So have you heard of Twitter? It’s an instant-update social network site, a bit like a cross between a blog and an instant message. You only get 140 characters to say what’s going on with your life right now, and that’s it. It gets posted to your own page on the Twitter site. You can follow other Twitterers, and see what everyone is doing.
I am still unconvinced this is the next Big Thing, but a lot of folks I respect (like Chris Pirillo) use it and love it. I signed up for it, and I’ve been adding some comments on my page. I’m trying to figure out if it’s at all useful for me. Maybe not yet, but it will come in handy when I live blog a launch or something. The next Shuttle launch is in June, and I plan on live-blogging it, but it’s a pain; I have to keep updating the blog and then everyone who reads it via email gets their inbox plugged full of my commentary. Twitter would make that a lot better.
There are mashups too, software mixes that increase the utility of Twitter. So far nothing I see there is more than a fun diversion, and it’s not quite fun enough to hang out a lot. But I’ll keep on with it and see what’s what. I won’t update much during the day due to my job (at least until I move to Boulder and write my book, woohoo!) but I’ll see what I can do.
I’m very curious about folks’ opinions here. Useful? Waste? What say ye?
April 19th, 2007 at 7:05 pm
Go on- tell us. What Mac did you get?
April 19th, 2007 at 7:18 pm
Heh. That was fast! Thinking about a Mac Pro, but it’s not decided yet. It’s expensive!
April 19th, 2007 at 7:40 pm
140 characters? Those of us who are adequately detailed in our posts (read: long-winded) find that a heinous insult.
Sorry, I think I find it to be even less useful than cell-phones (though I did amuse myself during a flight layover one time listening in to other people’s inane conversations, primarily about food). I doubt I could find as much amusement in this, and I already hate IM-speek (ur d00d sux lol omg).
My kind of posts (whatever) would surely be along these lines:
12:23 PM Someone at door with warrant. Where’d the wife put the ammo? I hate when she reorganizes.
12:52 PM Note to self: Always leave car gassed up.
2:35 PM Fake mustaches tickle. I keep adjusting it, people must think I’m vain.
4:18 PM At the folks’ place now. Why are they suspicious about my simply coming to visit? Rude.
1:47 AM Neighbors don’t seem to want to turn off their yard light. Hard to dig in the backyard with it on.
April 19th, 2007 at 7:48 pm
Yay for your (soon to be) new Mac! I’ve got a MacBook Pro. It’s very pretty.
I also Twitter as being rather silly, though I had to snicker at Just Al’s comments. A little creepy, but a little funny.
April 19th, 2007 at 8:11 pm
Next big thing? I have a hard time believing that. A website where people can say what they are doing right now? They had those 10 years ago and they were called chat rooms. This one just requires you to click refresh to update.
April 19th, 2007 at 8:42 pm
It’s possible to blog too much and Twitter takes it to that level I believe. I don’t necessarily need to know what someone is doing every moment of the day, I most certainly don’t want an SMS going to my phone, letting me know that someone is now sitting down to watch Lost.
I travel a lot so I usually set my IM status to what I’m up to in a more general sense “In San Fran” or “In Seattle”, or “spending quality time with the wife”.
The last one I’d be accused of doing too infrequently. =)
April 19th, 2007 at 8:49 pm
Twitter seem to be for people who spend all their time in front of a computer and every time they do something extraordinary (like going outside) they can tell people about it.
April 19th, 2007 at 8:59 pm
This internet thing will never catch on.
April 19th, 2007 at 9:39 pm
I prefer bluedot. Twitter, and the other various internet snackbars are trying to make meals out of what is essentially the information version of vending machine food.
Twit:”Walking outside now”
Twit:”Alright, I’m standing on the porch.”
Seriously, watching the DVD commentary for The Core would be less painful.
April 19th, 2007 at 10:00 pm
I had about 29 days between my two latests posts on Twitter. It’s a 24-7 webcam for people who aren’t photogenic but like to type.
April 19th, 2007 at 11:08 pm
Twitter is very silly and very addictive. Somebody called it a ‘toy’, and I think that’s the best description of it. Like a good toy, you instantly grasp how to play with it, and you can use it in a whole bunch of ways.
Like finding out what your internet astronomer blogger guy had for lunch.
April 20th, 2007 at 1:22 am
Twitter is the most idiotic thing I’ve ever seen. But it was inevitable, considering some TV channels here have a similar service using SMS. When the day’s programming ends at midnight they put on some bouncing graphics and a screen exactly like Twitter with a phone number you can send SMSs to and it will scroll across the TV screen.
Previously I believed that the only reason something like this could exist was that the functionality of sending a single SMS to a bunch of people at the same time is so user-unfriendly and difficult to do in modern cell phones that a Twitter-like page would be easier.
But now I think it’s just plain exhibitionism.
