When did I become my parents?!?! When did I lose the capacity to expand with and embrace new technologies? When did frustration replace excitement when working with new online tools? If I had to pinpoint a time, I would estimate it was about the time I checked my newly-created Twitter for the third or fourth time.
What's with ALL THE SYMBOLS (e.g., @ and #)??? What's with the RANDOM STINGS OF LETTERS that follow http:// in links? What's with the random EXCHANGES between users? I find it all distracting. I find it all annoying. I don't like deciphering symbols. If I did, I would study Cuneiform, ok?
I thought the point of Twitter was to share thoughts in brief posts. I thought the art of tweeting was to condense your thoughts into bite-sized statements that would engage readers. I was wrong. It appears to me, from my brief experience, that Twitter is just a platform to direct people to websites through links and allow users to spy on conversations (replies) between users. I'm struggling to see the value and will try to have an open mind as I continue to use this tool.
All I can say is this...you are not alone. Most folks that I have seen engage with twitter have a similar initial experience and response. I encourage you to check out these two links that look at the idea of a "twitter life cycle" from Alan Levine. Alan has been thinking and writing about twitter and Web2.0 stuff since 2004...and he went through what you describe...as we all do.
ReplyDeletehttp://cogdogblog.com/2007/04/26/splj-20/
http://cogdoghouse.wikispaces.com/TwitterCycle
Elizabeth - I am so with you on this one. Trying, like you, to keep an open mind. I would have to say that I felt that way about Facebook at first as well. Still do, but am happy I can put my teenage niece and nephew into a category and my friend's children in another, and my 'peeps' in another, etc. now. Just the other day, I was talking to my husband and said something like, "according to Facebook, so and so did such and such" - he looked at me, smiled and said "look at you! quoting Facebook!" It's so true... So I have to say, I'm trying to give this Tweeting thing the right of passage of time. We shall see.
ReplyDeleteEvery service comes with its own lingo and symbols. Since one can only use 140 characters or less, the urls need to be shrunk. Therefore, a regular Internet address like your blog's address, for example, will look weird and and with too many letters that don't make up a regular word.
ReplyDeleteI'm also in that life cycle too, I guess. I'm a bit confused as to the purpose and function of all the sympbols. Some, I think I've picked up, others not. It's also differenet between who/what I follow and what I post... different threads that my brain hasn't quite sorted out how to integrate into one garmet quite yet. Perhaps I'm still at the loom weaving the cloth and haven't even decided whether I will make a vest, shirt, coat, pants, or... ???
ReplyDeleteI agree that Twitter has become something other than its initial purpose - but maybe evolved is a better word than "become."
ReplyDeleteLike all of this digital info we have at our fingertips, I'm finding that managing it in a way that makes it useful to me and not another boondoggle is the key. How fascinating that one system like Twitter can generate a slew of additional products. I've tried a few and finally found HootSuite that seems to be a good way for me to get a handle on Twitter. Sort of like TweetDeck (but TD isn't available for a Blackberry).
Sooooooo much to digest.