What is it about Twitter?
Posted by Rick Ellis on March 24, 2008 Permalink
I’m not sure I understand why people are so into Twitter. Every once in a while I’ll wander over and follow a thread or two written by someone I know, or know of, but within a minute or two I’ll be bored. It seems a little trite to me, like snacking all day instead of eating a good meal.
I want to like Twitter, I really do. But it seems like a waste of time to follow what dozens (or hundreds) of people are doing throughout the day. How the heck are you supposed to get anything done if you’re engaged in a never-ending conversation?
According to Robert Scoble, following people on Twitter is important because:
- You’re trying to learn more.
- You’re trying to meet more people.
- You’re trying to be a better listener.
- You’re communicating to the world that you’d like to be listened to.
- You’re trying to find out about more stuff. More events. More stories.
A worthwhile list, for sure. I want all those things too… but is Twitter really going to give me all that? Seriously? Twitter?
I can see the value in using Twitter for specific things, like live-twitting an event, or even as an ad-hoc chat client for a group project. But to chronicle and follow the minutiae of people’s lives seems more like something you’d do in high school. It seems a little juvenile, frankly.
Someone needs to explain it to me, because I just don’t get it. There has to be more here then meets the eye. Is there? Maybe I’m hopelessly out of it…
