I have decided to concede the Twitter or, more appropriately, the tweeting. It’s not that I’m afraid of new things (I am) but that I am sometimes reluctant to be a part of something that I only know about because everyone is talking about it. It’s like how I never liked the Beatles.
I didn’t like the Beatles for years. It’s not that I feel something is bad if everyone likes it, necessarily - there are lots of great things that everyone likes, take Shakespeare, for example, even if it’s tough, everyone likes Shakespeare - but that it just didn’t seem like there was much for me to get out of something that simply everyone already had an opinion on. Twitter seems much the same. Indeed, I still do not entirely understand what its function is. Oh, I get that you post little ideas, and other people read these little ideas, but what’s it actually do? What’s the point?
My decision came this evening when I was studying up on how to get a better following. It dawned on me that, even in my most curious, most intellectually insatiable states of being, there’s maybe a fifty/fifty chance I’d read a something with the same title as anything I’d written. Why should I expect people to go on and invest twenty minutes into considering “Democracy vs. What’s Right” or even the ever popular “A Respectful Breast-Man?” Those are long; they ask minutes of our lives when, really, and let’s be totally honest hear because I realize it just as much as any of you, nobody wants to invest more than about two-minutes, tops, into anything interesting, unless it specifically involves downstairs-tickles or upstairs rage.
So, Twitter, I am hoping, will be a way for me to entice and elicit with fewer than 160 characters. Wish me luck. Give me advice and, as always, grant me the wisdom to tell my vanity from my intellect.
For your wee, reading pleasure…Modern_Sophist: The Twitter Account
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Another person falls to Twitter. I used to say the same things about Facebook, and while I don’t spend a lot of time there, I do use Facebook.
Philosophically, I’m opposed to Twitter because it’s SO short. I like to write long — as you do, and I admire you for that — and I’m not afraid to suck up — and I didn’t think condensing things FURTHER than our society already does was a good idea.
Then I remembered Ben Franklin’s little aphorisms, his Poor Richard’s stuff, and I also remembered that all of Thoreau’s rambling, far-too-boring discourse in “Walden,” could be boiled down to about two sentences that were worthwhile.
So maybe Twitter has a point, and maybe someday I’ll join. Until then, you go own them.
Also: What’s so great about Shakespeare? If one thing from England survives into the 30th century, I hope it’s The Beatles and not Shakespeare.
Well I can’t argue for Shakespeare intelligently right now, mostly on account of still beign in bed and not having had my tea, but I think a number of people would say Shakespeare yay, as opposed to Shakespeare boo.
As for the twitter: One of my favoirte quotes is, “The key to good communication is brevity.” Twitter forces that. I’m all for writing long, but I appreciate the effort it takes to read long, and sometimes a little short is all anyone wants. Meanwhile, writing long takes a real risk, because the longer some piece is, the more there is to maintain for clarity and continuity. I was readong the blog of a fellow yesterday, each piece, very long, none interesting.
I’m not sure I agree with you post about accepting twitter. I recently opened an account to see what it was all about (only because I was watching CNN, and Larry King mentioned he ‘tweets’)- – Anyway, I found a few friends to “follow”. It might have been that I just chose the wrong friends to follow -but it seemed like every 5 mins I was hearing how someone was in traffic, ‘tapping the rockies’ or up too late for their own good.
I just don’t need to hear about how someones shoe came untied, or about how “Candice” just worked out and isn’t sure if she’ll be able to move her arms tomorrow. Or even that “Kim is full of raw fish!”
BLEH.
However, i don’t think i’ve officially used the website for what it’s intended for – getting updates on my friends (that’s what it’s for right?). So, maybe I just need to weed out the poeple i’m not interested in, and only add my close friends who I actually care about their status updates. But, Facebook already does a good job with updating me on my friends.
so.
no.
not into tweeting.
And, you like the Beatles Thomas. Rocky Racoon??? you LOVE that song (on the guitar at least)
I think you’ve put it exactly, Samantha, and that’s what I do like about Twitter. As I was saying to Briane,I think the limit of 140 characters forces us to be out best in the shortest terms. I’m a big fan of editing. If someone can’t inspire you in a few, short words, drop them. I try not to tweet the gym/drinking/lazy life tweets, but more little observations or musings or something witty, worth tweeting about.
Facebook was the same way. Two hundred friends, and I probably have hidden all people’s updates but forty, because I don’t care.
I still don’t like The Beatles.
The Beatles aren’t too pleased about you either.