OK, can someone please explain to me the purpose of Twitter?

[parallaxicality]

The more I learn about this thing, the less it makes sense. What exactly does tweeting offer that youtubing, blogging, vlogging, texting, webchatting, forum posting, wikiing, social networking and good, old fashioned emailing don't?

Who actually has time to post a continuous stream of 140-character updates?

[novaderrik]

it's purpose is to be the "thing" that people do.
you know, like posting on bulletin boards was 10 years ago, and going outside and actually doing things was before that...

[mike alexander]

A fourteen character subset will be available in April. Called 'Twit'.

[nauthiz]

The purpose of twitter is to get you drunk with Levar Burton. (http://network.nationalpost.com/np/blogs/theampersand/archive/2009/03/02/levar-burton-comes-to-toronto-takes-over-twitter.aspx)

[swansont]

The more I learn about this thing, the less it makes sense. What exactly does tweeting offer that youtubing, blogging, vlogging, texting, webchatting, forum posting, wikiing, social networking and good, old fashioned emailing don't?

Who actually has time to post a continuous stream of 140-character updates?

Near as I can tell it's a combination of texting and blogging. Short messages like texting, a potential blog-like audience, but (I think) being able to have an idea who that audience is.

[Swift]

No, I can't.
The latest media craze. Just like other blockages, this too shall pass.

[nauthiz]

Near as I can tell it's a combination of texting and blogging. Short messages like texting, a potential blog-like audience, but (I think) being able to have an idea who that audience is.

I think that in particular it's meant to be a mix of texting and LiveJournal community type blogs. ie,

twitter : SMS :: LiveJournal : email

Or, in other words, it's text messaging with multicast capabilities.

[megrfl]

I like the Chuck Norris updates.


Chuck Norris can speak braille.
10:44 PM Feb 17th from twhirl

http://twitter.com/chucknorris_

[Gandalf223]

OK, can someone please explain to me the purpose of Twitter?

Purpose? It needs a purpose?

It's new, therefore exciting. It has no purpose.

[mugaliens]

When Chuck Norris wanted to go around the world in 80 days, he kicked the world instead. They call it "rotation."

[megrfl]

aaah. Oooh. Mhhmhh.

[parallaxicality]

When Chuck Norris wanted to go around the world in 80 days, he kicked the world instead. They call it "rotation."

Chuck Norris doesn't like it when people claim he made the Earth spin, or ignited the Sun, or instigated some other cosmological event, because he's a creationist and such claims conflict with a literal reading of Genesis.

And no, that isn't a joke.

[Fazor]

My understanding is that twitter is just a way to give people updates of everything you're doing so that your friends know where you are, what you are doing etc at all times.

Which I find funny, as it's most popular among the "cyber crowd" who also tend to have a higher-than-median number of people who are afraid of "Big Brother" spying on them. And if it were true, they're sure making it easy for "Big Brother" by providing constant updates. :-P

[mugaliens]

Chuck Norris doesn't tell jokes. He never gets sick, either. Still, from time to time, he clears his throat. The last time he coughed, the dinosaurs gave way to mammals.

[Scamp]

Twitter is simply a way to Instant Message with a group of friends:

Hey, I'm hungry, anyone want to get some grub?

I'm in, Me Too, yeah, I could go for something, no thanks, count me in.

Cool, let's meet at El Carnivore in 20min.

Check, no good for me, I'll be there in 10, on my way, meat!

[pzkpfw]

I'm (still) researching Netbooks.

I stumbled on a forum on the topic of one that recently went on sale (so I googled for "inside knowledge").

I found a thread by a guy who claimed that his moaning (on Twitter) about something on his netbook (HP 1001TU) had been seen by HP staff, who'd then helped him fix the issue. (I didn't read enough to know if he'd tried getting support through the regular channels or if he had but hadn't got help.)

...so anyway, there's a use for Twitter. Getting "support".

Sigh.