April 20th, 2007 at 1:33 am
I don’t know if anyone else has run into this, but on an old version of Firefox (pre-1.0) I have on one of my FreeBSD machines, I can’t go to any website with the Twitter box on it. It loads the page partially, then redirects to the main Twitter site.
Yes, I know I need to update Firefox, but still. Lame. If your product doesn’t work on a browser, you should find some way to make it not break the web page your product is on.
April 20th, 2007 at 3:24 am
I totally agree that the vast majority of the use of Twitter is really boring with far too much pointless trivia about people’s lives. However, this week during the UK National Astronomy Meeting I have found a use for it (twitter.com/jodcast). It provides a way to post really quick and short updates about what is going on here. I’d much prefer to use a proper blog for this but when you are running around in a hugely busy conference attending talks, interviewing astronomers and not even getting much chance to stop for a cup of tea there just isn’t the time to do that.
Twitter is certainly not a replacement to normal blogging. It may be able to add something to the mix.
By the way, there is no need to press ‘refresh’ because the webpage updates itself using JavaScript and XML requests.
April 20th, 2007 at 4:22 am
That was the first time I’ve seen Twitter. I’m never going there again. I just don’t see any point in it. It seems mainly set up for people with too much time on their hands.
April 20th, 2007 at 4:22 am
Oh, what a great idea! I was just thinking that there isn’t nearly enough stupid, pointless trivia on the innertubes these days…
April 20th, 2007 at 4:58 am
A post about Eta Carinae; very interesting.
A post that you’re getting a double mocha latte at Starbucks right now; significantly less interesting.
April 20th, 2007 at 5:15 am
Your Twitter site:
Most. Annoying. Background. Evar!
April 20th, 2007 at 5:22 am
I joined twitter when I found out John Edwards used it. He became my first “friend”. BA is my second. I post about my snacks. When I mentioned my wife’s delicious and healthy chocolate “meatballs,” all of a sudden people on twitter were asking to be my “friends.” Fascinating.
April 20th, 2007 at 5:48 am
Twitter is what you make of it, just like blogs. Some people are using it for fictional stories and humor (twitter.com/mustacherangers) (twitter.com/zombieattack) and even as a method for urban treasure hunts (twitter.com/ldg).
Personally, I love to get updates from people who run blogs. There is some overlap in information, but you get a different perspective on them. Not that I care if you eat a sandwich, Phil. But if you did, I wouldn’t mind. People have to eat.
April 20th, 2007 at 6:36 am
So, Phil, is that background a commentary on Twitter, or do you just want your fans to know what you really think?
Me, I’m pretty slow to pick up new gimmicks. I don’t collect podcasts. I read a couple blogs. I don’t text message, and rarely IM. I have a cell phone, it’s a phone, and I’m not on in 24 hrs a day. I bought a PDA but then got out of the habit of using it. One day the battery died and I haven’t bothered to reload the info.
I’m not sure what purpose Twitter would serve that would be of value.
April 20th, 2007 at 7:18 am
Twitter looked cool until I couldn’t copy/paste the urls you were twittering about. Now I don’t like it. Next toy…
April 20th, 2007 at 8:38 am
Twitter is a lot more fun when U connect it to your instant messenger and cell phone. U can text message updates for it on the go, or just post from a computer, and when several of your friends, who are all on each other’s lists get going, it’s kinda like a chat room. the difference is, U and your friends can all access this from a phone or computer, at the same time. Twitter is also very useful for those of us with dull office jobs who can’t install an instant messenger on their comp. Plus, the badges go nicely on a MySpace page. Also of note, you can claim your Twitter account on Technorati since it has RSS.
April 20th, 2007 at 10:46 am
It takes me almost two hours to read my e-mail (some with feedback comments like this blog) as it is. Also, I READ – books, newspapers, magazines, etc. I watch television and listen to music. AND I’ve been retired for several years and I still don’t have enough time to catch up on all the stuff which comes across the tube, the radio, the doorstep, etc. How can sites which offer largely trivial information about folks with whom I wouldn’t generally associate anyway, at least without something more substantial than their musings on what breakfast food to ingest, possibly be of any value? This seems like a reality shows without even the hint of drama…
April 20th, 2007 at 11:03 am
Another Mac convert! Huzzah!
This reminds me of Facebook’s “Status” feature, only more useful because the content is more flexible. Except less useful because there are (in theory, at least) other reasons people might look at your Facebook profile.
April 21st, 2007 at 4:07 pm
I guess I just don’t see the point, and I am one who likes to try new things online. But, between cell, blog, IM, skype, etc. I’m pretty much in tune with the universe…
I checked out Second life once… hmmmm
April 26th, 2007 at 12:48 pm
If you can’t load an IM client on your work computer, try meebo.com — it is a very slick server-based IM client, all Ajax (not even any flash).
July 22nd, 2007 at 2:15 pm
This is exactly what I expected to find out after reading the title Twitter. Thanks for informative article