Twitter: it’s not all celebrity gossip and what someone had for breakfast. There’s loads of cool F1 stuff on there too.
The F1 Fanatic Twitter account passed a major milestone last week – it now has over 10,000 followers.
If you’re not following F1 Fanatic on Twitter yet, here’s what you’re missing out on and how to join in:
News as it breaks
The big stories always get a plug – even if they break at unsociable hours…
Coverage of every F1 session
Races, qualifying, practice, testing: if there’s an F1 car in action somewhere it’s being Tweeted.
Find other people to follow…
More and more F1 people are joining in on Twitter.
…and who to ignore
Steer clear of the time-wasting fakes.
Site notices
If you’re having trouble getting on F1 Fanatic there may be an explanation why here.
Links
Whether it’s something unearthed on Youtube or an interesting article for another site, I share a lot of links on Twitter.
The rumour mill
Who says what about who goes where.
Competition reminders
Never miss those competition entry deadlines.
Content updates
Not all the new material on F1 Fanatic ends up on the home page or in the RSS feed – but it often gets a mention on Twitter.
And more from the community
There’s loads of F1 Fanatic community members on there too!
How to join
Visit www.twitter.com to set up your free account.
Once you’re logged in, go to www.twitter.com/f1fanatic_co_uk, hit ‘follow’ – and make sure you say hello!
How to find F1 drivers and others on Twitter
Jenson Button, Mark Webber and Rubens Barrichello are among the F1 drivers on Twitter and almost all the teams now have accounts.
Head on over to the F1 Twitter directory to find hundreds of official F1 and motor racing-related accounts to follow.
Read more: The 2010 F1 grid on Twitter
LAK
19th September 2010, 8:43
Couldn’t agree with you more! Any F1Fs who are not on twitter yet are missing out big time! The F1 community has taken twitter by storm, it’s simply the easiest way to keep up with the latest news. From journalists to official team members to the drivers themselves, you get the news directly from them :)
Of course @f1fanatic_co_uk provides the best all rounded updates as well as live updates during the races, practices, and qualifying! Don’t miss out!
miguelF1O (@)
19th September 2010, 13:17
im out of Twitter or Facebook we mustnt be obligated to have an account on a certain website.Do you all use the same browser probably no but you all can visit f1fanatic.co.uk whats the point of following twitter during races, you are missing the race! i read the teams website and press and fans websites like bbc autosport and f1fanatic after the race because the commentators are supose to inform the vieweres of what is happening on track i dont need instant news
Accidental Mick
19th September 2010, 9:30
I know – I’m a boring old fart who is not even allowed a password to the forum BUT
It strikes me that twitter is an online gossip forum. News passed on immediately is unlikely to have been reseached as to its validity or even its interest to other people. Keith, if you don’t feel it is worth mentioing in an article, I’m not going to bother with it.
silencer
19th September 2010, 9:35
I wonder why claireWilliams is not very active lately on twitter; unlike early in the season I think williamF1 twitter is the most active among any official F1 team twitter especially on race weekend.
Keith Collantine (@keithcollantine)
19th September 2010, 9:39
I was wondering that the other day – since they re-branded their Twitter feed it’s become much quieter.
gabal
20th September 2010, 9:31
I think it has to do with sickness of her mother (Frank’s wife). Ever since she announced she won’t be coming to a race because she needs to take care of that updates from Williams account have been scarce.
Keith Collantine (@keithcollantine)
20th September 2010, 9:36
Oh I hadn’t heard that. That’s sad.
LosD
19th September 2010, 10:00
Top (only) reason not to follow F1Fanatic on Twitter:
You’ll have to use Twitter.
M.M.C (@mmc)
19th September 2010, 10:05
Twitter’s not that bad; It just depends on who you’re following.
Anyway, I’ve been following both F1 Fanatic Accounts for sometime now, and you’re doing a top job, Keith.
Keep it up. :]
Victor.
19th September 2010, 11:25
Exactly. I hate Twitter. F1fanatic should change to facebook ;).
Keith Collantine (@keithcollantine)
19th September 2010, 11:30
There is a F1 Fanatic presence on Facebook but it’s forever being spammed by people:
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=6649076162&ref=ts
If anyone has any suggestions for what to do with it, please do. But so far I’ve only found it eats up time for next to no reward.
I don’t understand this hostility towards Twitter – there are far more genuine F1 accounts on there than there are on Facebook. It’s an incredibly useful resource for me.
Spud (@)
19th September 2010, 19:22
I’m more of a Facebook man myself but I do have a Twitter account.
None of my friends are on it but I do follow F1 drivers, local politicians, TV personalities, F1 Fanatics etc.
Twitter makes them seem more human if you know what I mean.
I find @AussieGrit’s tweets quite interesting and @_NedFlanders_’s tweets are amusin aswell.
I am a “fan” of your Facebook page Keith but I never look at it really.
