Over the last year, I have been seeing references to something called "Twitter" in discussions related to technology, internet trends, and other "geek topics" which I follow. Suddenly, I started hearing Twitter dropped in non-geek conversations. Twitter began making its way into the news, and onto the Blackberries of some unlikely people. (Lance Armstrong, Barack Obama, George Stephanopolis, etc)
I kept my distance at first and only glanceowd at Twitter references occasionally. I just didn't see any use for Twitter in my life, and I thought it was a lame fad. I expected it to burn itself out quickly, and I could get back to FaceBook and LinkedIn.
I can now see that Twitter is not going to burn itself out; it is snowballing itself into a YouTube-like freight train. Some of the most popular and intelligent people are using Twitter regularly. Innovative developers are building new applications for Twitter everyday. A group of venture capitalists recently threw $35 million at Twitter, even though it still lacks a profitable business plan. Read that again: $35 million invested in a service that currently is unable to make money.
Several weeks ago, I finally dangled a toe in Twitter. It still seemed like a blackhole, but I kept at it. I was looking for the hook, and the hook found me: Twitter is what you make it. The service is so simple and easy that if you just look for a way to make it useful, you will create the usefulness.
A religious figure once said, "Knock and the door shall be opened, seek and ye shall find." If you play with Twitter long enough, you will create the door that you want to knock on. You will answer your own prayers. Twitter has so many potential applications that you are guaranteed to find a use for it.
In my next post, I will explain how I use it. For now, just realize that for whatever question you may ask, Twitter is the answer. Twitter will eventually be a network service that we take for granted like GoogleMaps or YouTube. It will not, however, go away for lack of usefulness.
3 comments:
I found your twittering of Obama's speech Tuesday interesting, but I also thought the twittering of those in the audience a little disturbing. It would be like letting my students twitter while I tried to lecture. Too much multi-tasking and not enough thoughtful consideration. Is my age showing?
No, that is a good point. Twitter during a speech can provide more noise than is beneficial. In education, Twitter may not enhance the classroom but it may extend it. After a one hour lecture, you can use twitter to reinforce key concepts. Students can ask questions later in the week as they reflect and attempt an assignment.
Off the wall idea: Have a class all use a hashtag on twitter such as #groupstory and then each student adds a line to build a story. You start out with a sentence, and throughout the week each student adds a sentence to create this corporate story. Maybe it doesn't work, but you can see how twitter adds so many new dimensions to how the human race can connect.
Just imagine if some English students in China happened on your story and began contributing to it. The story may take on a life of its own through Twitter.
This Twitter concept may change how leaders speak to us. Rather than planning to preach for an hour, they may plan just a few key points and begin a mass dialogue through Twitter. The State of the Union Address could be delivered in bursts over a week and include real dialogue and corrections, rather than the pomp and ceremony that it is now.
I like the story idea. We do something like this in class--with old-fashioned paper and pencil and it's a rollicking good time.
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