Mashable - The Social Media Guide - Latest Comments in Using Twitter For Serious Stuff – Great Idea or Utter Insanity?

Re: Using Twitter For Serious Stuff – Great Idea or Utter Insanity?

scoutingfish — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 08:53:28 -0000

A tweet definitely can't carry weight in and of itself. But if you think about it, twitter is pretty much the web's version of radio. You have amateurs and you have pros. There are thousands of each, and they all cover whatever the heck they want. The difference with twitter is that it's global and it'll come to you almost anywhere

Re: Using Twitter For Serious Stuff – Great Idea or Utter Insanity?

jwmcphee — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 06:52:02 -0000

I agree to some extent with what Stan is saying. Some people do use it for nothing other than telling people what they ate or where they're traveling to. Nobody cares about this, seriously, no one. I don't follow these people.

I do find Twitter useful if you follow those who are providing useful information. Follow those in your industry, learn from the experts. To me it's a great way to stay on top of information you might not have had time to dig for yourself.

Re: Using Twitter For Serious Stuff – Great Idea or Utter Insanity?

Brian Humphrey — Tue, 11 Mar 2008 14:23:13 -0000

Stan,

You wrote...

"Twitter is great when the message is not important"

While we don't pretend to use our Twitter feed for essential elements of life safety, our experience with Twitter has shown it to be almost always useful and often beneficial for providing what our followers consider 'important' messages.

There are many tools in our tool chest, and we're quite pleased on our return on investment in Twitter.

Respectfully Yours in Safety and Service,

Brian Humphrey
Firefighter/Specialist
Public Service Officer
Los Angeles Fire Department

LAFD Blog: lafd.org/blog

Re: Using Twitter For Serious Stuff – Great Idea or Utter Insanity?

Nathania — Tue, 11 Mar 2008 14:22:59 -0000

I disagree with you. Twitter is a highly useful networking tool. If you don't like all the SXSW arrangements occurring on Twitter, I dare say it's not for you. I don't think you should try to get people to stop using Twitter in a way that's highly beneficial to them.

As for the commenter who said you need to be on Twitter because everyone's doing it - false. Use the social tools that make sense to you. That's where you'll find your social networking power.

Re: Using Twitter For Serious Stuff – Great Idea or Utter Insanity?

SearchRank — Tue, 11 Mar 2008 09:57:22 -0000

Mmmm... comment above did not take. At any rate, in response to your last statement essentially saying that if you have anything important to say, don't say it on Twitter - I don't agree with you.

I get people to listen to me and respond and I do the same with others. It all depends on your fellow Twitts I guess.

Re: Using Twitter For Serious Stuff – Great Idea or Utter Insanity?

SearchRank — Tue, 11 Mar 2008 09:55:04 -0000

>> Hereâ€™s a simple rule: if itâ€™s important, donâ€™t say it on Twitter. If it requires a response, donâ€™t say it on Twitter. If you actually care whether anyone will see what youâ€™ve just written, donâ€™t say it on Twitter. Twitter, however fun it may be, simply isnâ€™t designed for it.â€œ

Re: Using Twitter For Serious Stuff – Great Idea or Utter Insanity?

Rod Scher — Tue, 11 Mar 2008 09:33:52 -0000

And there in a nutshell, is the crux of the matter: Twitter is, as Douglas puts it so very well, an elegant and "useful way to stay 'in the loop', [and] share things."

But that presumes a need to be in the loop and to share. I'm all for that under many circumstances, but is anyone else feeling like we're all doing just a little too much sharing these days? There is such a thing, after all, as an unexpressed thought.

Re: Using Twitter For Serious Stuff – Great Idea or Utter Insanity?

Gordon — Tue, 11 Mar 2008 08:13:53 -0000

Sorry, Stan, but I have to disagree. Simplicity = Power, at least simplicity done right. Twitter certainly has its shortcomings, particularly its tendency to shut down from time to time, but it's a great way to broadcast something to a lot of people.

Threaded conversations are exactly what I DON'T want, generally speaking, in a tool like Twitter. I want all the info to be right there on the surface, where I can easily scan it.