(And I bet HP just loves having to keep an eye on yet another place where people can talk about their products.)

[hewhocaves]

Its for the next generation of people whose attention spans are ev---ooh shiny thing!

[Argos]

Twitter "poor man´s email" (http://blogs.reuters.com/mediafile/2009/03/04/googles-schmidt-twitter-is-poor-mans-email/)


Google CEO Eric Schmidt thinks Twitter’s success is wonderful, but he’s not particularly impressed with the product’s usefulness. In fact, Schmidt deems Twitter and products of its ilk “poor man’s email systems,’ as he told the crowd at the Morgan Stanley Technology conference in San Francisco on Tuesday

[Daffy]

Twitter is apparently there for people who find email too slow and cumbersome. My culture is doomed.

[parallaxicality]

It seems to me, from what you guys are saying, that Twitter is absolutely useless unless you have a handbeld, wireless internet connection. And since I don't, that would explain my mystification.

[swansont]

Twitter is simply a way to Instant Message with a group of friends:

Hey, I'm hungry, anyone want to get some grub?

I'm in, Me Too, yeah, I could go for something, no thanks, count me in.

Cool, let's meet at El Carnivore in 20min.

Check, no good for me, I'll be there in 10, on my way, meat!


As I understand it, thought, you can "follow" people on Twitter. So your broadcast is not necessarily exclusive, unless you can restrict who can follow you. Which I assume is an option, but don't know for sure.

And, as with parallaxicality, I don't see any allure unless you have the portable wireless connection.

[NEOWatcher]

As I understand it, thought, you can "follow" people on Twitter.
That's how I take it. It's not necessarily a targeted communication, but more of a status posting.


So your broadcast is not necessarily exclusive, unless you can restrict who can follow you. Which I assume is an option, but don't know for sure.
Yes; it's an option.


And, as with parallaxicality, I don't see any allure unless you have the portable wireless connection.
Same here...
It does work great for the Korean Taco truck (http://www.newsweek.com/id/187008) though.
You'll note that even in the article they mention that they need something worthwhile before twitter becomes a factor.

[nauthiz]

It seems to me, from what you guys are saying, that Twitter is absolutely useless unless you have a handbeld, wireless internet connection. And since I don't, that would explain my mystification.

There are Twitter clients for most smartphones, and in my opinion that's the platform where it becomes useful. If I had any friends who used Twitter, I'd probably have it on my phone - I'd be a much more convenient (and less expensive) way to check to see if anyone wants to meet me for a beer after work than composing a text message to everyone I know.

[Gillianren]

I just send mass e-mails. My friends are such compulsive e-mail checkers that it has the same effect. Anyway, the first I knew what Twitter was came from watching The Daily Show.

[CJSF]

I guess I'm either paranoid or secretive... There's no way I want even my closest friends of family to know what I'm doing constantly. I see it as another step toward social control. The more everyone knows what everyone is doing, the more "connected" everyone becomes, and the more similar. The more similar everyone is (or the more predictable, perhaps), the easier it is to control them. In my opinion.

CJSF

[Scamp]

Just to clarify....

When you "Follow" someone on twitter it just means you are signed up to receive their tweets.

It does not mean you get real time GPS tracking on them.

You only see what they choose to tweet about.

Again, the best analogy I can think of is a broadcast instant message.

[Argos]

There's no way I want even my closest friends of family to know what I'm doing constantly.

Ditto.


Just to clarify....

When you "Follow" someone on twitter it just means you are signed up to receive their tweets.

It does not mean you get real time GPS tracking on them.

You only see what they choose to tweet about.

Again, the best analogy I can think of is a broadcast instant message.

Yeah, I know that. Still...

[CJSF]

I wasn't talking about GPS tracking - although I am sure that'll creep in as well at some point.

You don't need to know where everyone is to connect or control a population.

CJSF

[Scamp]

I wasn't talking about GPS tracking - although I am sure that'll creep in as well at some point.

