louisgray.com - Latest Comments in louisgray.com: Can We Talk About Twitter for a Second?

Re: louisgray.com: Can We Talk About Twitter for a Second?

skishout — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 17:13:07 -0000

I tried to use twitter but none of my friends are tweeting so to me it seems kind of pointless...unless someone can LMK the best way to find cool tweets? Not necessarily people I know but even how to subscribe to newspapers, websites who are doing it etc.

Re: louisgray.com: Can We Talk About Twitter for a Second?

John L — Sat, 05 Jul 2008 13:56:25 -0000

I have yet to figure out the whole "twit thing"...

What happened to the days when your most intimate and sometimes moronic thoughts and actions were written in a diary, placed under lock and key, stuffed in a sock drawer or hidden under the bed?

Well hopefully, I can sort it out soon..

In the meantime...

I have to run…

I’m off to Pizza Hut…

For a “double” stuffed…

Meat lovers special…

With extra cheese…

And a diet coke… (i’m watching my weight)

When I get back…

I’m starting a “cleansing program”..

Every time I’m runnin to the head, throne, or toilet…

I’ll sign on to *sh*itter.com…

and keep you posted ...

Re: louisgray.com: Can We Talk About Twitter for a Second?

Abhishek — Fri, 18 Jan 2008 13:23:00 -0000

I have recently started using Twitter after staying away from it for long time. I have not gained any significant advantage so far out of it but I do have realized how people communicate on twitter. The best example I can give is of Guy Kawasaki (@guykawasaki) and Loic Le Meur (@loiclemeur). I think they specifically spend certain amount of time on Twitter in a day and they try to start some kind of communication. They both promote their startups Seesmic and Truemors heavily on Twitter and generate really good amount of traffic.

I am learning to use twitter from them.

Re: louisgray.com: Can We Talk About Twitter for a Second?

George Nimeh — Fri, 18 Jan 2008 02:17:00 -0000

Great post.

I'm with you, Louis. I swore I would not do it, and so far I've kept my promise.

Looking at a couple of the Twitter feeds you mentioned right this moment, I've got better things to do than to know and potentially be Tweeting (wtf is the stupid vernacular about, anyway?) that Hugh "Just got back from London Seesmic dinner" or Jason's desperate attempt to recruit Mahalo writers " A collection of MacBook air reviews.... add them as they come in! help us build this page out" or to know that 35 minutes ago, Scoble let the Twitter world know "I'm streaming live right now."

If you've got nothing better to do than to have micro-conversations about everything and nothing, then I guess it might be for you.

If you're a freelancer or otherwise self-employed or not employed, then it might be for you since you've got plenty of extra time.

More here on my blog:
http://tinyurl.com/yva6jg

~G~

Re: louisgray.com: Can We Talk About Twitter for a Second?

Dustin — Thu, 17 Jan 2008 23:58:00 -0000

I did break down and sign up for Twitter so I could follow the Ignite Portland news, but otherwise just don't know a lot of friends who use it. I haven't pushed too hard to get into it really since I'm trying to reduce the amount of time I spend glued into email and Google Reader already. That said I'd actually use it if I knew that it provided some tangible value.

Re: louisgray.com: Can We Talk About Twitter for a Second?

asherter — Thu, 17 Jan 2008 20:37:00 -0000

Hey Louis--Provocative questions. I have a feeling my post riffing on your Twitteritis won't provide a cure, but here's my take:
http://www.techconfidential...

Re: louisgray.com: Can We Talk About Twitter for a Second?

kystorms — Thu, 17 Jan 2008 19:20:00 -0000

first off, awesome post and blog :-)
I would like to say that twitter has allowed me to do something I could never have done otherwise, get 'this-close' to any writers or producers who might be able to help with our Campaign to Save Jericho, and now to show support for the writers. It also allows me the ability and right to follow along with people like Jason Calacanis, Robert Scoble, and other biggies of the tech world, therefor allowing me a huge learning process!

Re: louisgray.com: Can We Talk About Twitter for a Second?

Tom O'Leary — Thu, 17 Jan 2008 17:50:00 -0000

I used Twitter for a while. Dropped it. Then started using again (sounds like a Narcotics Anonymous meeting) via Facebook when the app was created.

I've stopped using again. It simply requires too much attention (and I only followed about 20 people). I often wondered how many conversations I missed when not plugged in (eyes on screen) continually. Especially when some of the folks I was following became ADHD Twitterers - filling my screen up in seconds with rapid-fire mental notes - many of which were rhetorical and/or ego stroking. I just couldn't keep up and do all of the other things that I had to do during the day. I don't know how anyone can.

I created a comic strip back in April when I first stopped being a Twitter fanboy. Enjoy!

Re: louisgray.com: Can We Talk About Twitter for a Second?

Aaron B. Hockley — Thu, 17 Jan 2008 16:41:00 -0000

For me, the value in Twitter isn't from following "celebrities" like Scoble or Calcanis. It's from following local folks or those whom I have some sort of existing relationship (even if it's only online). I don't follow everyone who follows me. I only follow those who provide value. As others have noted, Scoble twitters a lot, but he's not necessarily the best example if you're trying to figure out why you would join.

