Every 7.9 seconds
I signed up for Twitter today. Not because I want to tweet my every move and thought. Nor did I sign up so I can stalk everyone I know to see what they are doing and thinking every 7.9 seconds. Personally I find the whole thing ridiculous.
Having said that, my friend started a new business and is trying to get the word out and I was asked to sign up at her request. That's why I did it. But then I thought wow how ridiculous to only follow one tweeter. So I thought, I'll add some. So I searched and searched but found only a handful were worth adding. My sisters. Bill Gates. The President. David Spade, for fun. Then I decided the next three times I saw the "follow me" sign I'd do it. Obviously whatever I was reading was of some interest. I'm up to following 19. Wow.
So the question is, will I read these tweets? I still don't quite understand how it works. Can I remove them? What if I start getting bombarded with silly tweets like "riding my pig" or "eating my horse"? Or "who left the outhouse door open?" What if I am overwhelmed with tweets from the NRA, masked as the AARP? "38 special senior discount." Can that happen? Are there settings I have to worry about? Do people respond to tweets and if so do they show up on my page or my phone? And why after only 5 minutes have two followers showed up. I don't know them. Are they hoping I'll check them out and decide to follow them too? That's a bit sick. New marketing gimmick? I'm not giving them the satisfaction of finding out.
So far, Ellen is giving away cool stickers. And Chris Rock now has a Twitter Account. And David Spade is waiting for a nail clipper to park his car. So, obviously I had no idea what I was missing.
I added a few items of interest for the work I do. Now I don't feel like I am a complete TechnoSheep. Don't make me explain that.
I'd like to think that Twitter has a higher calling. I've heard it is a godsend in disasters, and we've had far too many of those lately. I'm not anticipating one here in the beautiful city of Tucson, where nothing eventful ever happens. Oh wait. That's Tuscany.
So I have activated and confirmed and set up my twitter account. All I have to do is sit back and let the tweets begin. You can follow me if you like. It won't impact your daily intake. I don't plan on tweeting, unless it's to announce the arrival of a new blog post.
Since I have not managed to attract any followers here, I'm guessing my Twitter Account will be pretty quiet as well. Which is for the best, of that I am sure. With millions of people convinced that they are in fact doing us all a favor by sharing their every moment, the need for some of us to just sit back and observe is increasingly apparent. This may seem to contradict my opinion of those who go on Facebook to simply observe without interaction, but it doesn't. Facebook is designed for interaction. Communication between old friends and new. Twitter is simply about the Tweeter. Narcissism gone amok.
Hey. I think I found my first worthy tweet.
Having said that, my friend started a new business and is trying to get the word out and I was asked to sign up at her request. That's why I did it. But then I thought wow how ridiculous to only follow one tweeter. So I thought, I'll add some. So I searched and searched but found only a handful were worth adding. My sisters. Bill Gates. The President. David Spade, for fun. Then I decided the next three times I saw the "follow me" sign I'd do it. Obviously whatever I was reading was of some interest. I'm up to following 19. Wow.
So the question is, will I read these tweets? I still don't quite understand how it works. Can I remove them? What if I start getting bombarded with silly tweets like "riding my pig" or "eating my horse"? Or "who left the outhouse door open?" What if I am overwhelmed with tweets from the NRA, masked as the AARP? "38 special senior discount." Can that happen? Are there settings I have to worry about? Do people respond to tweets and if so do they show up on my page or my phone? And why after only 5 minutes have two followers showed up. I don't know them. Are they hoping I'll check them out and decide to follow them too? That's a bit sick. New marketing gimmick? I'm not giving them the satisfaction of finding out.
So far, Ellen is giving away cool stickers. And Chris Rock now has a Twitter Account. And David Spade is waiting for a nail clipper to park his car. So, obviously I had no idea what I was missing.
I added a few items of interest for the work I do. Now I don't feel like I am a complete TechnoSheep. Don't make me explain that.
I'd like to think that Twitter has a higher calling. I've heard it is a godsend in disasters, and we've had far too many of those lately. I'm not anticipating one here in the beautiful city of Tucson, where nothing eventful ever happens. Oh wait. That's Tuscany.
So I have activated and confirmed and set up my twitter account. All I have to do is sit back and let the tweets begin. You can follow me if you like. It won't impact your daily intake. I don't plan on tweeting, unless it's to announce the arrival of a new blog post.
Since I have not managed to attract any followers here, I'm guessing my Twitter Account will be pretty quiet as well. Which is for the best, of that I am sure. With millions of people convinced that they are in fact doing us all a favor by sharing their every moment, the need for some of us to just sit back and observe is increasingly apparent. This may seem to contradict my opinion of those who go on Facebook to simply observe without interaction, but it doesn't. Facebook is designed for interaction. Communication between old friends and new. Twitter is simply about the Tweeter. Narcissism gone amok.
Hey. I think I found my first worthy tweet.
You just have to find out how you want to use Twitter. My Twitter-niche is news. I only follow news sources that I want to hear from: NPR, the local newspapers, Time, Obama, etc. The news comes to me and since I don't watch TV or listen to the radio other than in the morning, it keeps me in the loop.
ReplyDeleteI have only posted four Tweets in the years I have had an account. Nobody follows me and I am good with that. You can un-follow anybody you decided to follow at anytime, and I have. Following too many sources becomes unwieldy and checking Tweets becomes a chore.
With all that in mind, Twitter has a secure place on my Bookmark toolbar!