# To Twitter or not to Twitter



## Rhisiart (Aug 4, 2010)

I don't Twitter because I think life is too short. Is it a fad because journalists like it?


----------



## SGilbert (Aug 4, 2010)

I do Facebook, however.  Easiest way to get news & pics of kids & grandkids.


----------



## nixgeek (Aug 4, 2010)

I don't do Twitter, but I do like the microblogging concept.  I personally use Identi.ca (http://identi.ca).  It's much more open and has a lot more features than Twitter does IMO.  Also doesn't "failwhale" as much.  You can even implement your own StatusNet server just like identi.ca (identi.ca uses StatusNet).

You can also cross-subscribe with other StatusNet services.  I have some people subscribed to my identi.ca account from their own StatusNet microblog service and vice versa.  They can see all my "dents" and I can see theirs.  It's a very interoperable piece of software.


----------



## pds (Aug 5, 2010)

30 Second sound bites and 8 bit word blurbs are part of what's wrong with the world.


----------



## ElDiabloConCaca (Aug 5, 2010)

I have a Twitter account, but mostly to follow, not to twitter myself.  If you were twittering in the beginning, you know what it's all about --  if not, then you likely don't understand the premise.

Twitter started as a way to "status update" followers via text messages from your cell phone (hence the character limit), and in that light, was pretty revolutionary -- if nothing more than simple, though.  It pre-dated "smartphones," but was able to adapt beyond text message status updates, I think.

I can see both sides of the fence: why people like it, and, at the same time, why people don't -- or don't understand what all the hype is about.

Conan O'Brian and "Sh** My Dad Says" are too damn funny to pass up; however, the latter seems to have gone mostly silent since the TV show deal.  TV ruins everything.


----------



## Satcomer (Aug 5, 2010)

I always felt: Twitter - old guys (like me), young people - Facebook (I would touch that with a ten foot pool


----------



## Giaguara (Aug 6, 2010)

Yes but not really. It's mostly for following some feeds and pushing some rss. 
So I don't follow anything daily there.

And I find sometimes those using conjoined twitter/facebook status a bit annoying.
Very _very_ annoying with those who use # #in #front #of #every #single #word #of #their #facebook #status because of that. 
Even when I happen to look at stuff in twitter, I never ever want to have anything about the trending topics in there so I'd rather have those dead there.


----------



## Rhisiart (Aug 7, 2010)

It is interesting how journalists worldwide have given twitter a very high status - too high maybe. Perhaps its a little bit of laziness, in that it's easier to simply use a tweet quote rather than contact the person to ask a question.

A recent article in a British newspaper was about a former Prime Minister's wife latest tweet that she might write a book. Might? Why don't we just wait and see if she does, rather than reporting a tweet?

I suppose in IT things are different.


----------



## Giaguara (Aug 7, 2010)

Well. Before twitter really took off, there was also www.jaiku.com. I guess it still is out there. Basically the same stuff as twitter, just Swedish owned and therefore less loved by New York Times.  (hey, at least jaiku never suggested me whom I should follow..)


----------



## Cheryl (Aug 8, 2010)

Didn't a politician get in trouble with one of his tweets? 

I don't tweet or facebook.  As a teacher, I have to be very careful not to announce to the world what I do on my own time.


----------



## reed (Aug 17, 2010)

I wouldn't twitter for all the twits in the world. Sorry.


----------



## CrystalCircus (Sep 24, 2010)

I like twitter. It's a place I can go to find out about updates from certain sites that I can just quickly scroll through and click on anything I find interesting. I follow a good amount of websites, famous people, and organizations that post links and things relative to my interests. I hardly follow any of my real friends on it (most of my friends don't have accounts, or don't tweet regularly) besides, I have facebook for that. Twitter is different than facebook as it caters more towards finding information on certain things rather than connecting with people you know in real life.


----------



## reed (Mar 26, 2011)

I correct myself. Twitter is better. It's Facebook that I wish to boycott.... for the moment anyway. It's like certain Mac Apps. and things..... do I really need it?


----------

