Let us try and answer a simple question: Why Twitter?
Time and again I have tried to explain to my friends why Twitter is worth their attention. Time and again I have been defeated, left to smoulder in the fires that screen the nature of Twitter. In this post therefore, I will try to prove why Twitter beats everything else.
(I posted a slightly more unedited version of this post over at the Authority Blogger forums. You can read it here.)
The thing about Twitter is that it seems to be one thing. But it can actually be many things. The thing that really puts it in league with the most powerful tools out there is the limits it has. Allow me to explain.
Twitter vs G-Talk
Let's face it, Google Talk is not the most productivity enhancing of programs. Quite the contrary in fact. I never get anything done when my signal is green on G-Talk. I can do a lot of things with it but all I ever manage is distraction.
Twitter on the other hand, is not pushy. It runs silently in the background with a pop-up (I use the Tweetr desktop client) when there is an update. I am under no obligation to respond. It feels good to be connected to my online circle without having to make an effort.
Twitter vs digg / del.icio.us
As far as social bookmarking goes, newbie blogs don't get a lot of attention. The process goes thus: One is frequent on digg or del.icio.us - one stumbles upon a cool link - one likes it - if one has time, one bookmarks it - one moves on probably never to come back. This might work for Google ADdled blogs, but I feel it is unwise to expect a regular readership that frequently bookmarks your posts. Especially if your blog is new.
How the link sharing method ON Twitter improves on the above is that it is something akin to an RSS subscription. You don't wander the web in search for goodies. You discover a person! You follow his/her likes or dislikes. True, there are people who scarcely post anything other than their own blog posts. But they are easily identifiable and 'unfollowing' isn't really rocket science.
Twitter vs Facebook / Myspace / Orkut
Do I really need to spell this one out? Seriously?
If anything, social networking sites are becoming more bewildering by the day. And to think they were supposed to make life easier! Gah! Whether it be Facebook app requests, or Orkut communities spam. A useful social networking experience seems to be the last thing on anybody's mind.
On Twitter, the only ones on my radar are the ones who are 'actually' social. As for communication, there are two modes -- private, and public. The basics. Couldn't ask for more.
Twitter vs Blogging
Twitter and blogs are NOT fighting. In my case at least, Twitter has proven a source of many ideas. In fact, Twittering feels like contributing to an enormous worldwide team blog. Everyone is on the same page (so to speak) and everyone has free rein.
Join Twitter! If you need more explaining, watch Twitter in Plain English (video).
Time and again I have tried to explain to my friends why Twitter is worth their attention. Time and again I have been defeated, left to smoulder in the fires that screen the nature of Twitter. In this post therefore, I will try to prove why Twitter beats everything else.
(I posted a slightly more unedited version of this post over at the Authority Blogger forums. You can read it here.)
The thing about Twitter is that it seems to be one thing. But it can actually be many things. The thing that really puts it in league with the most powerful tools out there is the limits it has. Allow me to explain.
Twitter vs G-Talk
Let's face it, Google Talk is not the most productivity enhancing of programs. Quite the contrary in fact. I never get anything done when my signal is green on G-Talk. I can do a lot of things with it but all I ever manage is distraction.
Twitter on the other hand, is not pushy. It runs silently in the background with a pop-up (I use the Tweetr desktop client) when there is an update. I am under no obligation to respond. It feels good to be connected to my online circle without having to make an effort.
Twitter vs digg / del.icio.us
As far as social bookmarking goes, newbie blogs don't get a lot of attention. The process goes thus: One is frequent on digg or del.icio.us - one stumbles upon a cool link - one likes it - if one has time, one bookmarks it - one moves on probably never to come back. This might work for Google ADdled blogs, but I feel it is unwise to expect a regular readership that frequently bookmarks your posts. Especially if your blog is new.
How the link sharing method ON Twitter improves on the above is that it is something akin to an RSS subscription. You don't wander the web in search for goodies. You discover a person! You follow his/her likes or dislikes. True, there are people who scarcely post anything other than their own blog posts. But they are easily identifiable and 'unfollowing' isn't really rocket science.
Twitter vs Facebook / Myspace / Orkut
Do I really need to spell this one out? Seriously?
If anything, social networking sites are becoming more bewildering by the day. And to think they were supposed to make life easier! Gah! Whether it be Facebook app requests, or Orkut communities spam. A useful social networking experience seems to be the last thing on anybody's mind.
On Twitter, the only ones on my radar are the ones who are 'actually' social. As for communication, there are two modes -- private, and public. The basics. Couldn't ask for more.
Twitter vs Blogging
Twitter and blogs are NOT fighting. In my case at least, Twitter has proven a source of many ideas. In fact, Twittering feels like contributing to an enormous worldwide team blog. Everyone is on the same page (so to speak) and everyone has free rein.
Join Twitter! If you need more explaining, watch Twitter in Plain English (video).
