Twitter was offline most of the day. We’ve been told upgrades were happening, although I don’t see any- hopefully they were increasing under-the-hood stuff. It does seem to be working quite quickly now.
People still look at me cross-eyed when I mention Twitter. Even I sometimes wonder why I hang around, with all the technical issues, and the fact that, to be honest, Jaiku and Pownce offer more features and are probably more useful overall (Jaiku in particular has become my “lifestream”, the place where almost everything I put out there on the internet comes together.)
So what keeps me at Twitter? People. Ah, yes, a cliché. But lets look at some examples of how the people I’ve met on Twitter have upgraded my life.
They’ve increased my awareness.
I now know more about:
- new media marketing
- podcasting
- Second Life
- knitting
- US soldiers in
KuwaitAfganistan (oops, dumb American!) - the inner workings at NBC news
and more.
They’ve provided comic relief.
There are some very funny people on my friends list, including, but certainly not limited to, a stand up comedian and a writer for David Letterman.
They’ve become clients!
Three of my Twitter friends have become clients. More have expressed interest, soon hopefully I’ll be able to work with them as well. Yet the only marketing I’ve done on Twitter is listing my business site in my profile, and answering requests for help other people have sent out.
They’ve solved problems.
Quite a few times I’ve hit a technical issue and tweeted out a help request. Just yesterday I needed someone to take a look at a site in IE6, and 4 people responded within minutes offering to help. Thanks to them I figured out the issue and fixed it.
This weekend I’m heading to Drexel University for PodCamp Philly. I’m not a podcaster, though I have an idea or two that I might act on one of these days. But learning more about podcasting is only one reason I’m attending. Looking at the list of attendees I see a bunch of people I’ve met online via Twitter, and I’m excited to meet them in person. It’s fun to be around people who share the kind of passion I feel for things most people I know either don’t get or just find a little too geeky. I know I tend to be obsessive (to put it mildly!), and I can’t and don’t expect friends to share those obsessions with me. But I do love meeting new people that do!
7 Comments
As one of those twitter clients I have to agree!!! I missed twitter this am… and can’t wait can’t wait can’t wait to meet you and some of my other twitter friends in the actual flesh this weekend!!!!!!!!!
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I agree! I met my fiancee on Twitter, 10000 miles away!
Now we’re living together in London! [ http://twitter.com/01000101 ]
We fell in love in 140 characters (or less)!!
Also met so many other great people. Feel ‘connected’ to them all, in a way
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Another one of your Twitter clients here! I still visit Pownce and Jaiku (especially when Twitter is down), but community really is about the people. And my “tweeps” are important to my mental health.
Have fun at PodCamp Philly, and tell all our Twitter pals I said “hey.”
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See, now I use Twitter for a lot of these reasons, as well as letting people know when I have a new show up and running… when I get around to doing show editing.
I’ll be off to faux-DJ today, and will be turning on Twitter SMS. Must… keep… in… touch…
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Great article. And, I second this e-notion!
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I was out of the house most of yesterday, or I’d have gotten the shakes from twitter being down - LOL I agree with all the points you’ve made. I don’t know why I’m drawn to the people there more than another of the similar apps, but I am.
Great post! Best wishes to you for a fabulous Friday!
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Have fun this weekend…unfortunately I’m one of those people who’s eyes gloss over simply because I don’t have a clue!
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