You don't need to know where everyone is to connect or control a population.

CJSF

So your concern if, I read you correctly, is that twitter increases the sheeple factor in society? Making people more amiable to social control.

Like any tool, it depends on how you use it.

I would look at it from a different point of view, Twitter is instant communications at a grass roots level. Person to persons with no institutional control or oversight. That's freedom of expression. Twitter has already been used by many activist groups to help coordinate their protests making them more effective. It promotes the free and open exchange of ideas.

[CJSF]

Yes, I can see the flip side of it. It still makes me uneasy. In any case, I don't understand where some people have the TIME to use it. For me, personally, it's inconvenient and more troublesome than it's worth. The same with Plurk.

CJSF

[KaiYeves]

It's for reporters, so they can cover events quickly on-site.

[novaderrik]

the first time i ever even heard the word "Twitter" was a couple of weeks ago when the POTUS addressed Congress, and it was said on the news that the senators and representatives in the room spent most of their time "twittering" (later changed to "tweeting" by the talking heads on tv) on their blackberries while the president was speaking. all the people on one side of the aisle kept saying how awful the president was, and the other side kept saying how awesome he was...
man, i am so very proud to be an American sometimes...

[flynjack1]

Hmmm, just another extension of the "hive mind". So much for rugged individualism.

[aurora]

The only cool thing I ever heard about Twitter was they used it to give frequent updates on what was happening with one of the Mars missions.

Other than that, I am rather mystified by it. Although it has been featured in Doonesbury recently.

[mugaliens]

And in a novel approach to keep the public informed of time-sensitive information, police and fire departments across the country are increasingly using Twitter and other social networking sites.

Neat!

...so long as they don't require me to post my own whereabouts online...


News Article - Police departments keeping public informed on Twitter (http://edition.cnn.com/2009/TECH/03/13/police.social.networking/index.html)

[Nick Theodorakis]

Today's Doonesbury (http://images.ucomics.com/comics/db/2009/db090314.gif) has a pretty good summary:


It's just a simple oversharing tool, Mike. It's like Frisbee -- harmless, interactive fun....


Nick

[NatureTalk]

It's interesting to see how different groups of people relate to Twitter. There are a lot of different kinds of folks in the world, thus on the Net.

This is a thoughtful group. A forum is a tool well suited to thoughtful discussions.

Not everybody is thoughtful. Not everybody wants to analyze issues in depth and so on. Some folks simply want to connect, and the connection itself is the content. For us, what is said matters. For some others, just the saying itself is enough.

My wife and her sister get together, and have tons of fun, saying pretty much nothing at all. Tons of fun is good, how we get there, perhaps less important...

[DarkHorse220]

I have a Twitter account, and I'm finding it useful mainly because it integrates with Facebook and with WordPress (which I use as my CMS) very easily.

I can send "tweets" from WP's admin panel, including notifications of new content; likewise, it will automatically update my Facebook status.

It's made things very convenient. I agree with some of the worry in regards to "what next" and "where's it gonna end" type things, but for someone like myself that's a very small niche of a niche and most of my market is accessible online, it's very useful.

[NatureTalk]

I find that I really enjoy forums, but have never encountered a social network site that pulled me in. I've even joined a $27/mo membership site which is specifically about marketing via social networking sites. And I still don't use the social sites.

I love to type, email and the web. But texting is a mystery to me. I don't get what is fun about using the tiny little devices with screens as big as a postage stamp etc.

I'm a boomer, and got involved on the Net relatively early, 1995. To this day a number of friends my age don't quite get what's so fun about the Net. I feel that way in regards to texting and social sites, I just don't get it.

What will come next, that the current younger generation just won't get.

Here's my prediction. People will start typing single characters back and forth. Why bother with all the details when all we really want to say is, "I'm here, notice me!"

In the future, the only alphabetic character on the net will be "I". :-)

[novaderrik]

I find that I really enjoy forums, but have never encountered a social network site that pulled me in. I've even joined a $27/mo membership site which is specifically about marketing via social networking sites. And I still don't use the social sites.