Re: louisgray.com: Can We Talk About Twitter for a Second?

bbrown — Thu, 17 Jan 2008 15:28:00 -0000

I was anti-Twitter too until I found a client for BlackBerry. Now I use it as an always-available journal, notepad, or what-have-you. I've got a couple people following me, but I don't publicize my Twitter account and I don't generally reply to people. Because of those restraints, I'm almost completely off the radar and that's fine with me.

Re: louisgray.com: Can We Talk About Twitter for a Second?

Scott — Thu, 17 Jan 2008 14:57:00 -0000

I have also avoided Twitter. I was hoping to find a reason to participate, but you guys aren't selling it. Overall, it just seems like a tool for egomaniacs who feel the need to broadcast the minutia of their lives.

Re: louisgray.com: Can We Talk About Twitter for a Second?

Hemant — Thu, 17 Jan 2008 12:20:00 -0000

My year-old boy is up to something new almost everyday and I post all this new stuff to Twitter just as a journal. Since I can do it from web, IM, phone, nothing is missed. I doubt if I would be recording all this if there was no Twitter.

Re: louisgray.com: Can We Talk About Twitter for a Second?

Mark Evans — Thu, 17 Jan 2008 11:15:00 -0000

Louis,

Like you, I was anti-Twitter until recently when I realized it was becoming another way to exchange ideas and communicate - much like e-mail and Facebook. The trick is making sure you use it effectively - however you want to define effective. Personally, I check it a few times a day to see if anything interesting has appeared as opposed to being obsessed with following a bunch of conversations. Good luck with your resistance!

Re: louisgray.com: Can We Talk About Twitter for a Second?

niaLLLarkin — Thu, 17 Jan 2008 10:30:00 -0000

I'm afraid the people you are dropping in to follow or catch up on are the select few who just pour noise into their twitter streams.

This is giving you a truly atypical experience. A sampling error if you will.

Re: louisgray.com: Can We Talk About Twitter for a Second?

Alexander Marktl — Thu, 17 Jan 2008 09:11:00 -0000

Why use twitter?

That's a question that I've also been asking myself over the last year. I'm now interested in the response...

Re: louisgray.com: Can We Talk About Twitter for a Second?

loudmouthman — Thu, 17 Jan 2008 08:41:00 -0000

Ironically I caught the post through a twitter back channel.

Heres what Twitter lets me do:

I can drop ideas , thoughts, feelings, conversations, moments which pop into my head into Twitter. Given that I work on my own and for myself this helps me feel at least a little in touch with other people.

Heres what Twitter gives me:
A almost live pulse of what is occuring in my online friends lives. It also allows me to hear about news and events far quicker than I have experienced before.

Thanks for reading, thanks for posting

Re: louisgray.com: Can We Talk About Twitter for a Second?

Kevin11 — Thu, 17 Jan 2008 08:00:00 -0000

It's not noise if you follow the right people and/or services. Drop people who have too much noise (I dropped Scoble) and add people whom other people that seem interesting.

On the flip side, you need to be a good twitterer. Once you find your rhythm, stick with it.

And there's always the chance that it's not for you. At least you can say you tried and have solid reasons for leaving.

Re: louisgray.com: Can We Talk About Twitter for a Second?

MG Siegler — Thu, 17 Jan 2008 07:01:00 -0000

Glad to see you're at least thinking about reconsidering your stance on Twitter Louis. While there certainly is a lot of noise at times and people who use it for the wrong purpose, I definitely find the good outweighs the bad - especially since you can pretty much dictate how you use it.

I will say that it is hands down my favorite mobile tool when I'm in a city besides the one I live in - met up with quite a few people via it.

Now if they could just stop complete failures during events like MacWorld - I shudder at what it will be like at SXSW (which is where it initially blew up last year).

Re: louisgray.com: Can We Talk About Twitter for a Second?

louisgray — Thu, 17 Jan 2008 06:49:00 -0000

Oliver, great comments. Of note, Blogger tracks "BackLinks" which are close enough to TrackBacks, and your URL should be included. And trust me, I'm focused enough on stats to be all over Technorati daily, and Google BlogSearch regularly, if not religiously.

Frederic, welcome back from your trip. Good comments as well.

Re: louisgray.com: Can We Talk About Twitter for a Second?

Oliver — Thu, 17 Jan 2008 06:37:00 -0000

As you don't have trackbacks it seems and I am not sure you are using google blogsearch (or technorati again ;)) daily, ... here is a comment:

http://blog.thylmann.net/20...

Re: louisgray.com: Can We Talk About Twitter for a Second?

Frederic — Thu, 17 Jan 2008 06:26:00 -0000

I used to think the same way about Twitter as you - lots of noise and little info.

However, since I started using it, I came to realize that it really is the backchannel of the blogging world.

Stories first break on Twitter today, which is one of the main reasons I use it. But it is also a good networking tool. And on some days, its a bit like IRC, with discussions going back and forth.

Of course, there are also times where it is completely useless, especially when Scoble posts ten tweets a second...

Interestingly, it didn't turn out to be as much of a timewaster as I expected it to be either.