tweets.

When I first became a medium around Easter 2007, I was channelling messages directly into the studios of BBC Radio One in London, via the SMS system, which, of course, is a series of small messages. Now I use Twitter. And I’m carrying on their work, explaining things that they first brought to light.

I now provide information to Emergency Planners, having given five reference points for Hurricane Ike, and having told them to ask the British Foreign Office to watch Russia, just as it went into Georgia.

They’ll try and deny it, but I’ve been teaching the broadcasters at BBC Radio One how to do this for over a year and a half now. As things are based upon word plays, they also contain a lot of jokes. You can witness one of the channelling sessions as it happened live in the studio at http://itssnowball.blogspot.com/ and I’d love to see someone beat that as a story about Twitter.

http://www.twitter.com/knower

Comment by Gerald Weber Subscribed to comments via email
2009-02-06 21:23:07

Wow very interesting indeed. Now following you.

 
 
Comment by Lorne Pike Subscribed to comments via email
2009-02-06 12:24:33

I’ve heard it said that the best inventions are those that people look back on and say, “Why didn’t I think of that! It’s so simple and obvious.” If that’s the yardstick, then Twitter is truly great. Very simple concept, but tremendous possibilities, as these examples show. The best news is, we’re all just getting started.

Thanks for the post; great ideas.

And of course, you can follow me on Twitter too!

Comment by Gerald Weber Subscribed to comments via email
2009-02-06 21:25:40

I agree with you. Indeed we are just getting started. Twitter is truly amazing. The future hold tremendous possibilities.

 
 
Comment by Ricky Buchanan
2009-02-06 12:33:10

Another creative use is @tweejay – subtitled “silent radio that plays in your head”. Every 15 minutes it tweets the name of a song and the artist, and a link to a website where you can play the song or buy it if you want.

It’s pretty funny to follow it and realise that it really does pretty much trigger you to hear the songs internally! I unfollowed eventually because a tweet every 15 minutes can get pretty spammy, but it’s lots of fun.

Ricky Buchanan’s last blog post..Using QuickLook with VoiceOver

Comment by Gerald Weber Subscribed to comments via email
2009-02-06 21:28:27

Wow that does sound pretty cool. I’m following that one now. Thanks for stopping by and commenting. :-)

 
 
Comment by Stephanie Quilao
2009-02-06 12:49:40

Very creative indeed! As a healthy living blogger, one simple thing I started doing on my twitter account @skinnyjeans was to tweet twice daily a hydration reminder: Go drink a glass of water. “Drink more water” is something that most people want to do more of so the quick twit reminders are helpful. This water tweet has also helped increase my Followers# very much.

http://twitter.com/skinnyjeans

Comment by Gerald Weber Subscribed to comments via email
2009-02-06 21:29:42

Very cool. I’m now following you. Thanks for stopping by and commenting.

 
 
Comment by Subhankar Ray
2009-02-06 17:55:57

Lazy to login to Twitter or wants to stay anonymous in expressing your present thoughts, just submit it in Annon. Tweet via AAfter.
if you add @username, we will ReTweet [RT].

 
Comment by jesse helms
2009-02-06 18:21:03

Although its not really creative to make impersonate someone, @Michael_bay writes some of the most wildly creative tweets out there.

 
Comment by Patrick Morrow
2009-02-06 18:23:40

How about @showusyoursite? Mini website reviews – pretty funny.

Patrick Morrow’s last blog post..showusyoursite: They’re free! They’re fun! They may help you lose weight! Get your site review here today!

Comment by Gerald Weber Subscribed to comments via email
2009-02-06 21:32:16

That is definitely cool and unique. Thanks for letting us know about that one. :-)

 
 
Comment by Mackenzie
2009-02-06 18:37:23

The local hackerspace has a motion detector rigged up. If it senses motion and there wasn’t motion before, it tweets “HacDC is open,” and if there was motion but now there’s not “HacDC is closed” on the @hacdcdoorman account. “Open” means “open to the public” since only paying members have keys. If someone’s there, though, the rest of us can get in because there are some wires hanging from the second story window that when touched together ring a doorbell in the workshop.

Comment by Gerald Weber Subscribed to comments via email
2009-02-06 21:33:41

I’m not sure what this one means but I’m sure it’s really cool to those who are in the know.

 
 
Comment by P0_P0
2009-02-06 19:21:52

http://twitter.com/sfearthquakes if you live in the bay area (or know someone who does), follow @sfearthquakes. You’ll get a tweet everytime an earthquake happens, with the location of the epicenter. Of course, if it’s the big one, you won’t need anyone to tweet you about it!

P0_P0’s last blog post..P0_P0: @AiraBongco You spend too much time sitting in front of that screen! get up every so often to get some coffee or tea or stretch your legs :)

Comment by Gerald Weber Subscribed to comments via email
2009-02-06 21:35:26

Now this one is very cool for those tweeple in cali. Thanks for letting us know about this one.

 
 
Comment by JLibbey
2009-02-06 20:11:31

The Good Captain may be a creative way to use twitter but boy, is it annoying for anyone who really likes to read!

