To Twitter or not to Twitter
While I was on my computer last night, uh, this morning, I saw that Owl Meat had sent me a fantastic Funtastic Thursday for May 7 on restaurant Twittering. (He's in his manic creative phase at the moment and is working way ahead. Also sending Midnight Sun Sam good stuff to use during his honeymoon that I can link to.)
I feel like this blog is just one big Twitter, so I've resisted signing up so far. I know I'm too quickly lured into gimmicky pop culture and technology things. (See iPhone Envy.) ...
But there was something about his post...
So I e-mailed my Blog Guru (she who created that monster, Top 10 Tuesday, and also told me to write short, early and often, late and often, and always have art) asking if I should start Twittering. Gailor happened to be up at that hour and on her computer, so she sent me this back:
Only if you want to be on the computer more than you already are. [Hahahahaha. EL] I think life’s too short to read a tweet every five seconds telling me a friend is getting gas or peeing.
Thoughts?
Comments
Please don't do it! Too many journalists are already obsessed with it and frankly, it's annoying.
Posted by: AlisaBS | April 23, 2009 9:12 AM
Resistance is futile. Once you given in to a email and a cell phone, you've thrown yourself in front of the electronic tsunami.
Posted by: Bucky | April 23, 2009 9:12 AM
Don't twitter, it's the work of the devil. Im in my mid 20's and dont twitter or facebook or any of that crap. I dont care what other people are doing, and I dont want them to know what I'm doing.
Posted by: gob | April 23, 2009 9:17 AM
The best video out there on Twitter is entitled "Twouble with Twitter." I posted it as my URL.
Posted by: This Guy | April 23, 2009 9:49 AM
Much as I love y'all, I simply do not wish to get into that Too Much Information zone with ya.
Posted by: Eve | April 23, 2009 10:01 AM
It really depends on what you are looking to Tweet about. I found this interesting use for Twitter as it relates to restaurants and food while trying to find a decent restaurant in Cincinnati. http://tastecasting.com
Posted by: Steve_J | April 23, 2009 10:25 AM
This Guy,
Thanks for the link, was pretty good.
I don't think I'd ever Twitter, like Eve said, TMI.
Posted by: PCB Rob | April 23, 2009 10:37 AM
Great link This Guy! I have yet to understand the appeal of Twitter. But this coming from a person who has never been on Face Book.
Posted by: Trixie | April 23, 2009 11:12 AM
Twitter I don't like, but mostly because the ramp-up is so slow...it takes too long, at least now, to get a following. But I re-upped my account for the express purpose of following the Maryland Film Festival.I think it will be so great to get constant updates from the MFF staff: special screenings, cancellations, surprise guests, tips, etc.
Posted by: gorelick | April 23, 2009 11:14 AM
PCB Rob, Glad I can help.
"TYPING AT MY KEYBOARD"
"SITTING DOWN"
Posted by: This Guy | April 23, 2009 11:51 AM
It would make you buzzword compliant.
(That is an insult, by the way, being buzzword compliant. It implies lack of content.)
Posted by: Lissa | April 23, 2009 11:54 AM
Gailor is wise beyond her years.
There is a reason it's called Twitter: communication by and for twits. Harsh but there you go. It annoys me since it seems to be used mostly as ego-trip -- does anyone really care about such minutiae?
Posted by: YumPorchetta | April 23, 2009 12:12 PM
There's a NYT story about a home cook who is tweeting recipes in 140 characters or less...there are some useful applications for Twitter.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/22/dining/22twit.html?ref=dining
Posted by: la | April 23, 2009 12:21 PM
I was going to say that I'll Twitter when I don't have to type, but just have it post my thoughts.
And then I checked out CNN and find that it's actually happening.
Scary!
Posted by: Zevonista | April 23, 2009 1:05 PM
Your tweets don't have to be inane, like:
Office empty. Dancing w coatrack in my white tennis dress. Want a Twix bar.
They could be supportive marketing, such as:
Review: Nobu Fubu opens. Sashimi BBQ big smash http://weblogs.baltimoresun.dining.reviews/
Proper tweets might attract twits but hits is hits
Posted by: zombie | April 23, 2009 2:05 PM
do you think barbie hargrave tweets?
Posted by: howie | April 23, 2009 2:57 PM
Sashimi BBQ? You mean lox?
Posted by: Lissa | April 23, 2009 3:19 PM
You can find Barbie Hargrave on Twitter as barbieharg. And take a look at her tweets:
Can't get twitter on my blackberry. Doesn't work or I'm doing something wrong (probably me)
5:01 PM Mar 27th from web
Created a little interst on the dining@large blog...flattering
10:03 AM Mar 27th from web
Still spending way too much time trying to figure this out. Maybe I'm making it harder than it is....
8:26 AM Mar 25th from web
Posted by: narcissus | April 23, 2009 3:55 PM
Bad joke I guess. FUBU Nobu would be really bad fusion
Posted by: zombie | April 23, 2009 3:57 PM
This Twitter thing is going to push me into the Luddite camp.
Posted by: Robert of Cross Keys | April 23, 2009 4:24 PM
Narcissus: tinytwitter.com
will work on your blackberry. Go to the browser on your phone, ( I use Opera mini on mine, works much better), type it in, download and go!
Posted by: Cosmos Girl I>--I | April 23, 2009 4:36 PM
You'll tweet. On an iPhone. Near future.
Posted by: jl | April 23, 2009 4:56 PM
Hey Cosmos Girl, has anyone else noticed your pretty new cartouche? Very nice.
Posted by: TerrierMom ~╥╥☺ | April 23, 2009 5:12 PM
Oooh--Cosmos Girl has a cartouche! I am SO jealous!
