I have never been a blogger. Years ago, i've tried it on Xanga or on my own personal webspace, but it has never stuck. Maybe because no one reads my crap, maybe because I never have anything good to really say?
Patience... it takes a lot of patience to blog. It takes a lot of patience for people to go out and read what I post.
How could I quickly throw out there what I'm up to, or share any information that I come across, or just say something stupid?
easy..... Twitter.
To me, Twitter's strength isn't: "What are you doing?" Thats how many people explain what Twitter is, but it doesn't have to be just that. When people start, there is a lot of "I'm eating a sandwich" or "I'm taking a dump" (i know i've heard that from a few of my twitter friends). For me now, Twitter isn't so much a tool to put out what I'm saying. It's become a tool for me to find out what other people are saying.
I am an information freak. The internet has flourished because of the way information can be shared. The internet gets information out there faster than TV or print. Geek news, tech news, news news, politics, sports, games, lifestyle all became available to anyone... problem was, you had to go find it.
Twitter and RSS feeds helped that. Finally, instead of searching for information yourself, information comes to you.
Tech blogs, CNN, Local media, Fire Departments, Companies, Sports Teams (go chargers! dont lose this one!) all use Twitter in interesting ways to put out information.
Hurricane Katrina, and the Southern California Fires of 2007 showed Twitter's greatest strength. Quickly, using Twitter's public timeline, you could read about where people needed help, where the fire was going, news that people overhear and then share over twitter... all faster than TV.
Try it: go to
http://search.twitter.com and do a search for something. You might come across a few people that are into the same things you are. It is how a few people found what I say interesting *gasp!*, and then I gain another avenue for sharing.
Not saying there is anything wrong with "I'm taking a 2 lb. dump right now." posts, theres value in that too. If anything, Twitter makes you take a moment to become aware of what you are doing. Maybe someone, real life friend or complete stranger, might find it interesting.
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