I love to type, email and the web. But texting is a mystery to me. I don't get what is fun about using the tiny little devices with screens as big as a postage stamp etc.

I'm a boomer, and got involved on the Net relatively early, 1995. To this day a number of friends my age don't quite get what's so fun about the Net. I feel that way in regards to texting and social sites, I just don't get it.

What will come next, that the current younger generation just won't get.

Here's my prediction. People will start typing single characters back and forth. Why bother with all the details when all we really want to say is, "I'm here, notice me!"

In the future, the only alphabetic character on the net will be "I". :-)

omg lol :)

[mugaliens]

I agree with some of the worry in regards to "what next"

An Exchange (Outlook) add-in that will allow you to click on the tiny T in an appointment to have it automatically publish itself to Twitter.


and "where's it gonna end"

With an implanted cerebral interface chip (CIC, i.e. "kick") that will carry all your contacts, schedule, and online search interface (OSI).

John: "Who's that guy who was here last week talking about..."

Dave: "How should I know? Kick it..."


for someone like myself that's a very small niche of a niche and most of my market is accessible online, it's very useful.

I agree - I thoroughly enjoy my online tools!

[Daffy]

What would be the Latin phrase for a fear-of-being-out-of-touch-even-for-a-second, phobia?

[Tucson_Tim]

A wonderful political cartoon by Mike Keefe of the Denver Post about Twitter entitled "The Evolution of Communication":

http://www.denverpost.com/keefe/ci_12005885

[Moose]

Penny Arcade did a particularly good strip on the overuse of Twitter not all that long ago. It is, like most Penny Arcade fare, not linkable here, but fans of the comic should remember it.

[NEOWatcher]

And now a story on CNN about it growing too fast.

Is Twitter's breakneck growth causing a backlash? (http://www.cnn.com/2009/TECH/03/31/twitter.fail.whale/index.html?iref=t2test_techtues)


-Twitter saw growth of more than 1,300 percent in the year up to February
-Its swift growth has caused a backlash among some of the site's early users
-Other rally around the "fail whale," an icon of the site's shortcomings
-Site users host parties in honor of the whale; one even has a tattoo of the image



she said Twitter is popular because it mimics real-life conversation and because it's easy to use.

Sure; if you only speak without listening most of the time.


The fail whale's account on Twitter has more than 2,265 followers. A Facebook group dedicated to the whale has more than 4,400 members.
On the one hand, being a fan sounds a little too compulsive to me. On the other hand, 2265 out of 7million users are followers doesn't sound too noteworthy.

[DaveC426913]

It seems to me, from what you guys are saying, that Twitter is absolutely useless unless you have a handbeld, wireless internet connection.
Yes, this is seems central to Twitter's appeal and usefulness. I too do not have a mobile device, so I cannot see how it is useful to me. But people with Crackberrys check them every five minutes, so...

[Daffy]

Sure; if you only speak without listening most of the time.




I friend of mine had me on automatic email updates every time he posted (tweated, or twerped, or whatever they do there). I was getting, literally, dozens of such notifications from him every single day. I tried to call him to have a conversation, and to ask him to stop; he never even called back or emailed.

So I blocked him from my email. Problem solved.

[Disinfo Agent]

I like the bird in the Twitter logo. It's cute.

But I'm too e-illiterate to consider joining. I don't even text message.

[Gillianren]

Ha! I don't even have a cell phone!

I did just join Facebook, largely because it's the only way to find some of my friends from lo, these many years ago. (I don't want to talk about what the kids I used to baby-sit are up to.) One or two of the people on my "friends" list spend hours online and have this bizarre need to tell me all sorts of things I can't see anyone caring about. How much worse would that be with Twitter?

[centsworth_II]

I guess the best excuse for Twitter is that it is designed for the cell phone texting crowd... which is huge.

