Twitter was a heavy topic throughout 2008, and recently made headlines all over when it was announced that its traffic had surpassed that of Digg.
I’ve been on Twitter for a while now, operating a few accounts for various businesses and “personalities,” one of which being my own account, likesocool. When I first got involved it was for the same reason that I partake in most of the things I do online… to know what the hell I’m talking about when it comes up in client discussions. Before I started I had read all of the hoopla surrounding the service itself, but I was still weary of its true purpose as well as its place in my, and everyone else’s, daily routine. After being a part of it I’ve decided that Twitter is both important and unimportant at the same time.
Why Twitter is Important
Twitter has arrived on the scene when attention spans are at an all-time low and our thirst for information is at an all-time high. We want interaction, answers, and attention. And we want it now. We all have something to say and we’re looking for people who are willing to listen. We want to focus on a chosen discipline and be recognized for our contribution. Twitter does all of these things.
We can all argue that at its core, Twitter doesn’t really do anything different than a Facebook status update, but that’s where we miss the purpose of Twitter. The difference lies in how it was positioned for use. By asking a simple question, “What are you doing?,” the creators opened up a new communication medium that was only limited by how people chose to use it. Its simplicity is its strength in many ways. The people asking why Twitter are the same people that are updating their Facebook multiple times a day letting people know that they got out of the shower, dropped a deuce, and are feeling hungover. You may ask, “Why do we need another tool to let people know that we’re watching Lost?” I completely agree with you. But, have you noticed that you can now turn someone else’s Facebook status update into a conversation by responding to it? Hmm. That’s interesting. Where did that idea come from?
Did you know that major national news usually breaks first on Twitter? Did you know that you can get a glimpse, albeit abbreviated, into the minds of some of the greatest thinkers of our time? More importantly, did you know that you can join in the conversation with them?
The thing we all must remember is that Twitter is probably the Commodore 64 of whatever this technology will ultimately become. We will certainly see 140 character communication platform technology become a commodity in the next couple of years and without a viable business plan Twitter itself is likely to become a feature of someone else’s communication suite.
Until then it’s up to you to determine Twitter’s role in the way you communicate and you can be sure that the early adopters will continue to preach their sermon: “It’s not why, it’s how, you use it.” And they’re probably right.
Check out some related posts on the subject:
CEO predicts future uses for Twitter
Promoting yourself with Twitter
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