Wherefore Twitter?
I recently was questioned by a friend in an online forum about my ongoing use of Twitter. She professed her hatred for Twitter, and wasn’t sure what was the reason to type in <140 character posts rather than just write something substantive and good. (Assuming substantive = good and short = not so good.)
For me, Twitter is most successful when you’re viewing all tweets together. Individual Twitter accounts reveals things about what those authors are writing, their personality, their wit, and how they see the world. Together, however, they serve as a personalized newsfeed, helping you understand in this information-heavy world what’s immediately occupying people. I’ve been struck in recent weeks by Twitter’s immediacy. The emergency landing of the US Airways jet in the Hudson, breaking news on a court case impacting a client, the New York Post’s recent and misguided Obama cartoon, Laura Hall being freed from jail — all delivered to me initially via Twitter, before I’d encountered these bits of news anywhere else, with official news agencies’ tweets side-by-side with friends and colleagues watching the news.
If you’re out there, how do you use Twitter? Do you like it? And if so, why?
I use Twitter to follow prominent and/or interesting people in publishing and social media. It’s a great way to keep my finger on the pulse of my industry, connect with forward-thinking colleagues, and add value to the community via my own contributions.
One of the main things I like is Twitter is still in it evolutionary stage and can be different things to different people. The key is finding, or creating, your niche and always add value to the stream.
@glecharles
Guy LeCharles Gonzalez
February 20, 2009 at 5:32 pm