Demi Moore responds to Twitter suicide threat (http://www.cnn.com/2009/SHOWBIZ/Movies/04/03/moore.twitter.threat/index.html?eref=rss_topstories)
"Kutcher has 675,000 subscribers following his Twitter postings, while 380,000 have signed up to follow Moore."

[NEOWatcher]

Demi Moore responds to Twitter suicide threat (http://www.cnn.com/2009/SHOWBIZ/Movies/04/03/moore.twitter.threat/index.html?eref=rss_topstories)

I find that story as another example of creditting twitter with something that was involved but really didn't matter.

They don't say how the caller put together the person and the tweet. If this unfolded within a 2 hour time frame, my guess is that the person was using various methods as a plea for help, and the twitter was only one of many methods.

Now, maybe that person left enough clues on twitter, but the story doesn't say, so I really doubt it.

[centsworth_II]

I find that story as another example of creditting twitter with something that was involved but really didn't matter.

The "credit" I was pointing out was that twitter got over a million subscriptions to follow the brief musings of two people.

[loglo]

I have a Twitter account, and I'm finding it useful mainly because it integrates with Facebook .......

Facebook?

[TampaDude]

It's for reporters, so they can cover events quickly on-site.

Yeah...or they could use that other cutting-edge invention, the cellphone. :lol:

[TampaDude]

Chuck Norris doesn't like it when people claim he made the Earth spin, or ignited the Sun, or instigated some other cosmological event, because he's a creationist and such claims conflict with a literal reading of Genesis.

And no, that isn't a joke.

Are you serious??? Chuck is a fundie??? :surprised

[djellison]

I find its use a combination of...

Pseudo RSS feed for things I'm interested in

A means to keep up to date with what friends are up to

Have a good laugh by reading what spews forth from the mind of Stephen Fry

Get offers from Dell's outlet store (very usefull)

In that regards, it's like an RSS blog faceboook type thing.

It's brilliant as a click-working news aggregator when events happen. Watching the Kepler launch using Tweetgrid was fascinating. I don't use an especially mobile device to use it - just my laptop. I'm not permanently wired to it like some people are - but I can see why they would. It's a different way of keeping in touch, and there's nothing wrong with that.

I find it strange that people say something like "I don't need ANOTHER internet fad to keep track of".

Don't then. If you can't see a purpose or point to something like Twitter - no one is forcing you to use it. Move on . Use whatever it is you DO find useful and interesting. 'Where's it going to end?' - where every you, personally, elect to end it. Don't want to be a part of these new platforms...then don't be. Very strange criticisms to make really.

[Daffy]

Don't then. If you can't see a purpose or point to something like Twitter - no one is forcing you to use it. Move on . Use whatever it is you DO find useful and interesting. 'Where's it going to end?' - where every you, personally, elect to end it. Don't want to be a part of these new platforms...then don't be. Very strange criticisms to make really.

You never mention anything you dislike? Careful how you answer because you just did it. ;)

Technological things I dislike:

Phones that take pictures (that's why I have cameras).
Talking software on my computer.
Talking automobiles.
GPS in cars (I know where I am, thank you very much).
Smart buildings.
Red light cameras (never been caught by one, but they are a little too "Big Brother" for me).
I-pods (I have no need to be constantly entertained everywhere I go).
Texting (Especially used as a verb).
Tivo (Anyone who uses that as a verb should be shot).

Ahhh...I feel so much better. :)

[Gillianren]

People who text or talk on their phone or whatever when they should be, oh, doing their job? (And I don't mean "surfing the net while at work." I mean, well, Congress. Listening to that speech is part of their job. Right there. That's what they're supposed to be doing. Not making sure everyone knows what they're thinking every second.)

[DaveC426913]

Technological things I dislike:

Phones that take pictures (that's why I have cameras).
Talking software on my computer.
Talking automobiles.
GPS in cars (I know where I am, thank you very much).
Smart buildings.
Red light cameras (never been caught by one, but they are a little too "Big Brother" for me).
I-pods (I have no need to be constantly entertained everywhere I go).
Texting (Especially used as a verb).
Tivo (Anyone who uses that as a verb should be shot).

