The Purpose of Twitter
Some use it to post “status messages”, descriptions of what they’re currently doing. Others (like me) use it like a “micro blog”, a place to post thoughts too small to warrant a full blog post. Then some have gotten creative, using it for sharing haikus, alerting people, and even writing full novels.
Now, I bring this all up because I want to know, what do you use twitter for? Does twitter have a solid, fixed purpose? Or is it just a blank slate for others to interpret their own use? Will twitter continue to be a venue for expression and discussion of import matter? Or will it turn into nothing but a public facebook?
I’d like to hear your opinion.
Sorry if this all sounds like a slurred mess… I just wanted to post something and I had been thinking about this recently. My next post will either be about my new mytouch slide or, if this gets some comments, if it really is worth using a FOSS alternative to twitter (identi.ca) if no one will see what you have to say.
I use Twitter for multiple purposes.
First of all, my Identi.ca and StatusNet accounts forward to Twitter, so Twitter is a way to let those who are outside the more conversational world listen in. Twitter is more like a room full of shouting people, where Identica/StatusNet is much more of a conversation.
First and a half, Twitter’s short message length means that I can dip into it during my lunch break without getting deeply entwined in a long message, article, or comments thread.
Secondly, Twitter is how I listen to many in the tech world. For instance, I follow Tim Bray on Twitter and subscribe to his blog. I check Twitter daily, but only open my RSS reader a couple of times per week.
Thirdly, Twitter enables some communication with a small subset of my family members. In that respect, it takes the best aspects of Facebook and removes the predatory privacy-stripping.
Fourth (and last), Twitter is the best place to share or find breaking news. When Mexico and California had an earthquake in April, I was tweeting about it before the shaking stopped.