A Question of Twittering
Photograph by mikebaird
There are no birds chirping outside my window, in fact the only real noticeable sound is the hum of the heating system. I guess the birds have migrated and have left me here alone (for the time being) to contemplate artificial tweets. Yes, I am talking about the chirp, chirp, chirp of the busy internet nest known as Twitter.
Last month when I was busy with my journey of apple fasting, I thought it would be fun to give Twitter a go, thus letting people know in a short succinct way what was happening with the fast. As the week progressed I began to lag on my tweets and have not really gone back to it (until today when I began writing this post).
I am apparently missing something. I notice lots of short one-liner repartee that goes on between people. Is that the draw? The idea of being connected and only having to write short amounts in volley to what someone else writes?
Debbie Lane, a few months ago mentioned she had gone to a seminar on blogging and they suggested Twitter as a must. I know she is busy Twittering now as I write this (Debbie did you leave entrecard?), but I am not sure I get this whole phenomenon. I read about it constantly. It seems to always be somewhere in the internet news. So what is the deal?
My question for the day is what purpose does Twitter serve for you? Why do you or do you not Twitter? How has it benefitted you?
P.S.
If you are looking for me on Twitter, I am ellieblunt.
November 30th, 2008 at 10:16 am
Ah, Twitter. I know several people who are on it, and despite having had it explained to me I still don’t entirely understand the attraction.
My best guess is that those who have adopted the philosophy of living online, where it’s normal and acceptable to be constantly available and in communication with a crowd of other similarly-connected friends, enjoy Twitter as a broadcast style extension to IM. Me, I’m not that social; I find the idea of being subject to random incoming messages akin to the loathsome pop-up ads that used to plague the web (and still do for those who don’t use modern tools to prevent them, I suppose), so the idea of joining a network for the purpose of sending and receiving even more such just doesn’t compute for me.
<MR>
November 30th, 2008 at 11:53 am
Hey Ellie! I just wrote a post the other day called 5 Reasons to Use Twitter and 5 Tips on How to Use It Right.
In the first year that I signed up to Twitter, I used it sporadically and I too did not understand why people were so crazy about it. Then a few months ago I finally got it!
I see that you’re posting via the web, but you’ll really want to use some tool like twhirl or TweetDeck to utilize the full potential of Twitter. All of this is explain in the above linked post. If you have any questions, do not hesitate to email me or send a message @Spartz.
November 30th, 2008 at 2:05 pm
I’m on twitter and use it every day. I interact with friends I have made on their who are local (we sometimes have in person meetups or informal lunches). Twitter is a great tool to meet new people you might not have met before. To get the full use of twitter I recommend a desktop client such as twhirl. Twhirl turns twitter into almost a chat system where everyone you’re following’s tweets show up. My twitter is http://twitter.com/justinrains if you want to check me out and follow me. If you do follow let me know you saw my post here so I know who you are.
November 30th, 2008 at 6:48 pm
I use twitter mainly to talk nonsense. Sometimes to myself; sometimes to others. I use it for social purposes. ie - I don’t tweet my own blog posts (so far). However, I like seeing new posts from those I follow. It’s another way to stay on top of new content from them.
It hasn’t benefited me in the same way it does others, because I don’t tweet stuff about my own site. But it benefits me in the sense that it’s a place I can make some small talk without the commitment of a chat client (ex: IRC) or traditional IM client.
Like Justin above I use twirl. Great little program that updates you with new tweets automatically — as opposed to sitting on the twitter site and hitting refresh to check for new tweets.
December 1st, 2008 at 7:24 am
@ Michael - Well, from what I can see, if you only use the general site and no tools (as mentioned on other comments), it feels more like dropping quick messages that you can respond to or not. But I do see the IM connection (which I have never really been a fan of).
@ Bas - Thanks for the link. I’ll have a look at your post. I appreciate it.
@ Justin - I’ll see you on Twitter.
@ Ah, that’s two votes for twirl. Perhaps I will have to look at that.
December 1st, 2008 at 8:01 am
I’m a twitter fan, but have to admit I am continuously needing to learn new ways to use it. It’s use needs to be part of a specific business plan for your blog. Otherwise, it becomes somewhat random and meaningless.
December 1st, 2008 at 9:09 pm
Hi ellie!
Yes, I am busy twittering away my free time. I love Twitter as I keep in touch with so many folks, learn about social networking and am able to promote my blog all at the same time. If you have been on any boards (and I know you have, ellie) you know how some folks tend to pontificate or run away with a thread. Because Twitter is so succinct in it’s style, there is none of that.
I can stop by between appointments and catch up, without it becoming all consuming. I must admit it has addictive qualities about it.
I have left entrecard, most of my blogger buds are at Twitter, so it feels like home to me.
If anyone wants to find me there I am:
wisdomhypnosis
http://twitter.com/wisdomhypnosis