Ahhh...I feel so much better. :)

I'm going to guess you're in your 40s?

[NickW]

Hey! I love my Ipod. It keeps me entertained while I am working. :)

[sithum]

I wonder if there will be twitter compatible portable devices in the future. Like a GPS which constantly updates your twitter for you to tell people where you are. Then there could be biomonitors to tell people what your stress levels are. You could even where sunglasses with a built-in digital camera in that snapped a photo of your immediate surroundings every 10 minutes and added it to your twitter profile..

the possibilities are endless.

but seriously yeah.. I just signed up for it.. and I can't really say what I would do with it that I wouldn't do with FaceBook, MySpace and email...

[Tucson_Tim]

Hey! I love my Ipod. It keeps me entertained while I am working. :)

I do to (although I have an Ipod clone). I can listen to it everywhere: in the truck thru the radio, at work, at home, . . . .

[Daffy]

I'm going to guess you're in your 40s?

Please. I have aches and pains that are in their 40s! But you're right...getting off the technology wagon is definitely an age thing. Not sure why, but it is certainly true.

But, to be honest, the only thing about i-pods is that, as a professional musician, I find listening to music kinda distracting in many situations (I keep analyzing it). Unless I am doing something relatively mindless like yard work or driving or something.

And I do stand by the Tivo as verb comment. :)

[DaveC426913]

Please. I have aches and pains that are in their 40s! But you're right...getting off the technology wagon is definitely an age thing. I was betting that someone older would not even make the distinction between flavours of current technology.

I'm in my 40s and to me it's all just "whippersnapper stuff" *.

(* and I'm in the industry.)

[Daffy]

I was betting that someone older would not even make the distinction between flavours of current technology.

I'm in my 40s and to me it's all just "whippersnapper stuff" *.

(* and I'm in the industry.)

LOL! Well, believe it or not, I have always been something of a techno-geek, both in my work and play. But I am slowly getting off the wagon. A perfect example is "Pro-Tools." I HATE recording with it...to my ear it makes the music too perfect, sterile even.

I'm 53.

[Gillianren]

I'm 32, and I'm the only person I know with a turntable.

[Tucson_Tim]

I'm 32, and I'm the only person I know with a turntable.

I have one. At least until I can get my wife to convert my remaining few albums to digital MP3s.

[Daffy]

I'm 32, and I'm the only person I know with a turntable.

Me, too.

But vinyl is coming back in a big way. For the simple reason that it sounds better (pops, clicks, and all). The hardcore techno geeks/audiophiles have been buying vinyl so much that the labels have been quietly bringing it back for some time.

Of course, they are also charging around $30 per disk, for the---wait for it---extra quality. Which exactly what they said when CDs came out. You gotta love it.

I love the technology of CDs and use it all the time. But vinyl sounds soooo much better!

[NEOWatcher]

I've been mum about this situation all week, but I think I've had enough.

CNN vs Ashton Kutcher (http://www.cnn.com/2009/TECH/04/16/ashton.cnn.twitter.battle/index.html)

First off; I really don't see this as a technology story because I believe this has mostly to do with fads, celebrities, human nature and promotion. The use of twitter is just the latest buzz.

Secondly;

Some online writers told CNN the contest is symbolic of the state of Twitter, which gained media attention because of its applications for news organizations but is starting to be dominated by strong personalities with cult followings.
State of twitter? Its just a vehicle. It's a state of sociology.

I think it's more a symbolic state of the news media shifting away from reporting news, to fabricating things to print as news.

[hhEb09'1]

I'm (still) researching Netbooks.
If you are still, google Michael Arrington Crunch Pad, a purported $200 net tablet.

The first article on Wired about it was taken down, for some reason

[NEOWatcher]

It appears that twitter is in position to solve the challenges of the Iraqi people.

