Anyone here Twitter?

[ISiddiqui]

Folks are posting on a sports message board and complaining about Twitter being a "massive waste of time"?

[Maple Leafs]

Originally Posted by Buccaneer

Must have been a major news article on this recently

It was in the news due to some early photos of the Hudson water landing being posted there.

[rkmsuf]

I guess it's a good place to keep all the losers.

[AgustusM]

to my understanding and certainly the way I use them:

myspace - is for people far younger than me and I don't use it, but I see why the younger crowd does.

facebook - is great for connecting with friends. For someone like me who maybe twice a year gets out without my kids it is a great way to stay connected to old friends I don't see. I have talked to a ton of people on there I haven't seen in 20 years.

Twitter - is great for getting information from people you don't know. For example when the hudson river airplane thing happened the news on twitter was much faster and current than any other medium. same thing for geek news. I rarely post on twitter but I read it a ton. Same way I will blog once in awhile, but read blogs almost every day.

The one not discussed here but certainly useful is LinkedIn which is great for professional networking.

[Pyser]

shaq meets twitterers in real life. then coins "twitteronia"

A foot and a half: Finally, A Use for Twitter

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by AgustusM

facebook - is great for connecting with friends. For someone like me who maybe twice a year gets out without my kids it is a great way to stay connected to old friends I don't see. I have talked to a ton of people on there I haven't seen in 20 years.

Since you brought this up ... how is facebook particularly different from myspace? Mostly the user base? Or something else?

I ask since my sister recently mentioned running into an old friend of mine that I lost touch with probably 20+ years ago that is one of the very few people I can think of who I would actually like to reconnect with. How easy is it to actually find someone you're looking for if you have no idea whether they're on facebook or what name they're under or anything like that (I'm assuming it's user name driven not real name driven unless you choose that).

Thoughts?

[Butter]

I don't use it, but having seen my wife use it, it appears to be almost exclusively real name driven.

[MikeVic]

Originally Posted by Pyser

shaq meets twitterers in real life. then coins "twitteronia"

A foot and a half: Finally, A Use for Twitter

That's cool.

[ISiddiqui]

Originally Posted by Butter_of_69

I don't use it, but having seen my wife use it, it appears to be almost exclusively real name driven.

And in fact if you name appears to be "not real", Facebook will make you change it. You are using your actual name... meaning finding people is far, far easier.

[Maple Leafs]

Chris Bosh is on twitter too, and he often updates with where he's eating dinner or what he's doing. I''ve wondered how often people just show up looking for him.

[rkmsuf]

Originally Posted by Maple Leafs

Chris Bosh is on twitter too, and he often updates with where he's eating dinner or what he's doing. I''ve wondered how often people just show up looking for him.

never

[Lorena]

Originally Posted by Pyser

shaq meets twitterers in real life. then coins "twitteronia"

A foot and a half: Finally, A Use for Twitter

I hate to nitpick here but, if someone's is gonna take a picture with someone like Shaq, take a halfway decent picture. You can't even see him from the glare outside. But having said that, it's cool of Shaq to tweet where he's gonna be. I'm surprised there weren't more ppl around him.

[ISiddiqui]

They didn't want Shaq to ask them how his ass taste.

[Young Drachma]

Originally Posted by JonInMiddleGA

Since you brought this up ... how is facebook particularly different from myspace? Mostly the user base? Or something else?

Thoughts?

It's the user base, yes. Also the features. Myspace was built as a social network to allow musicians to reach their fans. Facebook was originally built for college kids to see photos of the other kids on campus and beyond that, to communicate with folks on campus.

Twitter, of course, didn't really have any specific intentions and I think that's why it's thrived and has been more of a "sandbox" of spawned ideas, whereas the other two are locked in their boxes. But myspace of course, already cashed out and seems to be humming along.

Facebook still hasn't sold and it's a wonder what their long-term strategy is.

Facebook is emerging as the fastest growing network for boomers to find others and communicate with each other and is suffering from a host of strange issues as a result.

