Why do I need twitter?

by creating a micronetwork of trusted sources -- your friends, colleagues and family -- you already have people you share interests with recommending and "curating" various forms of media for you thru these feeds

It's like applying vertical marketing, or tribalism to film. If you can reach the head of the micronetwork (or tribe, if you will) then you've immediately got the attention of the entire network. It would be like Darth Vader saying "This film is really great!" You can bet the rest of the Imperial Command are going to check that film out.

That was a way lame simile. Sorry. It's late.
 
Like every other hip fad it was someday go by the wayside, it'll still be there but it won't be important. Unfortunately not soon enough for me.
They explode in popularity because a bunch of 16 year olds think it's the latest, greatest. Then adults soon follow because it becomes they think it's the "now" thing. But by the time the adults latch on the 16 year olds are on to the next latest and greatest cause they're only cool when they're doing it before everyone else.....

I have young bands in my recording studio that spend more time texting, bloging, twittering, emailing, etc about recording their songs then they do actually recording them. It's completely irratating. They are totally clueless that it's the computer that makes them sound like they have talent.... and they really don't care.

Just my opinion though. Feel free disagree. Maybe twitter about it.... or send me a text......or drop me an email.......:Drogar-Dum(DBG):

One of my coworkers is a chaperon on one of his kids' ski buses up to Snoqualmie Pass. He said that he and all of the other parents are getting irritated by the fact that the entire way up to the summit, the kids never talk and just text, often to the kids sitting across the aisle from them. When this coworker asked his son what the deal was, way not just turn and talk... the kids response was "no one does that, this is way cooler."

It's actually kind of scary. There is an entire generation that will have a large chunk of them incapable of actually have any sort of deep conversation, because they'll be too busy OMG-ing and LOL-ing each other while texting.

I also have another coworker who apparently just got a BlackBerry, and has been burned a couple of times on air because she was too busy texting her kids during the show. This is an anchor, and one in her early 40's at that.

When I have kids, they won't have a cell phone 'till high school, and then only to call home. Assuming they still have cell phones, and not something even more latest and greatest. It's simply way too distracting.
 
I've lasted thus far without MySpace, so Twitter is going onto the list of things I will put off as long as possible. I'm hoping to deserve my "I survived the twitter epidemic of 2009. I'm expecting the shirts release late 2009.
 
Hmmm... do I need Twitter? No. Is it something I want to use? Eh, maybe. Not right now but maybe sometime soon if I feel like I want to use it.

The thing with it is, don't blogs cover the same ground? Or are those already old news? I suppose once I start my oft delayed blog that will someday happen I would use Twitter, Facebook, and MySpace to alert people to the blog and my website.

Maybe I'll start my own social networking site and become a millionaire. I think I'll call it AssFace, or maybe ArseFace.

One of my coworkers is a chaperon on one of his kids' ski buses up to Snoqualmie Pass. He said that he and all of the other parents are getting irritated by the fact that the entire way up to the summit, the kids never talk and just text, often to the kids sitting across the aisle from them. When this coworker asked his son what the deal was, way not just turn and talk... the kids response was "no one does that, this is way cooler."

It's actually kind of scary. There is an entire generation that will have a large chunk of them incapable of actually have any sort of deep conversation, because they'll be too busy OMG-ing and LOL-ing each other while texting.

More proof that the world is eventually going to turn into one giant videogame in the not too distant future.
 
Maybe I'll start my own social networking site and become a millionaire. I think I'll call it AssFace, or maybe ArseFace.

.


So would you say "hey check out my AssFace?" or would it be "Do you AssFace?". Maybe "You've got a new AssFace request". Would you tell a date to "twitter my AssFace and I'll text you a reply where to meet so we can sit across from each other and look at our AssFace's on little 3 inch screens all night".

Just want to make sure when I'm promoting your new site I don't end up talking out my arse and use the wrong terminology........
 
Mike Harvey - I agree 100%. We're all so busy thinking of new things to do and to try, and never considering if we should be doing them or what the impact might be.

TVs in minivans are great for kids in the backseat of a minivan. But looking at the world outside the window, or talking to our parents in the front seat, is MUCH better for our development. Unfortunately looking out the window isn't profitable or marketable to the powers that be.

As you said, good parenting is essential. Without teaching self-control, a fun habit can become a harmful addiction later on in life.