Follow me on twitter: https://twitter.com/JLibbey

Comment by Gerald Weber Subscribed to comments via email
2009-02-08 22:07:06

Thanks for stopping by and commenting. I’m now following you on Twitter. ;-)

 
 
Comment by Doug Kyle
2009-02-06 21:08:06

I created @SomedayMaybe last week based on the Getting Things Done idea of a Someday/Maybe list.

The intent is that people tweet a goal or idea they’d like to do someday and others listening can reply with hints, references, etc.

As of this posting, it’s in its earliest stages though.

@DougKyle

Comment by Gerald Weber Subscribed to comments via email
2009-02-08 22:08:57

Thanks for the cool addition to this list. I’m following you and @somedaymaybe now. :-)

 
 
Comment by Justin Subscribed to comments via email
2009-02-07 00:57:48

I have a recipe site that sends out tweets when someone rates a recipe or adds it to their favorites. My profile for that is http://twitter.com/5sr feel free to add it.

Justin’s last blog post..Twitter API, URL Shortener API

Comment by Gerald Weber Subscribed to comments via email
2009-02-07 23:33:45

Oh that sounds great nom nom nom recipes. I’m now following you on Twitter. Thanks for stopping by and commenting.

 
 
Comment by Tom Nocera Subscribed to comments via email
2009-02-07 03:17:09

I have found Twitter to be an amazing tool for monitoring breaking news from all over the world. There is a “time value” for information and that value declines as it ages. I when I see something that I find of interest, I use Twitter to give a heads up about it to those who follow me. Twitter makes what Matt Drudge does on the DrudgeReport appear “old school”. Of course, he will hear about me doing this now, and sooner or later start doing it himself on Twitter.

Like I said there is a time value to information. You can get it while its the hottest from Twitter. (It’s a lot like Tweeting that the washing machine in the dorm laundry room is now available…only on a macro scale.)

Tom Nocera’s last blog post..TomNocera: RT @DaivRawks This is neat! http://nearbytweets.com/ helps you find people near you who are into the same stuff you are. (Great potential!)

Comment by Gerald Weber Subscribed to comments via email
2009-02-07 23:36:16

I agree with you 110%. Twitter is a great platform for breaking news. Also if you are good at tweeting breaking news it’s likely to get your more followers and people paying attention to your tweets.

Thanks for stopping by and commenting. :-)

 
 
Comment by Justin Subscribed to comments via email
2009-02-07 23:40:16

Thanks for the follow Gerald! I just followed you back

Comment by Gerald Weber Subscribed to comments via email
2009-02-08 00:20:00

No problem. Thanks for taking the time to comment. It means a lot to me. Look forward to sharing tweets with you as well. :-)

 
 
Comment by Kathy Colaiacovo Subscribed to comments via email
2009-02-07 23:55:24

I had read about coffeegroundz a while ago! Great ideas, but the laundry room one is the best!
Thanks for this list – very unique what some are doing….

Comment by Gerald Weber Subscribed to comments via email
2009-02-08 14:20:36

Yeah @coffeegroundz is a really cool one and they are right here in H-Town where I live.

Thanks for stopping by and commenting. :-)

 
 
Comment by kelly Subscribed to comments via email
2009-02-09 15:55:20

3rd time I am reading this – but this time I read in FULL and now I decide to leave my mark!

How did you get all these wealth of info to blog about? You’re amazing Gerald!

 
Comment by Steve Haweeli
2009-02-11 00:28:37

Great post! And very cool uses of Twitter. To this excellent list I would add @JustSixWords – this person twits little sayings and such that are – you guessed it – “just six words.”

 
Comment by ASP.Net Development
2009-02-13 09:28:11

Thanks for informative post.

 
Comment by Steen Seo Öhman Subscribed to comments via email
2009-03-15 10:36:08

Another great list of Twitter tips.

Just have to sit down and sort out all these Twitter tips, and get Twitter well integrated with my blogs

Steen Seo Öhman’s last blog post..We are living in exponential times

 
Comment by Bryan Huber
2009-09-24 19:55:31

Here’s a twitter application that we developed for the Columbus Marathon. Automatically tweets your progress while you run:

http://tweetmytime.com/

 
Comment by Andrew Weismen
2009-10-04 16:45:12

I enjoyed reading this article!! Aside from being very informative, you are very creative in putting your thoughts into words!! You’re good! Anyway, is there anybody in here how to install or use twitterfox plugin? Thanks in advance!!

One great site!!!
Andrew Weismen´s last blog ..3D Max Tutorial-Applying Materials-Sub Object Mapping My ComLuv Profile

Comment by Carrie Bevill
2009-10-09 06:56:03

to the owner of this site: hey.. you got a very good blog here…

Nice work!!

@Andrew Weismen – you have to download TwitterFox Add On.. Mozilla FF offers it. A small icon will appear at the right bottom part of your browser. Log-in first.. Updates will just pop-up depending on your desired interval..

 
 
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