Matt's+Blog

[|Matt's blog]

Here's Matt's latest post. Click on the link if you want to add a comment and see the answer (and to see it in clearer formatting)

  ===**TOPIC – TECHNOLOGY: THE FUTURE OF TWITTER** ===  Posted by // [|mattkendrick] // on April 8, 2011 · // [|Leave a Comment] // __**The future of Twitter**__ Here is a link to the listening text we worked on in class recently: // Twitter ‘could go the way of the dodo’ // BBC Best of Today, 21st March 2011 (// [] //) I’m not sure how long the link will work as the BBC might remove the content sooner or later so here is an alternative: // [] // This was the activity we worked on in class, based on the CPE listening test, part 2: Twitter is five years old today, but will it go the same way as Bebo and Myspace and eventually lose the interest of the public? Brent Hoberman, co-founder of lastminute.com and Aleks Krotsky, social psychologist at the Oxford Internet Institute, reflect on the past half-decade of tweeting. 1) It tool Twitter three years to produce one billion tweets but the number is now …………………………………………… 2) Twitter has grown incredibly in 5 years and it is now approaching …………………………………… users. 3) Brent says that Twitter is now looking at revenue …………………………….. for the future. <span style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 5px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 5px;">4) He says Twitter is a wonderful feed for ……………………………………………………… communication. <span style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 5px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 5px;">5) In Brent’s point of view, Twitter will be part of the next …………………………………………………………………….. <span style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 5px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 5px;">6) Aleks says that many Internet phenomena can be …………………………………………………………. <span style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 5px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 5px;">7) She says that a lack of a ……………………………………. could mean that Twitter will not achieve longevity. <span style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 5px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 5px;">8) She says that the web encourages ……………………………………………… so people might move en-mass to a different online service. <span style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 5px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 5px;">9) Brent mentions that Twitter is selling a rich ……………………………….. to Google and Facebook. <span style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 5px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 5px;">10) In the future, Brent says Twitter can make money from …………………………. the data it has about people. <span style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 5px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 5px;">11) Aleks says that Twitter could be ……………………………………. by other companies. <span style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 5px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 5px;">12) Brent describes Google as a “search” facility, Facebook as “social” and Twitter as ………………………………………….. <span style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 5px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 5px;">13) Aleks concludes by saying that if Twitter puts …………………………………….., there is the chance that it might die out. <span style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 5px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 5px;">**__vocabulary focus:__** <span style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 5px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 5px; text-align: left;">**Categorise the following words and expressions according to whether they talk about: //becoming extinct / being popular for a long time / being popular for a brief period//** <span style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 5px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 5px; text-align: left;">Which of the expressions are more **informal**? <span style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 5px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 5px; text-align: left;">In class we also discussed the future of some common objects which have //stood the test of time// for many generations but might face an uncertain future: books, petrol cars, offices, CDs, cinemas, newspapers etc. <span style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 5px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 5px; text-align: left;">We also revised the use of **participle clauses** to provide justification for ideas and **expressions for talking about future possibility and probability:** <span style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 5px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 5px;">Bearing in mind how/that… <span style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 5px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 5px;">Looking at this from a long/short-term perspective… || …it’s inevitable that……x (be) bound to……there’s a good/strong chance that……there’s only a slim chance that…<span style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 5px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 5px;">…I can’t really see… <span style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 5px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 5px;">…I would (n’t) bet on… <span style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 5px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 5px;">…it’s just a question of time until… || <span style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 5px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 5px;">…and combined these using the pattern: **participle clause + justification for prediction + expression of probability/possibility + prediction** <span style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 5px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 5px;">Here are some examples: <span style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 5px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 5px;">//Knowing how paper dictionary sales are falling due to the popularity of computerised versions, I reckon it’s only a matter of time before we see the same happening with novels.// <span style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 5px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 5px;">//Considering that newspapers are losing out on advertising revenue as circulation figures drop, aren’t some of them bound to go out of business sooner or later?// <span style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 5px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 5px;">//Being old enough to remember cassettes I know how quickly old formats can become defunct so I wouldn’t bet on the CD being around in 50 years to come.