Twine is an ambitious social bookmarking site that enables users to research, track, and share information related to their defined interests. The application has several overarching goals, the first being to provide users with customized recommendations of content based on the individual’s search and sharing history. (Further details are below.) Second, Twine provides users with a variety of ways to organize the information they collect, listing interest categories that include twines, items, members with whom the users have connected, and other information. The third overarching goal of Twine is to enable users to connect with members who share similar interests to their own, providing a vehicle for distributing information.
The application’s complex usability suggests Twine was not designed for someone who is new to navigating the internet. Rather, the site is better suited for users who are moderately tech savvy, though with patience, a novice could also learn to master Twine, as it builds upon basic search and upload procedures. In terms of content, Twine reaches a wide audience, as the application allows for exploration of limitless content. It may be important to note that much of the content shared is not what would be defined as “scholarly” (speaking in terms of traditional academic publications). This seems to reinforce that the intended user would be someone whose goal is to connect with others and develop knowledge on a topic of interest, but this site would not necessarily support traditional scholarship.
One of Twine’s key features is its attempt to customize recommendations based on your interests. From the moment you access twine, the system prompts you to enter key words related to your interests. Prior to joining, users can enter these key words in a search field to discover what related items the site has to offer. (pictured below) Once within Twine, use key words to search for members, twines, or all tagged content, depending on which category you select from the dropdown. Additionally, when you create your profile, you are prompted to insert key words, as these phrases will serve as tags for the system to customize content and will also allow other members of twine to find you.
Within your account, you can search for and organize information within the following sections:
- My Interests
- My Profile
- Explore
- Inbox
1. My Interests
My Interests is comprised of several categories. The first category is My Connections. Connections refer to other members on twine with whom you would like to share correspondence and information. For example, you may want to send a connection a direct message (further details on sending messages to follow) or you may want to share an item that you have found on twine. When you find a member you would like to follow, that member will be notified. They need to accept before you can send them direct messages.
The second category within My Interests is My Twines. A twine is a collection of information related to a particular topic or interest. You can choose to collect twines created by others members or you can create your own. You can add a variety of items to your twine, including bookmarks, documents, notes, images, and videos. All items, including your twine, can be tagged with key words that will pull the content up in a search. Also, when creating your twine, it is a good idea to provide a meaningful description so that, when users are searching twines, they have an understanding of your twine’s purpose and the information they can expect to follow by adding it. Within your twine, you can link to summary information, items contained within your twine, and other members of your twine.
The third category within My Interests is My Items. Similar to the items you can add to a twine, this section lists anything you have added to a twine or shared with a connection, including comments you have made to another member’s twine. You are able to filter your view by items you have added, items that others have shared with you, items you have shared, and items you have collected from other twines.
The fourth category within My Interests is My Comments. Similar to commenting on a blog post, you can add comments about items posted on a twine. For example, you may want to respond to an image another member has posted or you can add a comment to supplement the description of an item you are adding to your twine or sharing with a connection.
We will discuss the My Interest Feed later in the review.
2. My Profile
Your profile is one of the ways connectors will find you and, if you are trying to connect with someone, this is one of the first ways a connector will get to know you. Therefore, like your twine description, it’s important that your profile reflect your interests. Also within your profile, you can view the twines you have created and joined, your connections, and your recent activity.
3. Explore
Explore provides even more search features, including searches by Top Twines and Top Members. Explore also contains a useful Getting Started section, which links users to resources such as video tutorials, tips, and FAQs.
4. Inbox
Similar to an email inbox, this section is used to correspond directly with your connections. So, where posting a comment on a connector’s twine will be visible for all members to view, these messages are only visible between the connectors engaged in the direct correspondence. Similar to twitter, you receive an email notification when a connection has sent you a message. Within this section, you can also modify email notifications. For example, you may want to be notified via email if someone wants to connect to you, but may not want to be emailed every time a connector sends you a message. Selecting/deselecting the available options allows you to customize your preferences.
My Interest Feed
Based on your account activity, twine will recommend other twines for you to join and other connections who share your interests.
Twine supports the movement of information through its promotion of connectivity and interaction based on interest. Beyond bookmarking, twine encourages users to share the information they collect from the web with others. Twine cultivates these connections by allowing users to search for members with common interests and by establishing a sense of personal connection through features such as sending direct messages. In addition to sharing information found on the internet, twine also allows users to upload documents from their local computers in order to share information that may otherwise be unavailable to the public. Also, features such as adding descriptions with uploads and adding comments enables users to share their personal perspectives on information that they have not created, but found on the internet.
LetsGetSocial provides you with an html link to embed in your site for the purpose of creating a button for social bookmarking. LetsGetSocial also enables you to create a “Connect With Me” widget where you can place specific sites where users could connect with you, such as Facebok, Digg, or Flickr. This application could be an effective way to cultivate communication—but, while Twine encourages users to communicate with each other within the area of its owners, LetsGetSocial seems like it would cross users into various sites, taking away the element of community within the application. For example, in Twine, regardless of what sites users link to information through twines, their correspondence is held together through twine. LetsGetSocial puts the location of socialization in the hands of the user.
Overall, Twine is an impressive tool with much to offer users who are interested in collecting and sharing information. Twine’s tutorials and introductory information is helpful for new users trying to understand the site’s purpose and capabilities. However, I did find the site’s layout to be confusing and overwhelming when I started. Part of my confusion stemmed from what the site defined as “My Twines.” It would be useful if, in the search option and results display, an owner’s twines were differentiated from those the user collected, with the owner’s twines displaying at the top. This would more clearly reflect the user’s ownership for connectors and, for the purpose of managing a twine, it would be more appropriate if the owner’s twine was the one that displayed by default.
Something else I noticed was that, when adding comments that were shared with multiple connectors, the system replicates the comment, assigning each connector to a separate line item. In this context, it seems more appropriate to display the comment once with a list of connectors who were attached to the comment. This would better enable users to scan comments for content.
Like any other search tool, users need to question the validity of the information they find and carefully review the search hits. With so many opportunities to tag within Twine, users may find it overwhelming to find valid information on a particular topic. For example, in an early search for twins, the system retrieved twines and connectors with anything from the Minnesota Twins (twine title) to Twin Cities (connector profile). But, again, like any search tool, users need to look for ways to narrow their search results.
Despite my initial confusing with the site's layout and wealth of information, the more I navigated within the site, the easier it became to use. Perhaps Twine’s complexity is more a reflection of the variety it has to offer rather than complicated usability.
