Afternoon:
12°c
Oh great. First it was Friends Reunited. Then Facebook. Then LinkedIn. I was told I simply must join each in turn, either to hook up again with people I never liked in the first place, to send inane messages to colleagues who work two desks away, or to engage in mutual cyber-stalking with complete strangers. Interest in these sites quickly flowered and just as quickly died. I thought I'd weathered the social networking storm. Then along came Twitter.
Created in 2006 by Jack Dorsey, Biz Stone and Evan Williams as a research tool for a podcasting company, Twitter is an online phenomenon. Basically, you sign on, post a silly photo, and ask the site to find your friends by rifling through your email address book. Then you start posting text-message-sized "tweets" (maximum 160 characters) which can be read on-site by anyone.
This brevity breeds banality but Twitter's audience reportedly doubled to 1.05 million between October 2007 and May 2008, and it hit the news more recently by carrying more immediate - often inaccurate - information on the Mumbai crisis than the mainstream media.
The real gimmick, though, is that you can "follow" anyone who has not limited the access to their feed, and there is the chance - gasp! - of getting messages from celebrity users as well as friends.
But let's look at those celebrities, shall we? Barack Obama is on there (politician trying to appear "with-it"). So is Britney Spears (imploded starlet trying to jump-start career) and Stephen Fry - though he's an avowed and unashamed geek.
In the name of journalistic rigour, reluctantly I log on. Twitter tells me it can't read the address book on my work email or my personal account -effectively telling me I have no mates. It says it can't send updates to my phone, but not why. I manage to post an update - "trying to work out what to do on this effing site" - but since Twitter doesn't recognise any of my friends, I can't invite anyone to read it and "follow" me. (I'm aware I sound like Ned Ludd's grandfather, but a twentysomething techno-whizz colleague fared no better.) Still, clicking on a button ominously marked "Everyone" leads me to the latest feeds.
Many posts are in languages neither I nor my computer can read, but finally, after several false starts ("Error on page!") I manage to log on to MoodyShell's feed. "I hate it when I burn the roof of my mouth and then it starts to peel. Ew!" she says. Fascinating. Another click, and I am officially "following" her. It feels queasy and wrong.
I can't find any celebrities, or any breaking news, just endless prattle from people with too much time and too little imagination. After two hours, I log out, and I won't be back. Britney, Barack: if you want to get in touch, you'd better phone me. But only if you've got something worthwhile to say.
Reader views (36)
Twitter can be a powerful tool if you approach it on its own terms. If you don't want to be a part of it, then why try it out? It's only going to lead to disappointment, as the social element (actually wanting to engage with the other people on there) is lost.
I work with a charity and maintain their Twitter feed; it's very rewarding and has lead to some modest successes that we hope to build on in the future.
You don't have to bother going back, but try not to write it off before you've really understood it.
- Alex, London, UK
Twitter? Yawn.
Second Life? Christ.
The only *really* interesting thing going on in interwebland right now is the astounding TV services from iPlayer and 4OD. Everything else is just existential-preening masturbation.
- Zephyrtron, UK
Oh dear, you cannot trial Twitter for a couple of hours and only make one post! It takes weeks to carefully craft a list of people to follow that gives you all the news you need to know. You see who your friends are following and follow anyone of interest, you @ people and converse, they will follow you.
You did one tweet which is the equivalent of reviewing a film by looking at the poster. I'm a journo myself and have made some amazing connections using the service, as well as being able to follow news like the Mumbai siege in real-time rather than relying on new services.
You might want to give it a second change before dismissing Twitter as just the next bit thing. It's here to stay.
- Lesley Smith, Dereham, UK
I have nothing to say, except that I heard about this ridiculous article on twitter.
- Sam, Manchester, UK
Well your story certainly works as link bait but I feel you may regret being quite so anti within a very short time.
Once your work colleagues scoop you on what's really going on you may well need to think again.
When you do, follow me @foodieSarah, say Hi and I'll introduce you to some genuinely useful people to follow if you're serious about online journalism, technology and social media.
I guarantee that after two days you will be taking this posting down, cringing with embarrasment.
- Sarah Hartley, Manchester, UK
Twitter is a very useful tool when you are looking for a specific information. The chances are you'll be able to reach much more people than you can imagine, with very simple questions regarding a software issue or a business advise. But don't overestimate Twitter.
- Herve Kabla, London
Here's an example of how Twitter is useful to me - it alerted me to this article. Thanks for the laugh Nick, but just wanted to check, this was supposed to go out on April 1 yeah?
