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I still don't get Twitter. I'm sorry, I've tried. I know that it's considered hopelessly square to be behind the twitter trend, but I just don't appreciate it.

by bravura 18y ago

I still don't get Twitter. I'm sorry, I've tried. I know that it's considered hopelessly square to be behind the twitter trend, but I just don't appreciate it. Maybe it's my phone device? Do most people use twitter desktop software? What do you do about people who constantly tweet, half the time garbage and half the time gems? It's just a constant barrage.

DataWhore 18y ago
I am really new to Twitter, forced on by some friends. In all honesty, I feel yow. I am going to force myself to use it for a week. Perhaps we need to migrate away from the web based portal to the site? I am going to try a more power app. Maybe I will figure it out, right now it is just noise.
- jaaron 18y ago
  Here's how I grok Twitter. Others may have a different opinion: A few years ago, I was working on some contracts that had me regularly traveling. Plenty of friends couldn't quite be bothered to keep track of where I was at any given day, so I started using my IM status line to show where I was and what I happened to be doing. And this was useful among the group of us. When I started using Twitter, I used it the same way: letting people who care (might not be the world) know where I was and what I was working on. Now I use Twitter not only for quick "what I'm doing" updates, but also for quick "what I just read" or "what I'm wondering about" updates. They're the sort of comments and thoughts that aren't worth a blog post, but are still worth talking about. For example: yesterday I spent a few minutes looking at ways to combine my IRC and Jabber clients and maybe Twitter too. So I wrote a few tweets about it. That night I was out at a tech social event and some friends commented about the tweets, sparking some interesting conversation. When I'm paying attention to other people's tweets (which isn't all that often), I'm surprised how much I learn about breaking news events, tech or otherwise. I don't use Twitter's website much at all and I can't stand any tweets being "pushed" to me. I use Moodblast (for mac) to send tweets since it also updates my Facebook, Skype and GTalk status. If it weren't that simple, I wouldn't do it. I still don't have a solution I like for reading other people's tweets. I like reading them on my iPhone using Twitterific, but I don't do that very often. I'm leaning towards using a Twitter Jabber or Twitter IRC bot so that it fits within the tools I already use. So that's how I use Twitter.
tonystubblebine 18y ago
A lot of people say things like this about social software and seemed bothered that they don't understand how they would use it. But it's probably ok if they never do, or at least wait until the use seems obvious. You almost never hear people talk this way about non-social software. Two years ago, I knew about Quickbooks, didn't use it, and was unconcerned. Now I run a small business, my accountant prefers our books in this program, and I'm happy to use it. I think the reason this comes up with social software is because we don't have a good vocabulary for talking about our social needs. When Twitter was just getting started, a lot more people would say that they didn't get it and that it had no value, even though empirically some people were clearly getting value.
- bravura 18y ago
  I'm sorry, but usually it's the opposite for me. I especially appreciate social technologies before they jumped the shark. Email? It was awesome before everyone and their mother used it. Friendster? It was like the wild wild west, free and easy, until everyone and their mother got on it (and then facebook). Twitter right now is okay. I forget who mentioned, but they said that everyone would be on twitter in five years. That just sounds horrendous. Twitter is already too diluted with "I have to go to the bathroom." "Nothing is coming." "Okay, things are coming nicely." "I just went to the bathroom." There is going to be one hunded times as much shit on Twitter come five years. Pun intended.
  - tonystubblebine 18y ago
    So when someone presents you with a new social technology, how do you decide whether it's a fit for you? What words do you use?
bkbleikamp 18y ago
Twitter is useful to me in a few ways - 1. Using Twinkle on my iPhone I can see Tweets from around me within a certain radius. When a major windstorm blew through Cincinnati and 1,000,000 people lost power, I was able to use Twinkle to get updates on where there was and where there was not power in real time. I knew there was power 2 miles away, I knew there was power in certain areas, I knew where to go for a Starbucks. 2. I follow my friends and I can stay up to date with 60 people without much effort. I can reply when I see fit, but not feel bad if I don't reply (which is different than an instant message, where if I don't reply I am an asshole). 3. I have about 800 followers and that continues to grow - if I have a question about something or want a quick opinion I can "ask Twitter" and get about 15-30 responses in less than an hour. 4. Real time search. It is incredible. It helped break the news of the Flight 1549 crash in the Hudson. It shows what popular topics are (it's obvious on an Apple keynote day, but what was going on yesterday? Twitter gives me a really good idea).
pasbesoin 18y ago
Tim O'Reilly's post of last November first made it interesting enough to me to give it a go. Well worth the read, whether you subscribe (to Twitter, or to his thoughts) or not. Tim O'Reilly: Why I Love Twitter http://radar.oreilly.com/2008/11/why-i-like-twitter.html http://radar.oreilly.com/2008/11/why-i-like-twitter.html

by bravura 18y ago

DataWhore 18y ago

I am really new to Twitter, forced on by some friends. In all honesty, I feel yow. I am going to force myself to use it for a week. Perhaps we need to migrate away from the web based portal to the site? I am going to try a more power app. Maybe I will figure it out, right now it is just noise.