Can Iraqis Tweet their way to a state of normalcy? (http://www.fox8.com/news/nationworld/sns-ap-ml-tweets-from-iraq,0,2843797.story)
Now; I'm sure there are communication technology can help, but I also think that whatever benefit it has, can be just as easily abused by the "bad guys".

Which brings me to:


A high-powered delegation of technology executives including the co-founder of Twitter has traveled to Baghdad to see how communications can be improved.

Or should that be a delegation travelled there to see if they can open up a bigger market for themselves. :think:

[geonuc]

I'm 32, and I'm the only person I know with a turntable.
I still have one, but I'm considerably older than you. The one I have is the same one I had back when you needed one to listen to albums.

Twitter is mobile Facebook.

[Gillianren]

I bought the stereo I own because it has a turntable.

I don't know if I mentioned, but someone I knew in high school has expressed an interest in writing an entire novel in Facebook-length chunks. I cannot fathom such a thing's being worth reading, especially because she's only a so-so writer. But I don't doubt it's possible.

[Euniculus]

No twittering here and I'm one of those easily distractable young folks. :lol:

Between email, facebook, and my cell phone, I'm fairly easy to get messages to. However, my day is much too busy to answer constant tweets from my buddies.

Having crappy vision doesn't help either. :(

[HenrikOlsen]

Twitter is mobile Facebook.
Even less, Twitter is mobile Facebook status updates.

[sarongsong]

My first Twitter-Spam in today's batch of e-mails:
Imad Naffa wants to keep up with you on Twitter [Never heard of "Imad"!]
...blah-blah-blah...
This message was sent by a Twitter user who entered your email address. If you'd prefer not to receive emails when other people invite you to Twitter, click here...
The Twitter Team

[Argos]

People are finding out that one of Twitter´s purposes is to spread North American flu disinformation...

[NEOWatcher]

People are finding out that one of Twitter´s purposes is to spread North American flu disinformation...
...According to a CNN article (http://www.cnn.com/2009/TECH/04/27/swine.flu.twitter/index.html).

You forgot to finish your sentence. :lol:



Some observers say Twitter [...] has become a hotbed of unnecessary hype and misinformation about the outbreak[...]
"This is a good example of why [Twitter is] headed in that wrong direction, because it's just propagating fear amongst people as opposed to seeking actual solutions or key information


But it's not limitted to twitter...

Tompkins said there is a tendency for television stations to hype health emergencies to boost their ratings

What I don't get from the whole article is that they keep referencing twitter as a source even though they talk about multiple sources.

It's not people, there's as many idiots on the other side of twitter as there are on the internet, or passing out fliers on the street corner.

[Gillianren]

It's not people, there's as many idiots on the other side of twitter as there are on the internet, or passing out fliers on the street corner.

Well, that last certainly isn't true! When was the last time you saw someone handing out fliers on a street corner? We did get Anarchy Jordan picketing elections, back before we went to voting by mail, but that doesn't count. It wasn't the street corner, it was Red Square.

[Argos]

...According to a CNN article (http://www.cnn.com/2009/TECH/04/27/swine.flu.twitter/index.html).

You forgot to finish your sentence. :lol:


Actually, I got the info from Foreign Policy (http://neteffect.foreignpolicy.com/category/one_time_tags/swine_flu). :)

[NEOWatcher]

Well, that last certainly isn't true!
Sure; consider the present tense. That makes it hard for us who live in the past. :lol:

[NEOWatcher]

Now there's evidence that it's just a fad.

Many on Twitter are quick quitters, finds study (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/30475377/)



Data from Nielsen Online, which measures Internet traffic, found that more than 60 percent of Twitter users stopped using the free social networking site a month after joining.


Of course, those popularity contests aren't helping much.

Nice of the news media to call all those people quitters. I would call them underwhelmed.