- Ben Camm-Jones, London, UK
Couldn't disagree more...check out all the journalists, celebrities and other folk using Tiwtter to win business, make new contacts, find spokespeople (ie The Guardian, the beeb, Radio 4) and share ideas.
Like life, it is sometimes funny, sometimes banal but usually very interesting and worthwhile. Following a few more people might provide a better angle on the research you did last time.
- Becks, London/Cornwall
Nick, you're missing the point about Twitter. The value of the system depends who you follow, and on the quantity and quality of people that follow you. Google Metcalfe's law to understand the relationship between the value of a network and the number of people connected to it.
I've found Twitter to be a great way to exchange links, and to measure opinions from a wide variety of people that I know and trust. "Reluctantly" logging on isn't really a responsible way to research the topic and you're doing your readers a disservice by not approaching it with an open mind.
As a tech journalist, I find it a really good way to keep tabs on what my contacts - and my editors - are thinking about.
Spend some more time on it, follow some industry luminaries, and write an update to your piece. You may reach the same conclusions, but you owe it to your readers to spend more than five minutes on something like this, to give it a fighting chance.
- Danny Bradbury, Saskatoon, Canada
I think the number of commenters here who came by this article after it was posted on Twitter speaks volumes...
- Stuart Waterman, London, UK
Errrrr... Tweets have a 140 character limit, not 160 -
- Gordon, London
Nick,
I sounded just like you a few months ago. I felt the same about blogging, too, several years ago. I was wrong both times.
Try again.
Scott.
- Scott Colvey, London
I humbly submit that this was an opportunity to actually explain how Twitter might benefit the reader - alas missed.
- Mike Butcher, TechCrunch
Hey Nick, how come you managed to drive a nail into your own coffin - are you double-jointed or something?
At least you're now become part of the conversation: well done you
- Paul Harrison, London
Considering Stephen Fry, Andy Murray and Robert Burns are all there - amongst others - I would say there's plenty of celebs, but like most things in life, you get back what you put in.
- Craig Mcgill, Glasgow, Scotland
Twitter is not something you can gain any value from if you dip into it for a couple of hours. Twitter is about engaging with and building a community of people and allows you to tap into information, trends and opinions far quicker than traditional media. To that end, I find it invaluable. The fact that Twitter also enables developers to create applications that allow users to capitalise on its functionality, is also a major benefit.
- Dan Bowsher, Newbury, UK
Nick, there's a new wave of journalists who find Twitter (and other social media applications) really useful. I suggest you open your mind and experiment a bit...or perhaps do a follow up piece on how such tools are transforming the flow on information and reporting on the web (for good and bad).
- Ben Ayers, London
Cynicism is a cheap and easy way to create humour. Sadly it falls flat in this case because a) you so obviously don't know what you're talking about and b) you're not actually very funny either! If Charlie Brooker had written a similar piece he might have made me smile, even if I didn't agree with him, but piece this is just tosh.
PS Twitter is not a social networking tool - it's micro-blogging. You can follow people you actually know if you like, or you can follow strangers - but that's no different to reading blogs.
- Caitlin, London
As a PR, I found my current job via Twitter and have found new business via Twitter as well as using it daily for more routine parts of the job. In short, it is the most useful communications tool I currently use.
I really think you needed to give it longer than a few hours!
- Pauliea, London
Nick, Twitter is great and there's loads of useful info available. Search BBC for one. As a Chelsea Fan I've also created several Twitter accounts with RSS feeds form various Chelsea websites. Unfortunately Twitter stopped sending Text alerts to UK users when updates to your subscribed accounts were sorted due to the costs but they're promising a new free service again soon. There are however a few good free mobile phone applications that keep you updated such as Twibble and Tinytwitter plus several Blackberry offerings. Give it another try! Seasons Greetings! Jon
- Jon, Rotherham, England
Dude, you're wrong.
Twitter is creates an "ambient intimacy" so you feel like you're seeing a group of people every day, in a really unobtrusive sort of way. In my experience it's unique in this respect.
There also seems to be this really low "hump" involved with getting to know people you've never met. It is actually THE best connector and introductory mechanism I've ever come across. It also seems to have this flash-mobbing tendency where people spontaneously get together in real life.
Oh, and it's the fastest news-service on the planet.
I thought sounded completely stupid when I first heard of it (and for about a year afterwards) but now I'm hooked. I can't stand facebook and I'm not on myspace btw.
