entitled “Can the world go vegan?” and promoted it via twitter last night.
This morning I awoke to 12 new vegan followers. Presumably auto-following me based on keyword searches.
I’m currently debating myself on whether i should troll them with a “hey, thanks for the follow - how’d you find the article?”
I mean … I probably won’t … but it amused me
Apparently I was mildly funny once … a couple of years back.
Shit … I hope they don’t “improve” Posterous like they “improved” tweetdeck.
I think twitter is trying to seduce me …
So, when being asked by a non twitter person, “what’s with twitter? is it just a bunch of people saying they just had lunch?” what do you say? What are the benefits? How do you sell Twitter?
The Serious
* Asking technical software/hardware questions and getting answers
* Getting links to specific industry news
* Getting news updates (before the news media)
* Sharing information about your own project
* Getting help when you have a problem (e.g. iTunes crashing on iPhone)
* Connecting with higher-level people than you could through other communication channels
* Giving testimonials
The Local
* Asking for referrals for a restuarant, tradie, pub, etc
* What’s Happening news and Events
* Free offers and discounts
The Intellectual Socialite
* Getting (book | movie | play) recommendations in 140 characters instead of long winded, pretentious, rambling reviews
* Connecting with people you’ve met on other social networks in a semi-IM fashion.
* Getting tips in all kinds of subjects
The Funny
* Getting links to (blog posts | youtube vids | the funniest damn locatz evah!)
* MEMEs, Hashtags, Meetups, TUBs and more
* Favrd’s next Top comic
The Social Network
* Ability to actually connect with people
* Option to just “follow” people
Surely there’s more than my mere points?
[edit update]
I’ve only just become aware of this great article on The Stranger titled : Paul Constant Reviews Twitter in which he asks “Has Twitter changed the world? Has it changed journalism? Has it changed writing? Is it necessary? Is it ever going to stop?”
The coolest thing about this article?
“I wrote this story in 140-character chunks on Twitter in two long sittings, in March and in June. It required a different way of writing.”
An extract:
“We’re telling each other stories, 140 characters at a time, as they unfold. If you can’t see the value in that, you’re hopeless.
There are plenty of people who claim Twitter is stupid and pointless, that it’s a ridiculous fad for bored, oversharing white kids.
Or that the media is making something up that isn’t there. They say it’s impractical. It’s an Easter-colored symptom of cultural brain-rot.”
What are your points? What makes twitter worthwhile for you?
