To Tweet or Not To Tweet
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Twitter.
Everyone’s talking about Twitter. And I get it, sort of. It’s like a blog, only with extremely limited blog entries.
It’s like a social networking site. It allows you to keep in touch with people in real time, as they’re doing stuff.
It gives you a framework for keeping in contact with people without the time commitment of a full blog entry or email or letter.
I actually have a Twitter account, for my warcraft blog. Egopriest is the name if you’re curious, but the fact of the matter is…I never use it.
I tried, for a while, but most of the noteworthy things that were said were during a raid or instance run, when I don’t really have time to tab out and try to jot down the tweet really quick before the next pull.
Nowadays, I have happily shunted the account off to the other people who blog on Ego with me – they’re in my guild as well, so I trust them (and I know where they live), so it’s a viable ‘business’ use of the account.
I’ve seriously contemplated getting a personal Twitter – a lot of my friends have one, and everyone and their dog is raving about how awesome it is.
But…what on earth would I say?
Let’s be honest – I have many talents, but brevity is NOT one of them. I have never said “oh man, this post is going to be way too small for a blog post. What a waste.” Nope, not me. Typically, it’s a lot more like “Stay on topic! Stop tangenting! I see a tangent! Stop it!”
One of my heroes, Ursula Vernon, has a twitter account. She also has more totally random and interesting events happen to her on a daily basis than is probably healthy.
She has a TON of stuff to blog about and Twitter about.
Me? I..uh…I tried soy breakfast patties this morning for breakfast.
Not exactly riveting news, that.
I could tweet whenever I do a blog post, but I don’t want to follow a Twitter feed that has nothing but blog updates for a blog I’m already watching in my feed reader. So that’s no good.
I could tweet about progress on various writing and art projects, but again, that seems a little too mechanical and boring for something as dynamic as Twitter.
So I guess my problem is…what would I DO with Twitter?
I know I’ve got a few readers that use it – what do you guys think? What kind of stuff do you like to see in your twitter feeds? What do your favorite twitterati tweet about?
@Bre
*laughs* We’re in the same situation. Just got to understand what sorts of things to put up on it, I think. Which means understanding what kinds of things people like reading there.
I see twitter as a supplement, honestly. I always check the egopriest twitter /as it appears on the sidebar of Egotistical Priest/. I do the same with anybody else who has one.
I have a Facebook account, and I update my status with inane things occasionally, and read the inane things other folks are up to, but I just don’t see the point of twitter, without building a significantly large follower/following list. Otherwise I’d just be drowned in the standard fare from my sister (i.e. I’m awake; I’m going to work; I’m at work; I’m hungry; I’m going home; I’m making dinner; I’m tired; repeat), and that would just be boring.
@Gauntlet
And that’s what I want to avoid – having Twitter be the same ol same ol for me as well. Not many people care how many slices of bacon I had for breakfast.
If you find an answer, mind letting me know? I have one to and I go weeks without posting anything.
I just don’t remember and honesty, I don’t have some any cute on-liners to really share with the world. If I want a question answered I ask people or I figure it out. If I want to say I am painting my room, I look to my husband with a brush in his hand and tell him, to which he would give me the, “Are the fumes causing brain damage?” look but that is another story :P
I added a twitter gadget to my igoogle (home)page so I would remember. I think the Facebook “what are you doing now?” feed was what got me started (that and Seri poking me)
Most of my tweets are in response to what I see from others. The quick, short, hi-bye stuff mainly, as well as a running commentary on dick-and-fart jokes by my wow guildies.
I’ve been “using” it a couple days now. I still don’t really get it, however. All I can do is think of that Penny Arcade strip where Gabe was twittering from the toilet. “I’m a shitter-twitter.”
@Marianne
*laughs* Well, at least I don’t feel alone in this anymore – seems like most people tend to have the same view of it as me.
My mom asked me the same question not so long ago. She said she created an account but didn’t really know what it was. I’ll give you the same advice I gave her, “Delete it.” It’s not useful if you don’t want to give a status update on something about every 4 hours and if you aren’t going to have people read about your octo-update about how “omg the neighbors are loud”.
Or, you could make it random and silly. I think if I had a twitter I would put in really random thoughts I get like the mighty tofuffalo (that’s tofu buffalo) or “yaaaaaak” or defensive-driving porn or any number of other things that people would read only because they wanted to feel better about their own mental clarity. I think you could pull it off, but don’t come crying to me when they take your kids away because of your twitter.
@Brad
Random and silly is probably the way I’d have to go. I definitely can’t do 4 hour updates – no tweeting from work. =]
@Tami,
That’s why you *need* an iPhone. Then you could tweet all the time. About what you’re doing. Right now. (“Reading raving old-man responses to new technology…”)
Fun fact: you can jailbreak the iPhone and make it post its lat/long to a private twitter feed periodically. Then, if someone steals your phone, you can find it. GPS-enabled laptops might work too (although they’re probably easier to wipe / disable the gps).
@Brad
*snortgiggle* Right. Neeeeeed an iPhone. For an app I’m not even sure I want to try. *laughs*
Though I’m all about the raving old man responses to new technology…