I just signed up for twitter account and am now wondering "what's the point of twitter?"
Twitter, for those of you who don't know, is a way that you can let the world know what you are doing at the moment. At least that's what most people use if for. You can update it at their website, with a text message, or an instant message. You can, also, put your up to date twitter message on your website with a badge.
But, what problem does it solve? What need does it fill? What desire does it feed?
The only thing I could think of was the desire to have other people know what you are doing. To know that other people care about what you are doing. Does this try to fill the need of people to know that others care about them?
Twitter with it's lack of a clear void to fill has taken off. CNN uses it, the top bloggers use it, and millions of other people use it.
What do you think the point of twitter is? What void does it try to fill? What do you think is the point?
If you're looking, you can find me on twitter at http://twitter.com/mattfarina.
I don't get it either...but...
I don't get it either, but now I want my own....hah...
I think twitter really only
I think twitter really only fills an actual need for people who live far more active and interesting lives than I do.
But it is kind of useful for keeping in semi-touch with a buddy who is a certified globe trotter. He twitters a pithy comment about what is currently happening in his life (from wherever he me be via SMS) and I respond with a very likely much less interesting reply almost instantaneoulsy also via SMS.
It's the kind of thing you don't get till you play with it a bit- and its value is drastically modulated by the network affect- the more people you know who twitter the more uses you can see for it.
There are many interesting things going on with the twitter API.
Or....
Or, twitter could be used for a group of friends who are all over the place during the week. I'm sure this would have gotten a lot of use if it were around during my fraternity days and dorm days.
Exactly
I, too, have a twitter account I'm struggling to see the worth of. So in an attempt to find a clue I typed "what's the point of twitter" into google and found your page! So let's wonder together. I'm wondering if another recent fad facebook will keep my interest too, but that's another story perhaps.
Why not just send an SMS
Why not just send an SMS from your cell? And, who gives a crap about what you are doing.... "I am standing in line." 5 minutes later "Still standing in line but a bit closer." 5 minutes later "I made it into the building" ---seriously, WHO CARES?
emerging uses
I'm writing a report on Twitter and have done quite a bit of research on this question. Here's what I've found as some of the uses of Twitter - I think it's very exciting:
TYPICAL USES
• Chat with friends about what you’re doing at the moment, “Typing my report on twitter – lots of fun!”
• Tell friends about an interesting new article you found, “Look! Twitter is in the news! http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2008/06/twitter-reports.html”
• Reporting Technical information, “Here’s a Twitter API for Linux http://www.linuxjournal.com/content/twittering-command-line”
EMERGING USES
Twitter is a very new technology which is still emerging in ways the creators probably never imagined.
• Political candidates are using twitter to communicate with constituents. (Obama is on my list of friends)
• Conference organizers use twitter to advertise conferences and provide a backchannel of communication for attendees.
• Library information and research
• Crisis reporting – LA Times used twitter to report and communicate when there were brush fires
• “man on the street” reporting – a man in California tweets that he feels a tremor, his friend responds by saying he thinks it was a 3.5, and the official report from USGS that the earthquake was a 3.7 comes out on Twitter later that day. (Dorsey video)
• News agency tweets: CNN, ESPN, LATimesfires
• Advertising: companies using Twitter to alert customers of special sales and to get customer feedback.
Full report will eventually be post to my blog:
silvertomorrow.wordpress.com