Twitter: For the birds?
Posted by Trey Reeme on April 5th, 2007
Otto is sitting at a conference listening to Wescom CU’s CEO. Because Otto is on Twitter, I know this.
So I sent Otto a text message (he was sending updates via his cell to Twitter) to ask a certain question during the Q & A.
Update (4/6): Otto blogged about this today in a post – Interesting First – Live Twittering.
As Colin has said, it’s a paradigm shift. Makes email and phone calls look pretty old fashioned, doesn’t it?
I’d like to share a comment I left on Rob Rutkowski’s blog on his recent Twitter post -
Why I like [Twitter]: I’ve been wanting to do a personal blog for a while now. Just so I don’t have to be “Credit union this,” “Credit union that” all the time. I need a break from all that, I tell ya! But I don’t need all the hassle that goes along with making a post. Twitter forces me to get it out in 140 characters or less.
Plus, I could say ”@Rob: what’s the name of the podcast service you use”.
And when you noticed my question you could respond: ”@Trey: Libsyn” at your convenience. (Sure I could email that, but not that quickly.) So I think of it as a cross between blogging (very permanent) and online chat (not at all permanent).
For me, it’s a creative outlet that’s not as draining as blogging.
And now, I’m finding Twitter useful for short emails I used to send to people on my Twitter contacts list. Plus I don’t have to worry about the interruption that comes with sending an IM.
I’m not posting this to say, “Ooh, ooh, what can financial institutions do with Twitter?” I’m just saying it’s fun to try it out. You can find me on Twitter here.
An aside: I should write local news lead-ins. You can already crown that one Most Painful OSCU Headline of 2007. Reminds me of the lead-in Charlie heard recently: “Texting while driving: what we’ve uncovered won’t have you LOL.”
He’s not kidding. I really did hear a Dallas newsman say that line. Thankfully my DVR allowed my to rewind and enjoy it again and again. I wrote it down so I’d never forget it.
Also, since I met Trey, I’ve been writing his cell number on every bathroom wall I visit with the caption, “For a good pun call:.”
At first, I didn’t know what to make of Twitter and I thought it was a novelty. Yet, now, a week later I’m still using it and not just for fun. I can’t really use Myspace or Livejournal for work, but so far Twitter seems to be work-friendly social networking.
OK, I’ll weigh in on Twitter.
When I first signed up, I was totally addicted. I had these grand illusions of all my mom-friends giving quick updates to one another and I’d be so in touch with a group of women that I don’t get to see as often as I like. Well, only a handful of them signed up. So now my Twitter list is half industry folks (who I bump into all the time on line anyway) and half of my personal friends. My work friends don’t care about my personal life and my personal friends don’t care about my work life so I’m always a bit self conscience about what I Twitter.
Secondly, you didn’t address the public nature of the communication. When I log on to Twitter, I often feel like I’m listening to one half of a cell phone conversation cuz one of my friends is talking to someone I don’t have on my line up. (as a side note, sometimes it gets a little boring to see pages of twitter about, oh, say a chili feed – I’m just saying)
AND what’s up with people I don’t know following me? I have two men who I have no idea who they are on my followers list. I know, I know, this happens on my blog too. But at least on my blog there is a reason for them to be reading it. Surely my twitters are interesting to only people who know me (and even then, I wonder).
Having said all that, I am still fascinated and strangely drawn to Twitter.