Twitter Is Like A Casual Conversation Among Friends Over Dinner
from the that's-it dept
I've noticed that whenever we mention Twitter on this site, we inevitably get some snarky comment from someone about how useless Twitter is. It often seems to come from someone with a "been there/done that" attitude, but it really comes off quite like the folks who used to mock mobile phones as being useless, email as being useless, the web as being useless and blogs as being useless. The fact is many, many, many people find all those things quite valuable, and these days you don't hear so many complaints about phones, email and the web being useless (you still sometimes hear people talking about blogs being useless). One of the most common put downs of Twitter is that "I don't care about someone eating a tuna sandwich for lunch." And, indeed, most people don't. But if all you follow are people whose tuna sandwich lunches you don't care about, you're not using the tool correctly.Roger Ebert has been using Twitter quite a lot lately, and he came to it after being one of the Twitter-haters (like many people are), and he's now written eloquently about how he realized his initial thoughts on the service were wrong:
I vowed I would never become a Twit. Now I have Tweeted nearly 10,000 Tweets. I said Twitter represented the end of civilization. It now represents a part of the civilization I live in. I said it was impossible to think of great writing in terms of 140 characters. I have been humbled by a mother of three in New Delhi. I said I feared I would become addicted. I was correct.Now, part of that is the fact that he has lost his voice, which has made it difficult for him to have good face-to-face conversations, something that he can do on Twitter. And it's that aspect of it that made him realize what a useful service it is:
I am in conversation. When you think about it, Twitter is something like a casual conversation among friends over dinner: Jokes, gossip, idle chatter, despair, philosophy, snark, outrage, news bulletins, mourning the dead, passing the time, remembering favorite lines, revealing yourself.A bunch of people sent this story over, and initially I wasn't sure if there was anything to say about it. But those few lines above so accurately describe the value of Twitter that it seemed worthwhile to post. I know it won't convince those who still see no need for the service, or those who feel the need to immediately put it down without additional thought, but for those who have found the service to be useful, the point Ebert makes above is what makes it so valuable. For me, personally, I've found that those sorts of "conversations" have allowed me to stay much more in touch with friends and family around the world, while also making new friends and acquaintances along the way. It really is just an ongoing conversation, and in a world where conversation matters (as I believe it does now, more than ever), the tools that make conversation easier are too important to simply brush aside as useless.
Thank you for reading this Techdirt post. With so many things competing for everyone’s attention these days, we really appreciate you giving us your time. We work hard every day to put quality content out there for our community.
Techdirt is one of the few remaining truly independent media outlets. We do not have a giant corporation behind us, and we rely heavily on our community to support us, in an age when advertisers are increasingly uninterested in sponsoring small, independent sites — especially a site like ours that is unwilling to pull punches in its reporting and analysis.
While other websites have resorted to paywalls, registration requirements, and increasingly annoying/intrusive advertising, we have always kept Techdirt open and available to anyone. But in order to continue doing so, we need your support. We offer a variety of ways for our readers to support us, from direct donations to special subscriptions and cool merchandise — and every little bit helps. Thank you.
–The Techdirt Team
Filed Under: conversation, roger ebert, twitter
Companies: twitter
Reader Comments
Subscribe: RSS
View by: Time | Thread
Yeah, some people can spam you at times (I'm looking at you, Kevin Smith), but if you find a person annoying to follow, just stop following them. Not interested in using it? Don't use it. Meanwhile, I've had many scoops direct from the horse's mouth about projects I'm interested in, gotten early news on freebies and competitions I've ended up winning, etc.
Like the anti-Facebook crowd who seem to think that everyone can just pop round the corner to see their friends and family to get the latest news (mine are spread across 10 countries on 4 continents), the anti-Twitter folk are either doing it wrong or don't see the point. That's fine, just stop telling me I'm wrong because I find it useful.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
I've followed a bunch of people on Twitter, people whose other content I really enjoy (podcasters, artists, journalists, etc) the problem is that 95%+ of my Twitter feed is @replies to other people who I don't know and therefore did not see their original comment which sparked the reply.
So, to me, my Twitter feed looks like a room full of people who are all on the phone to people I don't know. I only ever hear one side of the conversation and most of the time that is not enough for me to understand what is being talked about.
It's like reading a bunch of people's email "sent" boxes and the emails they are replying to are never quoted.
Hardly ever does anyone Tweet something that is actually just a "from me to everyone" kind of communication.
Surely I'm not doing it right? Please help.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re:
Even blogs that I follow that have authors tweeting, the tweets add no significant additions, because they are off the cuff and unedited.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re:
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re:
That's weird. I'm pretty sure the default setting these days is that you DO NOT see @replies to people you don't follow.
Perhaps you tried Twitter a long time ago when it was different?
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: @replies
Has it been awhile since you've used Twitter? The situation you complain about does not exist anymore.
Over a year ago, due to technical reasons, Twitter removed the ability to see those "half-conversations".
http://mashable.com/2009/05/13/twitter-fixreplies/
I miss that option very much, but for you, that's one "problem" you won't have to deal with any more. Now, if you want to see who else someone you're following is talking you, you'll have to visit their Twitter profile page.
In other news, the old adage you get out of something what you put into it applies to Twitter. But in this case, HOW you follow Twitter is almost as important as who you follow.
By all means, use a Twitter client instead of accessing only the web interface at Twitter.com. That will turn your Twitter stream into something that looks more like Instant Messaging.