Posted by: Dahlink | April 23, 2009 5:44 PM
RoCK,
Me and you both. My meek Facebook presence will attest to that.
Speaking of Luddites, my old roommate (and great friend) still will not use an ATM or a cell phone. He must be mayor of Lud.
Posted by: PCB Rob | April 23, 2009 7:01 PM
I'm really not sure what advantage twitter has over the old Unix talk program. That wasn't limited to 140 characters, either.
Posted by: Lissa | April 23, 2009 7:20 PM
Brava Cosmos Girl. Quite a nice little pet you've made for yourself. Maybe you should meet up with Terriermom and take them to the park to play. Now what to do with glittery new girl on the block YumPorchetta? Maybe Terrier Daughter could make her one? We haven't heard from her in quite a while
Posted by: Amanda C | April 23, 2009 7:22 PM
Lissa,
that old Unix talk program wasn't too user-friendly, I suppose.
I don't remember it, but did it work from the command line like MS-DOS?
Posted by: PCB Rob | April 23, 2009 8:46 PM
Yay Unix!
Posted by: Bourbon Girl | April 23, 2009 9:13 PM
PCB Rob, the unix talk was totally user-friendly. You would type at the command line: talk PCB Rob for example and it would open a text chat that was as immediate, if not better, than any chat you can get online these days. It was great in its simplicity, no images or emoticons, just writing.
Posted by: Bourbon Girl | April 23, 2009 10:31 PM
Very cool to check in on folks comfort level with technologies. Very interesting!
My take is that Twitter has overshot its basic usefulness. Task: get an important piece of information to a lot of people in a hurray. Misunderstanding of task: thinking that everything that crosses my mind is an important piece of information.
If I'm going to sign on, the following norms will apply --
Good Tweet: "We have heard that RtSO has died. Please send condolences."
Bad Tweet: "I'm at Fresh Foods [sic] looking at Kolrabi ... anyone got any good recipes?"
Posted by: MD Canon | April 23, 2009 10:54 PM
Yay Unix!
You are such a freak. 8>)
Posted by: Owl Meat Gravy | April 23, 2009 11:04 PM
Glad to see a smiley Owl face, OMG.
I would think that YumPo could come up with an excellent cartouche, given the inherent possibilities of her nym, but what can we possibly do with Dahlink?
Posted by: Dahlink | April 24, 2009 6:45 AM
Bourbon Girl, you got it. You had a split screen, you typed in the top, they typed on the bottom. Easy. I mean, what could be easier than typing "talk" to talk to someone?
You could do emoticons, but then, emoticons were something that lusers on AOL or Prodigy used (and, there were two different sets, at least, Prodigy used stuff like for big grin). And you could only do them in their raw form.
One of the things we used to talk about was how to clue people in to jokes, sarcasm, etc. We dismissed emoticons - they were so crude. James Joyce didn't use them, after all!
Posted by: Lissa | April 24, 2009 6:51 AM
Dahlink,
D∞k
da da da
Posted by: ~╥╥☺ | April 24, 2009 7:39 AM
I may not have the meekest face book presence, but it is up there. So far all I have is a photo of Al Haig.
Posted by: Robert of Cross Keys | April 24, 2009 8:25 AM
Lissa/Bourbon Girl,
I must have been thinking of something else, the Unix chat does sound pretty easy.
Posted by: PCB Rob | April 24, 2009 9:08 AM
Now what to do with glittery new girl on the block YumPorchetta?
Glittery? Me? AmandaC, perhaps only if I had an appropriate tiara.
Dahlink, you give me far too much credit. I wish I could create a clever cartouche equal to OMG's, or Terriermom's, or Cosmos Girl's, or the excellent new one just bestowed upon you.
However, should anyone feel inspired enough to create one for me, I would be honored.
Posted by: YumPorchetta | April 24, 2009 11:24 AM
RoCK, Al Haig was not meek.
Posted by: Lissa | April 24, 2009 11:47 AM
A cartouche for YumPo? Hmmm.. I'll give it a shot.
I like D∞K, it looks a little menacing. Or a pot on a hibachi? I do like the line symmetry
Posted by: Owl Meat Gravy | April 24, 2009 12:04 PM
Oh come on. Al Haig was adorable.
Posted by: Owl Meat Gravy | April 24, 2009 12:06 PM
Al Haig was *not* in charge.
Posted by: Lissa | April 24, 2009 1:14 PM
I use Al Haig because I'm the number 2 in my office, so whenever the director leaves I always proclaim "As of now, I am in control".
As you can all imagine, I'm a real delight to have around the office.
Posted by: Robert of Cross Keys | April 24, 2009 1:25 PM
Y'know, it IS possible someone could be both not meek AND adorable.
Posted by: YumPorchetta | April 24, 2009 1:32 PM
RoCK, I always thought that you were in control here.
Posted by: Laura Lee | April 24, 2009 2:24 PM
RoCK, "Delight" is your middle name. Well, your "secret middle name". The one after "of" and before "Cross".
Posted by: YumPorchetta | April 24, 2009 3:35 PM
Absolutely, YP. Major Kira comes to mind.
Posted by: Lissa | April 24, 2009 5:36 PM
Do not cash to buy a building? Worry no more, just because this is available to get the mortgage loans to resolve such problems. Thence take a term loan to buy all you want.
Posted by: JonesMANDY23 | April 9, 2010 4:45 PM
I like when they use "thence". Makes that term loan sound so open-ended. Until Shylock comes calling.
Posted by: Leonora | April 9, 2010 5:14 PM
Get thee to a loanery.
Posted by: RayRay | April 10, 2010 10:34 AM
Something was lost in translation. "Do not cash?"
Posted by: Dahlink | April 10, 2010 10:56 AM