Twitter gets to the point
Sometimes even an old dog can be surprised by new technology. When I first saw Twitter, I looked at it from the point of view of an engineer. I said, “Wow, anyone could have written that service in a month.” I also wondered, “Who cares that Trudob wants to go to the park?” (Trudob is my dog Truman’s nickname on Twitter, where he already “posts” messages.) But later I took a second look at Twitter as a user and I became a big fan. I also realized you don’t have to be younger than 30 to get it. If you haven’t tried it yet, don’t feel bad. After all, Twitter is only 10 months old.
Twitter is a free Web service that allows you to post up to 140-character updates or messages, called tweets, about what you’re currently doing. You can do this via a Web interface, through instant message, SMS (text message), mobile version for cell phones (http://m.twitter.com) or third-party applications on Windows and the Mac.
The company is based in San Francisco and has been growing rapidly since its initial release in mid-2006.
Stefan Shipman, a senior studying psychology at Gonzaga, has been a Twitter user for five months. He uses it to drive traffic to his Web site, www.iwantapinkzune.com.
One of the things he likes about Twitter is its advantage over standard blogging. Since Twitter restricts messages to no more than 140 characters, the posts or tweets are quick and to the point.
“It is great for a quick update but there is no commenting,” said Shipman.
Twitter has really become part of his lifestyle. “I am on my computer 12 hours a day many days and when I am not on my computer, I use it from my cell phone,” he added.
The main advantage behind Twitter is its simplicity of use. Posting tweets is just as easy as hitting a submit button. Adding friends is done by a simple click of a link that says “add.” You can limit who sees the messages to people you’ve added to your friends list, or you can make the messages totally public.
The power of Twitter is that it is a social community. In nongeek talk that means it’s a place where your friends are. Since people post and read short messages, Twitter users tend toward active participation.
Here are some verbatim recent tweets, observed while just cruising through Twitter:
“”An office supply I didn’t know existed: shredder lubricant.” (OK, I did not know about that either.)
“”Poppin’ jelly bellies.”
“”Sitting at my desk pretending to work.” (The boss might like to know about that one.)
Some may find all this totally trivial, but for the audience it’s aimed at — friends and family — Twitter quickly helps them be part of each other’s day-to-day activity. Using Twitter frees up your e-mail inbox and lets you read this type of content when you are in the mood for it.
Web-savvy businesses are already looking for ways to incorporate the Twitter concept into business practices. CNN (http://twitter.com/cnnbrk) is posting breaking news on Twitter. So is the BBC (http://twitter.com/bbcnews).
A Buffalo, N.Y., restaurant, Panaros (http://twitter.com/Panaros), is posting its daily specials on Twitter. Illinois Sen. Barack Obama (http://twitter.com/BarackObama) is letting supporters know where he is speaking, plus other updates, on Twitter.
My favorite business-related use of Twitter is at conferences. This year it was used at the South by Southwest Music, Film and Interactive Conference as a way to keep people current on happenings and changes to the agenda. Many attendees used Twitter to arrange meetings outside of scheduled conference events.
There is also a great mash-up called Twittervision (http://twittervision.com). Twittervision mashes up Twitter users with Google maps to show where messages are coming from.
I have started to use Twitter for sharing with friends the online tech stories I find interesting each day. You are welcome to catch those twits at http://twitter.com/takesontech.
Twitter is the Internet equivalent of a note on the refrigerator or someone’s desk. It is a fun and easy way to quickly communicate with friends, family and business associates. If you have an interest in couch-napping or squirrel-chasing, be sure and check out Truman’s tweets at http://twitter.com/trudob.
Doug Dobbins can be contacted via e-mail at doug.txt@gmail.com.