[NEOWatcher]

Another application of twitter.
Twitter Takes On Parking Problems at Local University (http://www.fox8.com/news/wjw-twitterparking-txt,0,6945752.story)

AKRON, Ohio -- The University of Akron is using technology to combat a problem on campus: parking.

With 15,000 parking permits issued for more than 10,000 spaces, the largely commuter college has some major over crowding issues.

Ok; so now they're limiting any advantage to mobile users only, forcing people to text and drive. The overcrowding still exists. And now, somebody needs to monitor the status where they probably didn't have before.

Why not just have a flip open sign "Spaces available", "Nearly full", "Lot Full"
Now everyone benefits.

[NEOWatcher]

More everyday psychology masquerading as technology news.

Retweeting (http://www.cnn.com/2009/TECH/06/23/why.retweet.twitter/index.html)



- "Retweeting," or passing along someone else's Twitter tweet, can help spread news
- Motivations behind retweeting include info, ego, identity and amusement
- In person, people recommend restaurants to each other, as they do on Twitter
- The label "followers" on Twitter makes users feel like "leaders"

Note the 3rd point. Nobody recommended restaurants in person before twitter?

[closetgeek]

I started a twitter account because my friend sent me a link to it. We pretty much communicate through myspace, facebook, and old fashioned e-mail, and quite honestly, I don't even remember my password. I have no opinion of it, really, I just don't think my life is interesting enough to twit. If I were to be on it, updated what I am doing at that moment, it's pretty obvious, I am sitting in front of my computer.

[Gigabyte]

Which is the self evident craziness of Twitter. The only real tweets would be from people who are sitting at a computer or texting on a cell phone.

What are you doing?

Writing a tweet.

[Gigabyte]

People doing stuff you won't ever see a tweet about.

Landing a plane, working (a real job), having sex, performing heart surgery, any other kind of surgery, a firefight in combat, saving a drowning person, doing a drug deal, fighting a wildfire, hang gliding, parachuting, rock climbing, kite boarding, etc, etc

The list is endless. Anything real can't be twitted. Because to twit you must stop doing something to type on a computer or phone. That being spewed, Twitter is a tool for other things. It's just not good for telling everybody what you are actually doing.

Now excuse me. I have to tell everybody I wrote that post.

[parallaxicality]

Given what's going on in Iran, my initial question seems somewhat outdated.

[Argos]

I don´t think it´s outdated. The problem remains: you can´t rely on the info.

By the way, interesting article on doublex.com: What I learned from my Twitter impersonator (http://www.doublex.com/section/life/ebazelon-why-are-you-impersonating-me-twitter).

[cjl]

Me, too.

But vinyl is coming back in a big way. For the simple reason that it sounds better (pops, clicks, and all). The hardcore techno geeks/audiophiles have been buying vinyl so much that the labels have been quietly bringing it back for some time.

Of course, they are also charging around $30 per disk, for the---wait for it---extra quality. Which exactly what they said when CDs came out. You gotta love it.

I love the technology of CDs and use it all the time. But vinyl sounds soooo much better!
Ever heard a really well mastered CD? They have a lower noise floor, better dynamic range, better frequency response, and fewer pops and clicks. Of course, most current CDs are terrible, with all kinds of compression and clipping. However, CDs can easily surpass vinyl for sound quality if they're done properly.

[Gillianren]

I had a guy try to sell me a cell phone in the mall a couple of weeks ago, and I pointed out that I spend about 90% of my time within a foot of my landline. He said, "Well, how far from it are you now?" And all I could think was, am I really so important that I can't be unaccessible for that 10%? He then asked me about emergencies, but again, most emergencies would happen, if they're going to happen, while I'm home, simply because I'm seldom anywhere else. I also can't see the possibility of an emergency where I'm completely out of touch from everyone anyway.

[mugaliens]

Well, that last certainly isn't true! When was the last time you saw someone handing out fliers on a street corner?

Last night, as I was walking into a restuarant in Old Colorado City...

Why?