But like others have said, FB is real name driven and that helps. Twitter can be and myspace is a pretty big mess.

[SFL Cat]

Just joined, but honestly, Twitter seems like kind of a waste...

[Buccaneer]

Originally Posted by Dark Cloud

Facebook is emerging as the fastest growing network for boomers to find others and communicate with each other and is suffering from a host of strange issues as a result.

Let me extend the question and ask about the difference between Facebook and Classmates? I was a member for a couple of years on Classmates, which appeared to have about 75% of my SoCal HS graduating class of about 500. But nothing ever came of it, except for a few message board posts. It basically died, esp. when a reunion planning turned out to be a disaster. Are there more activity on Facebook? Is Facebook free, which Classmates is not?

[ISiddiqui]

Facebook is free... and there may be more activity on it, depending on how social your HS grad class members are.

[ISiddiqui]

Originally Posted by SFL Cat

Just joined, but honestly, Twitter seems like kind of a waste...

I originally thought so too, but the key is Twitter isn't like Facebook. It isn't just for following your friends, it's for following all sorts of weird, famous, and link happy people. I love reading the tweets of people like Ashton Kutchner, Rainn Wilson, Shaq, Will Wheaton, and a host of other bloggers/news reporter types.

[samifan24]

Originally Posted by SFL Cat

Just joined, but honestly, Twitter seems like kind of a waste...

I thought so too, and for the longest time, until I discovered that Twitter is really about having conversations with people and meeting other, like minded people rather than simply answering the question "what are you doing?" I think too many people check out Twitter and see the "what are you doing?" prompt and think it's some kind of exercise in narcissism. It can be for some people but I find that the truly interesting people reach out to others and talk about things that interest them or share interesting links or things like that. Twitter is a communication tool. It just takes time to learn how to use it.

[Buccaneer]

Originally Posted by samifan24

I thought so too, and for the longest time, until I discovered that Twitter is really about having conversations with people and meeting other, like minded people rather than simply answering the question "what are you doing?" I think too many people check out Twitter and see the "what are you doing?" prompt and think it's some kind of exercise in narcissism. It can be for some people but I find that the truly interesting people reach out to others and talk about things that interest them or share interesting links or things like that. Twitter is a communication tool. It just takes time to learn how to use it.

That makes sense. I still don't see the value in the former (as saying, "none of your fucking business") versus the latter of actually having a conversation like we do here.

[Pyser]

pretty much the more you use twitter, the better it gets. not sure why, but thats how its been for me

[Lorena]

Shaq's great, giving away tickets for Twitters - Twitter / THE_REAL_SHAQ

[samifan24]

Recently several MLB players have joined Twitter and I've made a list so you can follow them. Players on Twitter now include Justin Morneau, Nick Swisher, Barry Zito and C.J. Wilson. I will update the list as soon as MLB confirms other accounts. (The account made in CC Sabathia's name is a fake and the Orlando Hudson one is apparently also fake). MLB Players on Twitter - Google Docs

[Young Drachma]

Originally Posted by Pyser

pretty much the more you use twitter, the better it gets. not sure why, but thats how its been for me

That's a good explanation.

[ISiddiqui]

Originally Posted by samifan24

Recently several MLB players have joined Twitter and I've made a list so you can follow them. Players on Twitter now include Justin Morneau, Nick Swisher, Barry Zito and C.J. Wilson. I will update the list as soon as MLB confirms other accounts. (The account made in CC Sabathia's name is a fake and the Orlando Hudson one is apparently also fake). MLB Players on Twitter - Google Docs

Sweet! Thanks for the link!

[samifan24]

I have expanded the list to all professional athletes, not just MLB. If you use Twitter, please check it out!

[Maple Leafs]

Alex Ovechkin was on... he seems to have taken a break now but says he may be back.

Twitter / ovi8

[DaddyTorgo]

to update twitter from your cellphone though don't you have to send a text msg? and i presume it's not some super-special free text msg. that assumption is what has kept my away from twitter so far

[PackerFanatic]

Get unlimited texting?

