What's "twitter"?

[Dark Jaguar]

I don't really get it. I keep hearing about "twittering" lately, and honestly I don't see how this is any different from anything already available. It's apparently putting up messages, but isn't that what "blogging" is? What's the difference? Apparently it has a character limit. Is that such a hard thing to impose on one's self? So these people are all logging into some twitter site on their cell phones and slowly typing in small messages every 5 minutes. That's fine I guess if they can stand the tedium, but I fail to see how it's any different than doing the same thing with a message board or "blog" or even instant messanger.

[DMiller]

It's kind of a way to keep track of what a network of people are up to. A lot of people use it for their friends, but even more use it for professional networks. I have a few computer science teachers and professional contacts who I can keep tabs on and if they are doing something cool that I might want to use I can get in touch with them. The character limit is to make sure it doesn't become a blog. You are just suppose to put quick updates on your activity.

[lazyfatbum]

In one or two months it will be porn and 14 year olds.

[A Black Falcon]

It's kind of a way to keep track of what a network of people are up to. A lot of people use it for their friends, but even more use it for professional networks. I have a few computer science teachers and professional contacts who I can keep tabs on and if they are doing something cool that I might want to use I can get in touch with them. The character limit is to make sure it doesn't become a blog. You are just suppose to put quick updates on your activity.

Most of the time though, it's just a way for egotistical people to pretend that other people care about them. :)

See -- the recent Doonesbury series with Roland Hedley and his twittering... hilarious stuff...

[Dark Jaguar]

My question is really what makes it different than just using any of a million other already existing technologies? You say it's about updates, but heck doesn't a "blog" do that?

I guess what I'm asking is what is the technological or operative difference between this and any other method of keeping in touch? What does a twitter DO?

[A Black Falcon]

It has a character limit (140 characters maximum per message) and is text only, so it's best used for short, irrelevant statements about whatever you're doing at the current second or your thoughts of the moment, written with your cellphone or whatever.

See this: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twitter#In_the_media

http://www.doonesbury.com/strip/dailydos...e=20090302

...

Woah, there's an official Roland Hedley twitter! Awesome...

http://twitter.com/Roland_Hedley

Okay, there are a few good uses for it, like ones used for updates that actually matter... but the vast majority is this kind of irrelevant junk, not possibly useful uses like what DMiller mentioned. :)

[Dark Jaguar]

But is that ALL it is? Is it just a blog but with limitations? Is there anything else about it? Anything at all?

[DMiller]

That is it. Like I said, though, it's pretty good for building a professional network. A friend of mine at Microsoft who I followed on Twitter got into a discussion with one of his other friends on Twitter about AP Computer Science and I started following the friend since he had a lot of good tips about CS and was trying to build his own network of teachers using technology. It's much more of a network than a blog.

[Dark Jaguar]

But how is it a network any more than a blog is?

I just don't see that. It's exactly the same as a blog from what you've described, no functional difference except for the imposed length limit (which can easily be self-imposed, so I don't see the point there either).

[Weltall]

It's Tendo City minus having to actually sign up.

[DMiller]

But how is it a network any more than a blog is?

I just don't see that. It's exactly the same as a blog from what you've described, no functional difference except for the imposed length limit (which can easily be self-imposed, so I don't see the point there either).

It's the connections you make with people. A blog is much more of a one-way conversation, although there usually is a comment system. Twitter is making short comments about what you are working on that others can respond to, and you can respond to the comments of others.