Tuesday, December 01, 2009

Down with Twitter!

My experiment with Twitter ended a few weeks ago.  I posted my last so-called tweet is late October, and now, I move on for many reasons.

1) Twitter is a dumb word.
2) Tweet is even dumber.
3) 140 words is too short for anything but a semi-grammatical grunt.
4) I kept attracting unsavory followers offering hidden links to scandalous sites.
5) Twitter is continually over-capacity.
6) I am all for Web 2.0, but Twitter's purpose is to limited that I only ever see things like: I am about to take a dump; I am off to the to store to buy condoms.  In other words, it is a constant source of useless micro-information.
7) I don't need constant reminders that people lead boring lives.
8) I already have a few Ego 2.0 outlets, and don't need another.
9) I really think Twitter inflates one's perceived sense of importance.
10) Twitter would have been much better if I had thought of it and had given it a good name.

I hope Twitter dies and soon. Down with Twitter!

9 comments:

angela said...

i agree that twitter makes itself out to be much more than it is. but i can't help but think of the folks in iran who used it to broadcast what was going on.

but the main reason i started using it was because my company blocked facebook, and also to stop talking out loud to myself too much. on facebook, i feel like there's more of an audience; on twitter you're pretty much mumbling to yourself, which works for me.

tshsmom said...

I like richly crafted sentences and paragraphs. That's why I prefer blogging.
To me, Twitter is like texting on a computer. I don't understand either Twitter or texting. I use a phone to TALK to people. If I want to communicate online, I email or blog. True communication consists of way more than 140 words!

Kate said...

I find Twitter overwhelming. There's so much coming at you and very little interacting with others. I do enjoy crafting a pithy, somewhat misleading and mysterious "tweet", but after that, what's the point? It's not like I can explain there if someone asks. Bleh.

I like texting. Why call my husband and ask him what to get from the grocery store. Send and text, receive a list and be on with it. Better than all those people all the phone in their cars. Who are they talking with at 6:30AM?!?

Kate said...

There should have been a question mark and "send A text." I'm tired.

Unknown said...

I'm a Twitter addict so I can't agree, of course.

No crafted sentences? - you're not following any poets or authors are you?

little interactivity? - hmm, I've made lots of contacts through Twitter, and some new friends IRL.

Yet, I do believe it's not for everyone and if you can accomplish the same tasks using phones, texts, IM, whatever, then that's fine too. For me, I despise the phone (I was an odd teenage girl) and I don't have cell phone numbers for most of the people I interact with on Twitter.

k said...

It's a tool, and not every tool suits every person and their needs.

But I'm connected to several small groups of people -- so discussions tend to form on different subjects. Some of us swap recipe links; some of us swap opinions on movies; others just chat -- not unlike what we'd do 'round a water cooler.

I'm also following our local health unit, so the day they announced no line-ups for flu shots, I was there in less than ten minutes.

I'd agree with you re: the spammers, though, they drive me batty. And of course, if the tool doesn't suit your needs, by all means, don't use it.

ShellyS said...

Twitter is what you make of it. I love it. I do not use it obsessively. I do enjoy "live Tweeting" while watching a favorite tv show. It's like having a conversation with dozens of other people in real time. This was especially fun for the premiere of Stargate Universe.

I use it to get quickie updates from actors, writers, and producers re: my favorite shows and from the studios. USA is really good for this.

I use it to get library related links from fellow librarians.

In many ways, this is similar to how I use Facebook in many ways, but not everyone I know uses FB and I use my real name there, so only follow people I actually know. On Twitter, I follow people who I find interesting.

Twitter won't replace blogging for me, but sometimes, a blog post is more than I want to write or read.

Some people/services/companies use it to offer specials. I also use it to find out where the NYC Waffle Truck will be each day so I can get a waffle for lunch if it's in my work neighborhood.

There are all sorts of uses for Twitter. I follow what interests me and don't follow what doesn't.

As for other communication methods, I do telephone reference so much I can't bear to look at the phone other times. People can't always answer a phone, but they might get a text later, or yes, a voicemail. But you can send a tweet, too, if they have that enabled. And you can receive the tweets you follow on your phone, too.

There are spammers everywhere. I have to delete more spam comments in my blog moderation cues than I have to deal with them on Twitter. On Twitter, I just block the spammers.

S.M. Elliott said...

Twitter is just absolutely awful. Tweets are worse than sound bites - you can't get any useful information across in them. I think Twitter was designed solely for people with ADD.

zydeco fish said...

Wow, a lot of reaction. I agree about the whole Iran thing, but without Twitter, I think another platform would have been used. After all, you can update blogs via SMS too.

But, I can understand why people like Twitter. I wasn't joking when I said I hate the name. I feel that I would be more favorably disposed to it if it had a god name :-)