I decided to finally dive into Twitter this past month, since it seemed to be getting serious traction as a tool. You can follow me if you like.
I was wary of the step, as I couldn’t identify a tangible benefit to knowing short bursts of facts about strangers — buying coffee, eating pickles, tweeting while I drive, escaping the smoldering wreckage on the highway caused by tweeting while I drive, and so on. But I’ve actually found some real utility.
Twitter, or more specifically the users of Twitter, provides a stream of links, insights, references, citations, and trends that I wouldn’t find otherwise. I’ve already discovered a half dozen books I didn’t know about, a few new reports from the arts and related fields, and some fascinating initiatives among arts marketers, managers, and supporters. And I’ll have to admit that #operaplot and #haiku have both provided a happy refuge.
I can’t say the system is for everyone (as the 60 percent defection rate will attest). But for those of us who need to scan the universe for bits and pieces of evidence on our industry, our society, and our world, it’s not a bad addition to the toolkit.
Now, I’ll go tweet the fact that I’ve blogged about Twitter.
Good insights, Andrew.
I too was skeptical. I’d read the definition of social media as ”web users generating their own content in a collaborative, community-driven way.’ But I wasn’t what community I would benefit from.
Thought I’d share some other cases I’ve learned about…
http://brandinnovator.blogspot.com/2009/03/8-brand-case-studies-of-social-media.html
Good for you. I find most of the criticism of Twitter comes from people who have never actually looked at Twitter. If you cultivate a good mix of followers and people you follow, I think you’ll find it’s a useful tool.
I’m eating a pickle.
I’ve looked at Twitter. A few times actually.
And I’m eating a pickle now.