- Nick Taylor, Wanganui, New Zealand
A lot has been written about Twitter in recent months. This is undoubtedly the most misinformed and badly researched piece. The fact that you personally see no value in it does not mean that there is no value. It is a well documented fact that Twitter provides a practically useful tool for both personal and commercial use.
P.S - social networking isn't a storm to weather.
- Victoria Richardson, Brighton, UK
2 hours hardly classes as research. Twitter is what you make of it and if you follow interesting and insightful people, then you will get interesting and insightful updates back. It's a shame that you didn't make an attempt to find such people and instead have stuck with writing about the interesting things others are doing rather than participating and doing them yourself.
- Jamie, London
This article reads much like one of the multitude of "Well I don't see the point of facebook" articles that virtually every columnist under the age of 50 penned a year or two ago. You know, just when it was really taking off, and not long before it became a juggernaut that all media was forced to bow down to. Give it a month or two rather than a few hours, do some decent research, and you'll stand a much better chance of understanding what is going on. Add myself, if you like, and see what some of the people I follow have to say for themselves.
- Graeme Hunter, Oxford, England
Nick, you've missed the point here and I'd argue its due to poor research.
(PS its 140 characters!)
- Adrian, London
"But only if you've got something worthwhile to say".
Ironically Nick, you have managed to say nothing worthwhile on the subject of Twitter!
- Luke, Hastings, UK
Hi Nick
I am sorry but I have to totally disagree with you
There are way too many misconceptions about the use of Twitter and how people use this service differently.
I work in the online marketing industry and I can tell you that Twitter is an astonishing resource of information, and the people I talk to or follow on there are some of the very best minds in the business (which I am very lucky to engage into insightful conversations with on a daily basis)
Sharing information and being able to read things instantaneously through such FREE service is a great way to keep me updated with what's happening out there
I had exactly your same opinion when I first heard about Twitter but, as everything in life - you've got to try something to judge something
I hope you'll be able to change your mind and understand the real power of Twitter like I did
Regards,
Enzo
- Enzo, London, UK
This sounds like a vinyl-junkie just being informed of an invention called the compact disc...
So after 25 minutes (sorry, 2 hours) of effort, you've proclaimed yourself above joining this silly little networking site? Let me enlighten you a little - Twitter is used primarily as a resource for those interested in breaking news, often including links to blogs or news sites.
Herein lies the problem methinks - people are finding ways to get there voices heard, and you perhaps feel a little threatened?
- Mike, London
Badly researched, angled and written.
It's 140 characters on Twitter, not 160.
Barack and Britney are manned by PR people, unlike real celebs ranging from Stephen Fry to Shaquille O'Neal.
The latest figures show about 5 million users per month.
The 'brevity breeds banality' issue has been debated, disproved and forgotten for months - brevity can lead to impact or banality depending on the person and content.
Twitter started becoming a news source with events like the UK, LA and Chinese earthquakes, and LA forest fires.
The 'gimmick' isn't following people - the 'gimmick' is interacting with people via the reply functionality.
- Dan Thornton, Peterborough, UK
Great article- anything that keeps like minded (with yourself, not me) off twitter gets my thumbs up. This is quite possibly the most pointless and uninformed garbage on twitter I've ever bothered to read- even more banal and pointless than the tweets you reference.
- Marie F, London
Whilst it has its uses, I'm inclined to agree. I've been twittering for a few months and it's less of a disruptive technology than in interrupting one. It's generally chaff and whimsical nonsense which contributes little to one's life. If you're a networker, twitter up. If you run a company, get an account right away, because things might change. But if you're not, I suggest you ignore this one until the hypestorm settles and something of genuine value distills out.
- Ed, London, UK
Um, it's 140 characters.
- Kate, London, UK
Well, I'm a journalist too, freelance, and since signing up last week I've found four figures' worth of new business by following people and making contact on this new service. Sorry it didn't work for you, Nick - were you one of those who said the Internet would never take off at first? (If you'd seen some of the early websites this would have been understandable, there was a right load of rubbish out there, but for people who hung around and learned to be selective it does seem to have paid off...)
- Guy Clapperton, London
@Patrick Goss - Couldn't agree more. @Nick Curtis - Is it the new facebook... No, it's not.
- 555, London, UK
yes, you do sound like Ned Ludd's grandfather
- Marrtha, London
Really thorough research...two whole hours. Well done.
I'm not doubting your place as a world authority but as a tech journalist I can tell you that twitter is a massive resource in keeping in touch with what is going on - with many of the major players signed up and posting regularly.
- Patrick Goss, London, UK