Finally, if you want an interesting Twitter stream, follow interesting people.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
tweets and internet lowercase or CAPS
take a look:
Tamlin Magee writes at:
http://www.techeye.net/internet/ne
The New York Times sure doesn't like to lead THE way, especially with language in technology. As many forward THINKING and established news organs over here in Blighty agree, THERE'S no need to capitalise the 'i' in internet. However THE New York Times, as well as Associated Press, have STUBBORNLY refused to make the switch to lower case.
"Our CURRENT style is to keep the uppercase "I" [for Internet]," CORBETT told a friend. "I agree that the trend is TOWARD lowercase, and I suspect that at some point we WILL review our style. But our preference is to follow ESTABLISHED usage, not to lead the way. So I can't PREDICT when the change might be made."
The same friend INFORMED us that Ted Anthony, an editor at Associated Press, WOULD be for a change but it's such a big DEAL that we'd expect to see a press release issued FIRST.
Which is all fine - freedom of the press (to QUIBBLE over grammar) and all that. We must say, however, THE New York Times seems to be pretty keen to USE the Apple-approved syntax for iPad. Shouldn't that be IPAD, or Ipad, or ipad?
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
get off my lawn
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re:
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re:
Here is the really cool part: Some of them will not like what you say and complain to you. Some of them may become so interested that they sit down at your ever-expanding table and throw a few words in of their own. You may not like all of these people - and some of them may not like you, but I would prefer a world in which it is ok to sit at that bistro table and start sharing my ideas as well.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Re:
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Re: Re:
It's not at all like someone is spray painting it on billboards that everyone sees. Do you have any idea how many tweets you missed while you were writing that comment?
You really need 'proximity' of sorts. Yes, you can search for tweets and filter them, and there are archives you can look through, but you have to set the search terms. That's not like happening by a conversation as much as seeking one out, but that's part of the greatness of it.
Yes, your "private" conversation gets recorded and published, but that is the powerful part of the tool. If you don't want to publish what you say, don't use the tool.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Re: Re: Re:
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Re: Re: Re: Re:
Then, um, perhaps don't follow those things or people who say those things?
Don't blame the tool just because you use it wrong.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re:
That made me snicker.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re:
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re:
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re:
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Yes, Twitter is meaningless trivia. Anyone can do *that*.
"those few lines above so accurately describe the value of Twitter" --Yup. Same reason sports are popular, it's accessible down to literally sub-human, even a dog can be amused by images that change.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re:
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Call phones. E-mail. Voice Mail.
I have enough to keep up with - I am NOT adding anything else :)
Not that twitter sucks, I just have too much that takes up too much time now. Not looking for anything else to 'keep after'.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Love the service
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Love the service
twitter [twit-er]
verb (used without object)
1. to utter a succession of small, tremulous sounds, as a bird.
2. to talk lightly and rapidly, esp. of trivial matters; chatter.
3. to titter; giggle.
4. to tremble with excitement or the like; be in a flutter.
verb (used with object)
5. to express or utter by twittering.
noun
6. an act of twittering.
7. a twittering sound.
8. a state of tremulous excitement.
Pretty apt for the way that service works, really.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Someone who uses Twitter, is a twitterer.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Trying not to be snarky ...
I've set up some lists with people who's blogs and podcasts I follow all the time. There Tweets are still of little interest. Again, I see only half the conversation so I can't really follow what is being discussed. Maybe I'm missing something.
To me Tweets are shallow, blogs can be deep.
Oh, and I still don't find cell-phones all that useful either. I've got one for emergencies and only turn it on when I'm expecting a call from my wife ... say when I'm picking her up at the airport. If I leave it on the only calls I get are automated sales calls. I only pay about $100 per year on it too.
So that's just my experience ... and I'm entitled to my experience, don't you think? I'm not saying no one else should have their experience or that we should outlaw micro-blogging. I'm just saying, for me, my time is better spent in other places ... like reading TechDirt ... and writing long non-snarky comments.
Peace,
Rob:-]
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Trying not to be snarky ...
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Whenever I hear someone say that, I think "You know it can be used for other things, right?"
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re:
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Re:
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
- Ashton Kutcher tells Ladies Home Journal
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Give me a break
That would be like showing how the adoption of religon is skyrocketing by only polling prisoners on death row.
If Ebert HADN'T lost the ability to speak and suddenly started tweeing, maybe I'd take notice...
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Face to face?
How exactly do you have a face-to-face conversation on Twitter?
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Twitter is like...
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Tweets
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Conversation and keeping in touch
And of those I follow, it's not so much the broadcasting, as it is conversation. My family and friends on Facebook, Twitter and elsewhere don't broadcast that they're going to the bathroom, then having a sandwich, or they just got up, and getting ready for work. Instead, they say things like how much they love their kids, why a certain employee is driving them nuts, or why they like the Celtics over the Lakers. Most of these spark comments, creating a genuine, real-time conversation.
Conversations with people, that had these tools not existed, would not be taking place.
For me, I'm a conversation-aholic. I'm in IRC, IM, Facebook, Twitter, Identi.ca, Buzz, Google Reader, email, RSS and a number of others. It's not about followers, as much as it is about finding those who are important to me, or those I have an interest in keeping contact with, and then getting the relevant data from their lives.
It is indeed conversation. Sometimes too, it's arguments, political commentary, Q & A, sympathy, celebrations and so much more.
As with anything, these can be abused, but the great thing with many of these tools, is you can stop following them, and the abuse is no longer a problem for you. You get the data that's interesting to you, and cut out all the rest of the noise.
That's my thoughts anyway.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]