Until recently, I didn't see that Twitter had much to offer. Suddenly, in the last couple of weeks I think it is a great "newsfeed" of truly interesting information. Once I knew there were news sources, and book publishers and authors and game people out there updating their followers I was hooked.
Twitter goes far beyond the stated "what are you doing now" in most cases. It is a fascinating window on the worlds of many people. Each 140 character or less entry is easily read and absorbed on the fly. It isn't like a website or even blog where you would like to be able to spend some time reading the entry--they're here and gone.
Some of the Twitter tools and mashups let you read Twitter from other devices or emails, but since I "Follow" over 300 people I don't really want to have those notes in my emails, or on my phone. I prefer to just take a peek at what is happening when I have a chance.
If there is a particular person who you don't want to miss, just go to their page and all of their updates are there. You can see a person's page and updates without even signing in to Twitter by going to Google and typing their Twitter name and the word Twitter. For instance search "librariandoa Twitter" on Google and all my recent updates are right there. Very quick!
I like finding interesting Tweeters so much I have a mystery authors list here on my blog (it is hard to find people by subject), and I had the idea to interview an author "live" on Twitter and actually did it. It went really well, thanks to the graciousness of the subject, author Bill Crider.
In the couple of weeks I have been really enjoying Twitter, the "too many Tweets whale" has appeared with increasing frequency. Also, there is a new wrinkle wherein Twitter is "stressed out" and you are unable to search for new Tweeters :(
In the meantime, I'll have to comb Twellow, Twitterholic, and wefollow for bright shiny new peeps...or is that Tweeps?
April 1, 2009
Not a joke, I was checking on a new follower to see if we had any common interests and I got this picture!
Suspended for "Strange Activity" "Nothing to see here, move along!" This was not the Christopher Walken Twitter account that was apparently suspended last week for the same thing. Bad, bad Twitterers.
Personally, I find "tweeple" the most entertaining.
ReplyDeleteIt gets hard to keep up with everybody after a while, though.
ReplyDeleteIt really is, that's why I just use it as a sort of ticker tape of interesting newsy bits.
ReplyDeleteThere are other venues for actually keeping better track of people and having "conversations". I would point out Facebook but I haven't gotten past the fact that it reminds me of junior high school and bleh on it so far.
I didn't like Twitter much till very recently either though.