I DON'T want to have click to open something, because then it'll bog down just like email! Actually, someone made the awful mistake of having all their incoming tweets sent as email-they totally didn't get the point of Twitter.

Twitter is for broadcasting info (whether "important" or not) to a lot of people easily, in chunks that are easily absorbed.

It can be a great tool to connect with others and, if used properly, even to combat information overload.

Re: Using Twitter For Serious Stuff – Great Idea or Utter Insanity?

Maggie — Tue, 11 Mar 2008 05:31:22 -0000

agreed.

Re: Using Twitter For Serious Stuff – Great Idea or Utter Insanity?

Chris — Tue, 11 Mar 2008 02:56:56 -0000

Probably they should develop a tool that includes your suggestion will make it very interesting and better than Twitter.

Re: Using Twitter For Serious Stuff – Great Idea or Utter Insanity?

Kate — Tue, 11 Mar 2008 02:51:25 -0000

What makes Twitter great is there are no rules and everyone uses it for their own purpose. It's too easy to just see it through the lense of who you follow, but it can be much more than that. Personally, I don't use regular tweets for 'serious' stuff like scheduling, but I do use the @ and dm features for that b/c I know the people I'm 'talking' to will get them. It is what it is, use it for what you will, and tweet and let tweet.

Re: Using Twitter For Serious Stuff – Great Idea or Utter Insanity?

jennybee — Tue, 11 Mar 2008 01:40:15 -0000

"Itâ€™s the digital equivalent of going out on the street and shouting random, short, cryptic sentences (and not caring much if anyone will hear you.)"

But, for me at least, the 'street' is full of friends (some of whom I even know in real life ;) ) who understand something of my interests and enthusiasms and who are looking for micro-conversations to engage with.

I think it's less random and meaningless than you make out.

Re: Using Twitter For Serious Stuff – Great Idea or Utter Insanity?

Rebtel — Tue, 11 Mar 2008 01:37:14 -0000

"theyâ€™ve created a cool tool for people to say all those little things that might normally be left unsaid."

that pretty much sums up Twitter in once sentence.

nice read!

Re: Using Twitter For Serious Stuff – Great Idea or Utter Insanity?

robojiannis — Tue, 11 Mar 2008 01:07:51 -0000

It seems to me, that twitter is there to fill in the gaps: when you are sitting on the toilet and you are bored
when you wait for your date
when you eat alone

most of all don't feel alone, be constantly occupied (even with crap)

Re: Using Twitter For Serious Stuff – Great Idea or Utter Insanity?

Niki — Tue, 11 Mar 2008 00:06:18 -0000

Right, I agree. Most of all, it's used for little advs, something like: my new blogpost ..., which is not all bad, I must confess. It might happen to find even useful and interesting stuff.

Re: Using Twitter For Serious Stuff – Great Idea or Utter Insanity?

mavis hansen — Tue, 11 Mar 2008 00:06:05 -0000

Point taken but in an earthquake,twitter becomes more of a news feed. A new ham radio if you will.

Re: Using Twitter For Serious Stuff – Great Idea or Utter Insanity?

Doug Campbell — Tue, 11 Mar 2008 00:02:43 -0000

It is completely true that Twitter does not shine as a synchronized, results oriented commnications tool. However it doesn't need to to be on order to be useful. Sure, for immediate action a phone call, even and SMS, is more dependable. However, Twitter excels in the small niche I call personal newscasting. While I don't really care if you had a hazelnut latte I AM interested in some fact you just learned, a phrase you just coined or where the party is still rocking...

After I leave SXSW I'll probably turn off the SMS notifications,or perhaps I'll opt in to the convenience of quick, bite size knowledge or personal 'moment recording'. Not only did I learn that Eliot Spitzer liked prozzies today via Twitter but I also recorded a new dance move I coined: 'The Pope' and heard about a backdoor to the late night partying spot.

Can it feed me or keep me warm if Armageddon hits? No. But in the meantime it's a useful way to stay 'in the loop', share things and all with minimal effort...