// <span style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 5px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 5px;">__**Textualising:**__ <span style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 5px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 5px;">Imagine you are the chief executive of a large chain of cinemas. What are the main threats facing your business? What ideas can you think of to ensure that your cinemas will be alive and well in the future? Write a short text (120 words or so) for a speech you are giving to your managers at an Annual General Meeting which outlines some of the threats your business faces and ideas for overcoming them. This text gives you the opportunity to use some of the language features which appear in this post. There are some ideas below but you can add to these. <span style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 5px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 5px;">**__Further reading:__** <span style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 5px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 5px;">For further coverage of the first five years of Twitter, check out: // Twitter celebrates its fifth birthday // (BBC News, technology, 21st March 2011). <span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-bottom-color: #000000; border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-top-color: #000000; border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 5px; display: block; font-size: 11px; margin-bottom: 25px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 5px; padding-bottom: 5px; padding-left: 10px; padding-right: 10px; padding-top: 5px;"> <span style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Filed under // [|Advanced Professional English] //, // [|C2.2 - Topics] //, // [|C2.2 - Vocabulary] //, // [|C2.2 - Writing] //
 * <span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: inside; list-style-type: none; list-style-type: square; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-left: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-bottom: 5px; padding-left: 0px; padding-left: 15px; padding-right: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-top: 5px;"> //to die out//
 * <span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: inside; list-style-type: none; list-style-type: square; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-left: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-bottom: 5px; padding-left: 0px; padding-left: 15px; padding-right: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-top: 5px;"> //to be a passing fad//
 * <span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: inside; list-style-type: none; list-style-type: square; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-left: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-bottom: 5px; padding-left: 0px; padding-left: 15px; padding-right: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-top: 5px;"> //be defunct//
 * <span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: inside; list-style-type: none; list-style-type: square; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-left: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-bottom: 5px; padding-left: 0px; padding-left: 15px; padding-right: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-top: 5px;"> //to be a short-lived craze//
 * <span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: inside; list-style-type: none; list-style-type: square; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-left: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-bottom: 5px; padding-left: 0px; padding-left: 15px; padding-right: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-top: 5px;"> //to stand the test of time//
 * <span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: inside; list-style-type: none; list-style-type: square; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-left: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-bottom: 5px; padding-left: 0px; padding-left: 15px; padding-right: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-top: 5px;"> //to have lasting appeal//
 * <span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: inside; list-style-type: none; list-style-type: square; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-left: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-bottom: 5px; padding-left: 0px; padding-left: 15px; padding-right: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-top: 5px;"> //be obsolete//
 * <span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: inside; list-style-type: none; list-style-type: square; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-left: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-bottom: 5px; padding-left: 0px; padding-left: 15px; padding-right: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-top: 5px;"> //to go the way of the dodo/dinosaurs etc.//
 * <span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: inside; list-style-type: none; list-style-type: square; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-left: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-bottom: 5px; padding-left: 0px; padding-left: 15px; padding-right: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-top: 5px;"> //to hold its own in the long run//
 * <span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: inside; list-style-type: none; list-style-type: square; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-left: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-bottom: 5px; padding-left: 0px; padding-left: 15px; padding-right: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-top: 5px;"> //in for the long haul//
 * <span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: inside; list-style-type: none; list-style-type: square; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-left: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-bottom: 5px; padding-left: 0px; padding-left: 15px; padding-right: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-top: 5px;"> //become passé//
 * <span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: inside; list-style-type: none; list-style-type: square; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-left: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-bottom: 5px; padding-left: 0px; padding-left: 15px; padding-right: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-top: 5px;"> //become outmoded//
 * <span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: inside; list-style-type: none; list-style-type: square; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-left: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-bottom: 5px; padding-left: 0px; padding-left: 15px; padding-right: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-top: 5px;"> //fleeting// (adj)
 * **Participle clause** || **Expression of possibility / probability** ||
 * Having seen how…Given that…Taking into account how/that…Considering how/that…<span style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 5px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 5px;">Knowing how/that…
 * **Strengths** || **Weaknesses** ||
 * //Movies still as popular as ever.////Sound and vision of cinema still beats home cinema technology.// || //Recession means fewer visits to the cinema.// //Buildings a bit dated.////Public perception is that we’re overpriced.// ||
 * **Opportunities** || **Threats** ||
 * //Appeal to wider audiences – e.g. Bollywood not just Hollywood.////Show alternatives to films – e.g. live concerts in the USA screened live in Spanish cinemas / Opera from Milan / ballet from Russia screened live in the cinema at affordable prices / sports events////Use screens and auditorium for company presentations.////Use screens for gaming events with console technology.// || //Home cinema technology improving all the time and getting cheaper.////A generation of kids who have grown up with downloading films – cinema just not part of their lives.// ||