jaaron 18y ago
Here's how I grok Twitter. Others may have a different opinion: A few years ago, I was working on some contracts that had me regularly traveling. Plenty of friends couldn't quite be bothered to keep track of where I was at any given day, so I started using my IM status line to show where I was and what I happened to be doing. And this was useful among the group of us. When I started using Twitter, I used it the same way: letting people who care (might not be the world) know where I was and what I was working on. Now I use Twitter not only for quick "what I'm doing" updates, but also for quick "what I just read" or "what I'm wondering about" updates. They're the sort of comments and thoughts that aren't worth a blog post, but are still worth talking about. For example: yesterday I spent a few minutes looking at ways to combine my IRC and Jabber clients and maybe Twitter too. So I wrote a few tweets about it. That night I was out at a tech social event and some friends commented about the tweets, sparking some interesting conversation. When I'm paying attention to other people's tweets (which isn't all that often), I'm surprised how much I learn about breaking news events, tech or otherwise. I don't use Twitter's website much at all and I can't stand any tweets being "pushed" to me. I use Moodblast (for mac) to send tweets since it also updates my Facebook, Skype and GTalk status. If it weren't that simple, I wouldn't do it. I still don't have a solution I like for reading other people's tweets. I like reading them on my iPhone using Twitterific, but I don't do that very often. I'm leaning towards using a Twitter Jabber or Twitter IRC bot so that it fits within the tools I already use. So that's how I use Twitter.

tonystubblebine 18y ago

A lot of people say things like this about social software and seemed bothered that they don't understand how they would use it. But it's probably ok if they never do, or at least wait until the use seems obvious. You almost never hear people talk this way about non-social software. Two years ago, I knew about Quickbooks, didn't use it, and was unconcerned. Now I run a small business, my accountant prefers our books in this program, and I'm happy to use it. I think the reason this comes up with social software is because we don't have a good vocabulary for talking about our social needs. When Twitter was just getting started, a lot more people would say that they didn't get it and that it had no value, even though empirically some people were clearly getting value.

bravura 18y ago
I'm sorry, but usually it's the opposite for me. I especially appreciate social technologies before they jumped the shark. Email? It was awesome before everyone and their mother used it. Friendster? It was like the wild wild west, free and easy, until everyone and their mother got on it (and then facebook). Twitter right now is okay. I forget who mentioned, but they said that everyone would be on twitter in five years. That just sounds horrendous. Twitter is already too diluted with "I have to go to the bathroom." "Nothing is coming." "Okay, things are coming nicely." "I just went to the bathroom." There is going to be one hunded times as much shit on Twitter come five years. Pun intended.
- tonystubblebine 18y ago
  So when someone presents you with a new social technology, how do you decide whether it's a fit for you? What words do you use?

bkbleikamp 18y ago

Twitter is useful to me in a few ways - 1. Using Twinkle on my iPhone I can see Tweets from around me within a certain radius. When a major windstorm blew through Cincinnati and 1,000,000 people lost power, I was able to use Twinkle to get updates on where there was and where there was not power in real time. I knew there was power 2 miles away, I knew there was power in certain areas, I knew where to go for a Starbucks. 2. I follow my friends and I can stay up to date with 60 people without much effort. I can reply when I see fit, but not feel bad if I don't reply (which is different than an instant message, where if I don't reply I am an asshole). 3. I have about 800 followers and that continues to grow - if I have a question about something or want a quick opinion I can "ask Twitter" and get about 15-30 responses in less than an hour. 4. Real time search. It is incredible. It helped break the news of the Flight 1549 crash in the Hudson. It shows what popular topics are (it's obvious on an Apple keynote day, but what was going on yesterday? Twitter gives me a really good idea).

pasbesoin 18y ago

Tim O'Reilly's post of last November first made it interesting enough to me to give it a go. Well worth the read, whether you subscribe (to Twitter, or to his thoughts) or not. Tim O'Reilly: Why I Love Twitter http://radar.oreilly.com/2008/11/why-i-like-twitter.html http://radar.oreilly.com/2008/11/why-i-like-twitter.html