[PackerFanatic]

Plus, for me, I don't update via text nearly as much as I update via TwitterFox (then again, I am at my computer at least 10 - 12 hours a day, so it is a lot easier for me to do it that way)

[ISiddiqui]

re: Ovechkin: Now that's becoming all cool again .

[DaddyTorgo]

Originally Posted by PackerFanatic

Get unlimited texting?

been there done that. i find that i don't text nearly enough to make it worthwhile now that there's not a lying-cheating-bitch in my life so I scaled it back to save the $5 a month. With the LCB around it was probably in excess of 300-400 text messages a month. Honestly, the amount of texts I send/receive I could probably do away with the texting altogether and just pay by the text. I just checked and in the month of Feb. I sent 15. Of those, only maybe 3-4 were "necessary" the rest I could have accomplished via quick phonecalls.

[Passacaglia]

I'm thinking of taking the plunge, since I just noticed that twitter isn't blocked at work, while facebook is. If you can update it through a text message, does that mean you don't need to have internet on your cell phone to update it?

[PackerFanatic]

That is correct, pass.

[DaddyTorgo]

i bet since i have internet on my cellphone i can either use the website or there's a windows mobile program to do it...

[Young Drachma]

There are a ton of Twitter clients out there that never require you to send a text. I use Twibble for my blackberry and Tweetdeck on my computers at work and home. I haven't sent a text to Twitter in ages.

[DaddyTorgo]

sweet. i should have probably figured that was the case

[Passacaglia]

What the Christ? Passacaglia is already taken!

[Passacaglia]

Fine, I'm in as Passacaglia32.

[PackerFanatic]

Haha, thats pretty funny

[Passacaglia]

Man. Whoever has 'passacaglia' hasn't done anything. No updates, not following anyone, nothing. I wonder if it's me, and I forgot about it.

Also, are any of you guys questionmarkboy?

[Pyser]

pass, i think twitter deletes accounts after 6 months of inactivity. or something like that. maybe you can email them and get it

[PackerFanatic]

That's kinda funny either way.

And in case anyone is interesting, here is my account: Twitter / theandyman

[ISiddiqui]

I'm following Pass and PackerFan now .

[Passacaglia]

Weird -- it let me follow PF earlier, but now it won't let me. It's probably something to do with the IP filter I use. I'll follow you when I get home!

[Pyser]

i on there as pyser

[Glengoyne]

Originally Posted by MJ4H

Myspace is garbage. Facebook is insanely useful. Twitter seems pointless, but I can understand people being into it.

Most people I've seen that say they don't get facebook get it after they try it. It really doesn't have much to do with displaying day to day minutiae for most people, though you can do that. It is mostly about keeping up with people more easily. There are many, many people that I would never see or hear from again if it weren't for facebook. That is kind of nice. There are people that I can be in touch with almost instantly that I had forgotten even existed without facebook. You may think, as I once did, that you forgot they existed for a reason, but I'm sure there are people out there you'd like to see again and just may not be able to think of right away.

Heck, I found out my first crush in elementary school is a belly dancer now. I talk to her on facebook from time to time now. Hadn't seen her since high school until facebook, and now I can talk to her without really going out of my way. It is really convenient.

I don't think I have time to talk to people I've grown not to care about. If I reconnected with them, I might start to care about them again. I'm way too self centered to use technology to connect with people that I've already written off. If I do facebook, can I put them on ignore?

[samifan24]

Originally Posted by Pyser

pass, i think twitter deletes accounts after 6 months of inactivity. or something like that. maybe you can email them and get it

Unfortunately this is not the case. I've wanted a crack at several inactive Twitter usernames and they've been inactive for almost a year or slightly over a year.

[ISiddiqui]

Ok, discussing the last episode of Battlestar Galactica (hashtag #bsg), I finally have gotten why Twitter is so damned addicting. Not that I wasn't addicted reading stuff by Pols and others, but chatting with all sorts of people on the show was like having a message board thread full of people who were online and wanted to discuss it. Really cool!

[DaddyTorgo]

i think i'm too antisocial for twitter