So, let’s talk about Twitter. I am not a Twitterer, although I’ve played with it a little. What is Twitter? My initial impression: It’s like an abbreviated instant message that you can send out to a large audience. Twitter asks: What are you doing? Users have the option of sharing updates within their network of friends or making them public for all of the world to see.
I am on the edge of committing to Twitter. I’ve been talking to a friend about productivity, especially as related to mothering and taking care of what needs taking care of. My friend reviews her day at it’s close and identifies a goal for the following day. I am thinking of adopting that action for myself. My mind has connected Twitter to productivity and community building, but I am just not sure what it would do for me. Regarding increasing my productivity and my time and making the most of the hours in my day, will Twitter:
a. suck up all of my time and leave me with nothing to show for it?
b. provide a quick way to connect with a community?
c. add to or subtract from my productivity?
Why do you Twitter? What do you get from it? What do you contribute to it? In the world of available web based communication, where does it rank (compare to email, im, blogging, etc.)? What do you love? What do you hate? How large is your circle? How did it get to be that big?
For those of you who do, who might, or who want to get another take on it:
Elizabeth Lane Lawley tells us Why Twitter Matters.
Chris Brogan, master Twitterer, tells us that Twitter is the New Gate Jumper and suggests5 Ways to use Twitter for Good.
[tags]twitter, community, productivity[/tags]
8 responses so far ↓
Chris Brogan... // May 18, 2007 at 2:18 pm
Twitter directs more traffic to my blog posts than ever before. It’s a good service for driving attention to things that interest me. So, in your case, you could use it occasionally to drive it towards posts you think are pertinent.
Slouching Mom // May 18, 2007 at 3:57 pm
I don’t get Twitter at all. I can’t imagine any way that it would be useful for me.
Maybe I’m too old to understand it?
Doodaddy // May 18, 2007 at 4:02 pm
I do twitter, but I post about my baby’s mini-milestones, and then use a widget to show the list on my blog. It’s kind of nice — if Boobaby does something cool (learning the word “olive oil,” for example), I can text it to twitter on my phone and it automatically shows up on the blog in the sidebar. (My blog is at http://www.doodaddy.net if you want to see what I’m talking about.)
It’s perfect for those things that don’t really need their own full entries, but that I’d like to remember (and boast about!)… many of them will probably end up on my monthly “Dear Boobaby” post.
Glennia // May 18, 2007 at 5:38 pm
I think Twitter is great entertainment that doesn’t suck up too much time. The people that are in my friend group tend to write funny, insightful comments in 140 characters, which is not that easy. Some of them read like little haikus of daily life.
Some people use it just to post what they are doing, and others use it to engage in a dialogue. I guess your user experience will be defined by what you hope to gain from it and who your friends are.
Whitney // May 18, 2007 at 6:37 pm
I love twitter, in that it keeps me in touch with my friends across the country. It’s like quick updates with what’s going on without the need of more time consuming emails, wondering whether to include someone on your list or not, etc. It makes me feel a lot closer to all my friends, and this is why I love checking in a few times a day.
megan64 // May 18, 2007 at 11:09 pm
Twitter is quick and lets me communicate the high point(s) of my day or I can reflect on my day or my thoughts . I linked it to my blog so that if I don’t have time or inspiration for a longer post, I can just twitter a little one.
Busy Mom // May 20, 2007 at 6:21 am
I use Twitku to monitor both my Twitter and Jaiku accounts. It’s useful for when Twitter’s down.
Megin Hatch // May 20, 2007 at 8:16 pm
I hear what you guys are saying. I think I am going to jump in and see what comes of it.
How did you build your network?
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