I have your tweets coming to my mobile phone and F1 Fanatic is my home page so, no disrespect to you, but there isn’t really any point to the Facebook page.
mateuss
19th September 2010, 22:13
Twitter is far more superior. But more importantly I think FB and Twitter can not be compared because they serve different functions.
All Keith mentions is absolutely correct and important, but there is one more very important thing:
Twitter supports different apps and gadgets on all kinds of platforms, from smart phones to PCs.
So you can have a desktop gadget like this I have on Windows7
http://img405.imageshack.us/img405/7497/twitz.png
Its called ”tweetz” but there are many more, but what this means is that I can have up to the minute F1 news, updates, driver opinions and so on, AND I even don’t have to open my browser or log on to anything, as far as the computer is turned on I can just glance at it, and read that Lotus has signed a deal with Renault or whatever are the news of the moment.
LosD
20th September 2010, 0:13
No, both FB and Twitter could disappear from the face of the earth without anything important being lost…
gabal
20th September 2010, 9:49
Twitter is just a communication platform that really has its advantages.I was skeptical about it but after a discussion in comments here I decided to give it a try during Hungarian Grand Prix last year. Because of it I had good and reliable information of the medical condition of Felipe Massa which I wouldn’t have had otherwise.
Maybe it is different for Brits as you have strong commentating presence on the track but Croatian television has 2 commentators who sit in the studio and comment on what they see on the screen.
Twitter is simply a way to have access into the hearth of the paddock I can’t get any other way.
Drivers have emraced is as well and you can really get more info of them which hasn’t been pre-processed by a PR department.
And it isn’t all about paddock gossip (sure, there is a bit of that too) but also F1 journalists with reputation who use twitter to deliver news first.
And that is just a F1 part of the twitter. Basically I consider it my personal forum where I can handpick every member of it. And they can include Rubens Barrichello, Jenson Button, Mark Webber and others…
Oliver
19th September 2010, 10:07
Reading this reminded me to set up having @f1fanatic_co_uk for the twitter text messaging service. Now I will get all the latest news by text. Will never miss a thing!!
Osvaldas31
19th September 2010, 10:16
Facebook is better, so i sugest you to expand your facebook fan base.
Keith Collantine (@keithcollantine)
19th September 2010, 11:23
From my experience Facebook is next to useless, and vastly more annoying to use.
US_Peter (@us_peter)
19th September 2010, 20:44
Here here. Twitter is infinitely more useful for getting quick bites of information and news. Facebook is fine to socialize with real people you know in the real world, but for something like F1 it’s too convoluted and complex. Twitter’s simplicity is its strength.
Katy (@katy)
21st September 2010, 15:59
I agree! Facebook is just for friends, it’s not useful at all for getting any kind of news or information! Not sure why people hate Twitter, it’d only be rubbish if you followed people that annoy you, so what’s the point. I just follow people and accounts that interest me, and I love it!
Jesus
19th September 2010, 11:22
Where can I see that HRT pit video? It’s been removed from YouTube…
Keith Collantine (@keithcollantine)
19th September 2010, 11:25
Yamamoto mechanic injured (Video)
chris sz
19th September 2010, 11:35
congrats Keith!
i wonder how long is it before you need to hire someone just to be able to keep up with all that is going on around F1f?
btw. how many F1f’s did you count sofar?
keep up the good work!
cyanide (@cyanide)
19th September 2010, 11:36
Or just follow F1Fanatic, Autosport and a couple more websites via RSS. As you can see, I hate twitter too :)
Keith Collantine (@keithcollantine)
19th September 2010, 11:38
I use RSS too, but it’s slower than Twitter.
cyanide (@cyanide)
20th September 2010, 3:11
Twitter RSS feeds ftw! :D
gabal
20th September 2010, 9:52
I use RSS and I use twitter, they are completely different. RSS is for news delivery (headlines, links etc.). Twitter is all about conversation and real-time.
BasCB
19th September 2010, 13:15
Still not convinced, as i get so many pieces of information as is. It makes quit a job just to go through that.
But with all these drivers and team members as well as F1F there i am starting to warm to it.
Alex`
19th September 2010, 13:34
I fall in love with Twitter the day I bought my first smartphone. And the first twit I follow was f1fanatic :)
John
19th September 2010, 13:38
As soon as Twitter gets rid of the annoying URL Shortening, I might be more inclined to use it!
gabal
20th September 2010, 9:54
URL shorteners are necessary because of 140 charachter limit. However, there are clients which auto-expand links (Brizzly for example).
daykind
19th September 2010, 13:38
On the practice, qualifying and race live blogs on F1F, are the messages from the constructors on twitter?
cholle
19th September 2010, 14:34
Yeah, most of the teams (McLaren, Ferrari, Mercedes, Renault, Virgin, Lotus, etc) are active on Twitter during the race and most of the race weekend.
sumedh
19th September 2010, 14:56
I think why people use facebook more than twitter is because facebook is more useful to stay in touch with friends rather than twitter.
