A Case for Twitter
Twitter is a micro blogging platform which allows you to publish short messages of less than 140 characters through different mediums like IM, cellphones and the web. Along with that Twitter has a social element as well, as it allows users to befriend and monitor each other’s messages or updates. So what you have here is a publishing tool that can be public, private or both.
Twitter gives you a fragmented experience of opinions, events, news, ideas and feedback largely because it’s structured to accommodate non-contextual usability: You can easily follow thousands of users and listen in and enter into conversations conducted among multiple users at any point. And this is usually the case. If you are using Twitter to find a wealth of information you may or may not be successful.
I have personally been a Twitter user now for about 5 months. I am new to the game so to speak. I have found that Twitter has drastically changed my web surfing habits. Not only do I use Twitter via web browser but having the ability to use it from my Blackberry has also changed my style(s). I have found the following to be the reasons I use Twitter:
1. Twitter gives me an immediate pulse on news and events, sometimes before the mainstream media
2. Twitter allows me to follow and learn from other people who are experts in my field (i.,e graphic design, web design, etc)
3. Twitter broadcasts to a wider community and as a result we are able to network and learn from each other
4. Twitter offers the ability to combine my account with my Facebook account thus allow me to update both at the same time, a merging of social networks.
5. Twitter encourages greater reading and Internet skills. With Twitter you not only use the service but are extended outward on the Internet.
So as a student what can Twitter do for you? Personally I believe it can help you avoid the drama that is associated with sites like MySpace. At a 140 character count on your updates it provides a limitation to what can be said. Secondly, you will have the opportunity to broaden your field of knowledge. The Internet is a vast resource of information and Twitter allows you to consolidate the information that is most useful to you.
So why then is Twitter so popular? Consider the following:
1. Simple: It is so simple to use that even a 6 year old can comfortably spend their time without scratching their heads.
2. Fast: Twitter is probably the fastest website I’ve seen. How do they manage it? They have millions of users and so to get the site running that fast they have a very good network of servers.
3. Big Guns: If you have ever visited twitter then you might know that many celebrities have accounts you can follow as well.
4. Ad Free: Just imagine how much Twitter could make by placing a single ad on their website. But they don’t and that’s where they succeed.
5. Fun: You follow someone, they follow you and before you know it you are friends. You also get a personality of the people you meet by glancing at their profile url.
So my advice is to give it a try. At first it seems very bland, but after awhile I can assure that you will become hooked!