Technology is addictive and, like a lot of things, should be taken in moderation. Unfortunately, more often then not, it's abused. This coming from the man with 5,000+ posts on DVXuser.

:)
 
The thing with it is, don't blogs cover the same ground? Or are those already old news?

Blogs are usually indepth, require a little thought, and have some actual value to them (depending on the blogger). Twitter goes something like this "Nektonic is sad". Or "Nektonic is mad at his producer. What an arse". Or "Nektonic is cooking lemon cake". That's it. About as shallow as possible. And straight to your cell phone/iPhone/BlackBerry

There is actually some good uses for twitter. Our traffic anchor sends out traffic updates with it ("SR167 is closed due to an accident at 405"), and some reporters and anchors around here send out teases for upcoming stories they're working on ("See my story tonight on how your tax dollars are being wasted by the DOT"). And I know a few people outside of news who actually get some work value out of it. It can be a very useful tool.

I just don't care that "Nektonic is sad" if you're not going to go beyond that mind numbingly shallow statement (no offense :)).
 
Just to make you guys feel better, the demographic data suggests that most people teenager and younger don't particularly use or care about Twitter. It really skews adult, which is curious, but represented by the demographic data I've been able to dig up.

Also, there is a lot of research that indicates kids entering high school now are taking a different approach to technology and networking the old fashioned handshake, eyeball to eyeball method, and escewing digital in it's different forms. The resergence of vinal is said to be indicitive of this new (old?) trend.

The world may be imploading, but in my opinion Twitte, Facebook, etc. are not the cause. Now Text Messaging, that's a different story and does seem to be heavily embraced by younger crowds.
 
Things like Twitter remind me of one of my favorite quotes from recent times(Yeeeikes, this quote is 12 years old now!!!!)

We've heard that a million monkeys at a million keyboards could produce the complete works of Shakespeare; now, thanks to the Internet, we know that is not true. - Robert Wilensky
 
The only reason I use Twitter is for Facebook. It's a good way to spread more news to more places from one location. I update on Twitter and it goes everywhere. You have an RSS feed too so if you have a personal site you can port all your updates there. It's just a nice hub for things, especially if you dedicate you Twitter updates to new blog posts, articles you write, etc.
 
It makes sense, on further thought, that the younger generation might move away from this stuff for a little while. The fact is, everyone is doing it now. So they want to be different somehow.

Also, the shallowness is my issue with all of this kind of stuff. Myspace is used just the same. I can't stand forums that are used like that, where the posts have no meaning. If you don't actually think about or understand the meaning behind a phrase, it becomes just noise, like leaving the television on in the background. You don't get anything out of it, but it blocks off the world a little more so you don't have to deal with it. As much as I like sound with meaning, I hate noise.

Although, reading this thread, I can see how it could be very effective as a marketing tool if I were working on something I need to market right now. It would be best as a multi-pronged attack; related to a Myspace or Facebook account, or both, and maybe a Youtube channel with production diaries and stuff, encouraging comments that the creator would actually read. It takes a lot of energy to keep that much going, a marketing/networking person would be a good idea.

In Newspeak:

lol lik it could ttly sell stuff :-O
 
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Also, there is a lot of research that indicates kids entering high school now are taking a different approach to technology and networking the old fashioned handshake, eyeball to eyeball method, and escewing digital in it's different forms. The resergence of vinal is said to be indicitive of this new (old?) trend.

I think that overall, it is best to be able to do both the online tech-oriented stuff as well as actually being able to talk to someone face to face and not come off awkwardly. Sometimes long distances separate us and things like email, twitter, and myspace are logical extensions of what we've had with the telephone. Other times it is just easier to pick up the phone and meet up with friends, family, or business associates.

Now if fully immersive virtual reality ever becomes a reality, then I could see the world possibly going even more online than possible with the technologies available today. But who knows if that will ever actually happen? And when I say fully immersive, I'm talking about something on the level of what they had in The Matrix, where you can't distinguish reality from virtuality.

I also wonder too, if in the near future after technology has become so pervasive in our lives, if there will be a huge backlash against it and we might return to a simpler life. Not that we'll all turn into Amish people, but maybe the excitement of technology will wear off and not be as much a focus of our lives and society as it is now. I think that also, technology will become more transparent as computers get smaller and smaller. It is already happening.
 
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