Often I hear people question Twitter; why I’m on it, what I get out of it and overall what’s the point. So here I’ll try to quickly clairfy thanks to the wonder of those questions put into headers!
Why Am I On Twitter?
I first got onto it as it was the underground geek craze and didn’t really know anybody personally. Probably the only person was my friend at Yahoo!. I just found it interesting but didn’t really “get” what Twitter was about, but I kept it there, and did random ass updates. It wasn’t till probably around a year later I tapped into it’s true potential of networking and getting to know people
What Do I Get Out Of Twitter?
The main appeal of Twitter to me is chatting to people and getting the info before things hit blogs and news sites. I know quiet a few people follow mainly celebrities and speak with them at them, but as much I did that I quickly got bored of the ego rubbing they where using it for, so now I follow those who I find genuinely interesting; video games, music, snowboarding and chat.
There is also the people I met thanks to Twitter and got to know better. It’s a great social tool in that respect if people post beyond “Omg. I ate sausage. Dang it” and contribute something of interest to their network. Granted, we all post crap once-in-a-while but that sparks reaction at times.
I think thanks goes to Twitter that I’m so into gaming scene as I am today. Having the contacts through it and advertising GameAbuser.net from Twitter, I got to know the guys behind The Lost Gamer and now contribute to them. I’ve also learned about gaming journalism and have gotten into events thanks to the advice and links people posted on Twitter.
In my job as a web designer/developer, I’ve gotten the latest news and details on new stuffs happening in the web, as it happens. Hell, even it’s a help tool for me when I don’t know what I’m doing a shoot a question out there and get an answer back.
Once a week I will learn of a new band or artist and get the latest on them, and there are a few out there that will respond to you. For me they aren’t anybody major, but the small local groups that I love.
What Is The Point Then?
Twitter is what you make of it, and what you ultimately want. It’s done so simply that it’s what ever the community decide. It’s a chat tool, a news reader, and on-demand service.
It’s odd in that people who don’t get it but tried will of only done a few tweets and no more. Twitter needs to be played with over a period of time before it really clicks. It does feel like a black-hole at times, but you got to see through that and the celebrities on Twitter to the real people who will read and respond before you get the full potential out of Twitter.