Twitter is only useful to follow celebrities, and Keith, F1Fanatic is definitely a celebrity :) :)
And I agree with you, facebook for F1Fanatic is useless
Sutil.M
19th September 2010, 15:11
i dont have twitter and im not gonna sign up so sorry
Ned Flanders (@ned-flanders)
19th September 2010, 16:06
I always used to hate Twitter, the way it took of in popularity so much kind of annoyed. And I hate how messages are refered to as ‘tweets’! But then I thought, if you can’t beat ’em, join ’em, and since then I’ve found it to be great.
People should drop their Twitter hang ups and give it a try, you may well find it worth having
Maksutov
19th September 2010, 16:33
twitter, facebook? dont want it dont need it.
Steph (@)
19th September 2010, 17:50
I know there’s a lot of negativity towards Twitter but the idea of just following celebs who only talk about what they’re going to put on their sandwich is a myth.
It’s great to follow the teams who usually post wonderful pictures and ask them questions (Virgin treat their fans incredibly well esp if you’re at a race), journalists sometimes give hints at stories or nice little bits of information, drivers do reply sometimes and it’s an excellent tool to find fellow fanatics and other f1 fans and chat/debate just for the fun of it.
Twitter certainly beats Facebook for following F1. Facebook is only worth chatting to friends, uploading pictures and declaring how hungover opr unlucky in love you are.
US_Peter (@us_peter)
19th September 2010, 20:47
Not only that, but there are tons of great comedians on Twitter, whose posts can really lighten up your day!
Steph (@)
19th September 2010, 21:22
Yeah that is true! It can be quite a laugh
Fer no.65 (@fer-no65)
19th September 2010, 19:39
Haha, just checked the Twitter directory list and entered USF1 twitter
last tweet made me laugh!
“The US F1 Team web server is down and is being repaired as this is written. We are not gone, as many have reported. More news soon.
11:53 AM Feb 18th vía web”
US_Peter (@us_peter)
19th September 2010, 21:03
Keith, one thing I find your Twitter feed particularly useful for is catching up on FP1 and FP3 sessions, which aren’t televised in the US, and are on too early for me to watch live online. It’s much more enjoyable to go back on Twitter and get a sort of play by play of how each session unfolded before I go and read the recap articles and find out who was fastest. It’s much more akin to actually having watched the session, than is reading a brief article that just gives a few highlights.
Formel1-GP
19th September 2010, 21:41
I follow you and I can strongly recommmend it ;-) Always up to date with it, everywhere!
Eric
19th September 2010, 23:49
i am not a fan of using my phone for anything other than talking/texting to friends,in NZ we have live feeds of all the practice and qualifying then race,
i did once have the PC running and watched Fanatic’s live feed but it was simpler to watch it live.
so i guess its whether you have the broadcast or not then Tweeter is the next best thing.
F1 sites which include Fanatic are still the best form of information i can find, i check out Mark Webbers and Jensons pages but otherwise Fanatic is the best place i can see for info.
thanks Keith.
hawkfist
20th September 2010, 0:55
The one thing I would say is I like following the main twitter account for keeping up with articles and points of interest, but it gets a bit spammy during a greenlight sessions. Possibly make a different account for the once-every-two-minute commentary so it doesn’t blot everything else out for a couple of hours at a time.
That or I’m just being moany :D
Dan Thorn (@dan-thorn)
20th September 2010, 8:03
I have to say that I was reluctant to use Twitter at first, I didn’t see the point of it. But now I’ve been a member for a few months I have to say it’s really great to be able to follow F1 Fanatic and many other people, from journalists and drivers to fellow F1 Fanatics. I’d highly recommend it.
gabal
20th September 2010, 10:03
I must say that twitter is great besides following F1.My daily commute is much more fun because I read what’s new on timeline and for example because of twitter I wasn’t late for work this morning.I took a different bus because I read about an accident on my usual route to work minutes after it happened so I wasn’t stuck in traffic jam because of that.
AndrewTanner (@andrewtanner)
21st September 2010, 13:35
I joined as instructed and got a re-tweet..thanks Keith!
Katy (@katy)
21st September 2010, 16:06
Not sure why people hate Twitter. I guess it’s what you make of it, I follow lots of F1 accounts and it’s great for news, information and insider pictures and such. Not only that but I’ve got some great freebies and treats because of it, I’ve got in touch with Virgin and Red Bull whilst at the German GP and they’ve let me into their garages during FP2 and Qualifying :) I’ve also won lots of competitions like a print from F1 Photos, £100 giftcard for H&M and a signed Lewis & Heikki print, in fact there’s so much I wont bore you with it all. Twitter is actually amazing.
AndrewTanner (@andrewtanner)
21st September 2010, 23:07
I must admit, I didn’t get the appeal for a long time. But it is very useful for following something like F1. Just a constant stream of information.
MDHayes (@themdawg)
29th September 2010, 21:49
Signed up and started to follow today
Keith Collantine (@keithcollantine)
29th September 2010, 22:40
Thanks :-)