Posts on Twitter are called tweets. If it had come before IM would be calling it cheating instead of chatting?
I’ve never tried Twitter. I don’t see the appeal. I read the articles. I read the blog posts of Twitterers Tweeters Twitter users. I see the invitations to “follow me!” and then I look at the Twitter feeds. Yeah, um… thanks but no thanks.
I don’t mean to disparage those who use and enjoy it. It must work well for some people [or it's about to flame out really soon otherwise]. Well, here’s where I begin to disparage some Twits, but they’re politicians so they should be used to it….
In this article for the National Post Stephen Marche states,
Finally the Web has generated a product that is shallow and narcissistic enough for their needs.
I think perhaps he has nailed it there. I found it interesting appalling when I heard that audience members were Tweeting during President Obama’s recent address to a joint session of Congress. Was it efficient use of technology to keep the electorate informed or just rude?
Had I known about Tweet Congress at the time I might have given them the benefit of the doubt and monitored their comments. I’m glad I didn’t though. Take a look at the Congressional Tweetstream here and on nearby pages to see the level of discourse. Here are just a few [with my comments added].
- Congress is spending at a rate that now would embarrass most drunken sailors and we can’t allow that to continue. [Most drunken sailors, but apparently not all of them....]
- Aggie basketball game is about to start on espn2 for those of you that aren’t going to bother watching pelosi smirk for the next hour. [Followed shortly by, "Disregard that last Tweet from a staffer." -- Will the real congressman please
shutstand up?] - Families and businesses across this nation have had to tighten their belt, it is time Congress do the same. [Great! How many of you are taking a pay cut this year?]
- Interesting challenge to us all to train and educate ourselves [If you can Tweet this, don't thank a teacher....]
5 Responses to “He Out-Bopped the Buzzard and the Oriole”
Sorry, the comment form is closed at this time.
Let's do Something Cheap and Superficial 
oh sweet fancy moses but the congressional twits…er…tweets…have revealed their level of vapidity haven’t they?
i heard on NPR today that twitter has been used around the world to record first hand what is happening during major international news stories. (kind of like twitter journalism)
that sounded slightly interesting. everything else about twitter ANNOYS me. as does facebook and myspace…but who am i to talk…i have a blog.
“judge not lest ye be judged”
Maybe it’s the Oxycodone talking [maybe it is], but this post seemed pretty condescending [yes, it is]. I don’t judge your Facebook [ah, I think you have], so don’t judge my Twitter [too late]. I know I’m a twit [Maybe it's the Oxycodone talking].
~Tim
I don’t tweet either
. There’s just so many digital outlets these days, I just can’t keep up. Although, I wish I had invented it …I’d be living it up now!!
Yeah, I would probably have a very different attitude if I had invented it — or be laughing all the way to the bank. Wait, Twitter isn’t making any money yet…. ~Tim
With a blog and FB, I have no desire to follow anyone on Twitter. I really don’t give a rat’s ass what someone is eating right then, unless maybe it’s a 50 lb. hamburger and even then, they can share it in another way. Even some of the status updates on FB are a little too detailed or things I dont’ need to know (like someone is headed to the grocery store).
Exactly! ~Tim