Comments on: The Twitter Tumble (or, Is This Thing On?)

By: Tom Chandler

Tom Chandler — Fri, 30 May 2008 16:23:14 +0000

Phil: Good timing on your question. I’m going to write a couple small articles about free/online software for my wife’s economic development nonprofit.

They’re oriented to microenterprise, and these new tools offer a lot. I’ve played with Zoho just a bit, and find I like it a bit better than Google Docs.

It won’t serve as a replacement for a local word processor, but it’s all pretty damned interesting.

By: Phil Harris

Phil Harris — Thu, 29 May 2008 17:02:24 +0000

Tom,

I am curious – if youhave been using twitter as a web-based tool. Have you seen or used Zoho (www.zoho.com)?

By: Tom Chandler

Tom Chandler — Wed, 21 May 2008 15:25:29 +0000

I’m still waiting to see what twitter comes to mean to me. Which could be very little, though one caveat is important; it has been useful as a micro-blogging tool on my fly fishing blog — a quick & easy way to run a lot of interesting-yet-second-tier links through my already packed blog.

Still, I discourage people from following me at that address as I’m not having a conversation, just moving links.

Thanks for the comments everyone.

By: Sarah McIver

Sarah McIver — Wed, 21 May 2008 14:13:42 +0000

I’m with Graham, I only joined this Twitter stuff to enter CopyBlogger’s comp.

Personally I think it’s a load of crap.

But hey, each to their own! ;)

By: Roberta Rosenberg

Roberta Rosenberg — Wed, 21 May 2008 13:56:53 +0000

Hey Tom, looks like we're all having a Twitter SOMETHING-PITHY-fest. Like you, I'm still feeling my way along the Twit-path.

By: Graham Strong

Graham Strong — Wed, 21 May 2008 13:01:24 +0000

Hey Tom,

Just joined Twitter myself, if only to enter Copyblogger’s short (short) story contest.

It seems to me that Twitter is much like the Facebook “What are you doing right now?” feature. Since I update that once every four or five months, I don’t think I’d be very good at Twittering.

After reading James’s response, it sounds more like a chat-room feel. Or a long episode of Cheers… Either way, I can see how it would break up the solitude of writing.

But I think ultimately you are right Tom. It’s a foreshadowing of some Social Web 3.0 killer app yet to come.

~Graham

By: James Chartrand - Men with Pens

James Chartrand - Men with Pens — Tue, 20 May 2008 22:58:03 +0000

Twitter is a great way to get a fast fix of people, conversation and break the isolation of freelancing. I don’t sit on there and drop links to my own posts or those of my friends unless I or they really deserve it. I don’t say things that are boring or stupid.

I go there, hang out, have fun, talk up a storm for ten minutes… sometimes more… and then boom, I’m gone.

It’s great to hear, “JAMES!” when I come on and it’s great to know that I’ve always got a place to go when I need a break.

And while I’m there, I goof off, have fun, keep the convo valuable (I hope, as much as goofing off can be valuable) and generally try to have a good time. Seems to be working :)

Followed, Tom. Hope to see you around… When the damned thing works well, that is.

By: Tom Chandler

Tom Chandler — Tue, 20 May 2008 19:08:39 +0000

Daniel: Thanks for the kind words. As for killing time, there seems to be no shortage of ways to do that on the Internet (Twitter, Facebook, blogs, etc).

Given that I have more things to do than time to kill, I’m wondering how much of it is worth the effort. We’ll see.

By: Daniel De Guia

Daniel De Guia — Tue, 20 May 2008 18:46:20 +0000

I use twitter mostly as a way to kill time. There are some other bloggers which I have gotten to know better because of twitter.

I, too, have had to un-follow users because I felt like I was in a chat room in the early 90s with a bunch of junior high schoolers.

BTW – Love your posts!