Comments on The Sassy Kathy: Convert the Twitter Skeptic

I was initially a skeptic of Twitter but I've jump...

2008-12-06T18:27:00.000-05:00

I was initially a skeptic of Twitter but I've jumped in and I'm still there (@jenseeya). At the moment it's more of a personal thing for me, but it is really handy to find out what's immediately happening out there. You can search for tweets at search.twitter.com

I cannot convince you b/c I don't get it either. I...

2008-12-06T15:48:00.000-05:00

I cannot convince you b/c I don't get it either. I'm on board, don't update my status often, and keep my status updates related to my blog. I don't need every one knowing I just returned from a sushi filled lunch w/ my family.

Twitter is just a web-based instant messaging syst...

2008-12-06T13:08:00.000-05:00

Twitter is just a web-based instant messaging system. I use it as such.

I'm an on again, off again user of Twitter, most d...

2008-12-06T11:14:00.000-05:00

I'm an on again, off again user of Twitter, most due to time issue. When I'm there, I love it.

It's about connecting with people I wouldn't have otherwise known.

It's about learning from others, and I mean learning alot.

It's about sharing, caring, and just plain conversation.

BTW, on a side note. Online friends can become "real" life friends. Via a different venue, I met a close friend, who started off being only online, then telephone, and then we met in person. We only met once because not long after that, he passed away, but he entered my life at a time when I needed someone to help and support me. I'm not sure I would have made it if it hadn't been for his undying support.

Oh, and if by chance you might think this was some type of online romance, you'd be totally wrong. He was 79 years young and I miss him dearly.

I have always been a TWITTER HATER, however after ...

2008-12-06T11:13:00.000-05:00

I have always been a TWITTER HATER, however after reading some of these comments, I may have to finally join the tweet.

Just don't tell me what you are doing every minute.........I'm on the toilet!

Convince you? I can't do that.I can tell you that ...

2008-12-06T00:59:00.000-05:00

Convince you? I can't do that.

I can tell you that I like Twitter. I enjoy meeting people (online) who I would never otherwise have me. I enjoy reading what they're doing, what they've learned, what links they think are worth sharing.

But I've had a blog since 2003 and a personal web site since 1995. I've been on email lists for years and participated in Usenet news groups in the late 80s. It's all the same to me -- interacting over the Net with people you've never met in person. Writing things that someone else might read. Reading things that someone elsehas written. Sharing. Joining the Internet Worldwide Community.

But if you don't like that? If you think it all sounds creepy and you're not even sure why you're blogging? I can't convince you. After all, you don't know me, or any of the rest of us who are commenting here.

But, because you asked (even though you don't know us and find the idea slightly creepy :) I can suggest you try it. Maybe you'll like it. Many people have.

I'll go back and read all these comments (are you ...

2008-12-05T22:38:00.000-05:00

I'll go back and read all these comments (are you converted already?) but just had to let you know, I've been tweeting for just a couple weeks, and am awed by it mostly cuz it's so mysterious. If you only follow people you really respect, and set it up so you don't see their @ replies, and then do tweets that are solely about sharing really cool things (you experience at least few way cool things every day, right?) - then it all begins to make some (incredibly dynamic) sense.

Don't worry, I and everyone else did not originally even vaguely like the concept of Twitter as we understood it. You gotta be there, do it, then you'll see.

IMHO (Sorry so long-winded.)

It's me again. Just thought of one other thing I l...

2008-12-05T18:58:00.000-05:00

It's me again. Just thought of one other thing I like about Twitter: Your tweets can be very helpful when it comes to creating blog posts. You can either scan your recent tweets to find a nugget of goodness to expand on in a post, or you can create a post with a series of tweets connected by a theme.

I don't do it often, but here are a couple of recent examples:

Chocolate air, Dancing Queen & other Chicago stories:
http://www.halfwaytonormal.com/?p=166

Life imitates craft, in six stages:
http://www.halfwaytonormal.com/?p=157

(Have we convinced you yet?)

I agree with the comments about getting news, "ove...

2008-12-05T18:24:00.000-05:00

I agree with the comments about getting news, "overhearing" the thought processes of people I'm interested in, learning from other perspectives, and gaining help. I also tweet to give help. I love being able to provide an answer or a link to relevant information - makes me feel as though I've done something good for the day, however small.

It's an additional way to have quick fun on the in...

2008-12-05T13:57:00.000-05:00

It's an additional way to have quick fun on the internet. Dip your toe in, and eventually it will suck you in. Plus you can meet interesting people that way.

you're absolutely right -- i use it to update my f...

2008-12-05T13:50:00.000-05:00

you're absolutely right -- i use it to update my facebook status and random bits on my blog while i'm on the road.

i also signed up so no other 'gemmerzz' would. hey, you never know. :)

I started using twitter in order to stalk the prog...

2008-12-05T13:33:00.000-05:00

I started using twitter in order to stalk the programmer. We both travel for business so much that it's a way for us to keep up with each other and our friends with out having to constantly phone each other (I HATE talking on the phone, and his is always dead). From there I started making a lot of new contacts and learning a lot of new things. And it keeps me from rambling too much b/c boy, can I ramble...lol.

I forgot to add....you can freakin' follow John Cl...

2008-12-05T12:57:00.000-05:00

I forgot to add....you can freakin' follow John Cleese! (user name johncleese). Yes, it's really John Cleese of Monty Python fame. How cool is that!

Seriously, if you tweet everything you do all day,...

2008-12-05T12:56:00.000-05:00

Seriously, if you tweet everything you do all day, you won't have very many followers. Because you'll be boring.

On Twitter, I usually post my blog posts, and I post links to things I'm reading. Generally, after that, I mostly reply to other tweets or ask an occasional question.

I wasn't that sure about twitter at first. I'm a serious introvert and don't really like to be contactable in real time *laughs*. It's why I like blogs, forums and e-mails. If I want to hide and not have constant interaction I can, but when I *do* want to interact, I can do that as well. It's why I don't do IM. I don't *want* to be that accessible.

Twitter is good because it has the time delay of e-mail but with the immediacy of IM if you desire that.

I've been twittering two months, and have really enjoyed it, much to my own surprise.

You can follow me on my more professional account (admnarts) which pretty much only tweets to do with office admin stuff, or my more personal account (Jodith) where you get a lot more about me and my thoughts.

Because it's everything the internet should be--us...

2008-12-05T12:43:00.000-05:00

Because it's everything the internet should be--user-friendly, entertaining, and informative. Just try it and see how you like it! You'll be hooked in no time. ;)

good heavens my sweet Internet buddies! look at y...

2008-12-05T12:14:00.000-05:00

good heavens my sweet Internet buddies! look at you being all convincing! hmmm...

It's not about privacy. Twitter is opt-in after al...

2008-12-05T11:49:00.001-05:00

It's not about privacy. Twitter is opt-in after all.

I thought Twitter was really stupid too... BEFORE I joined. I also wasted years of my life being afraid of sushi. Years without the best thing on earth!

Don't knock it until you try it :)

@modite

Kathy/Kathryn, you're not going to figure out if y...

2008-12-05T11:49:00.000-05:00

Kathy/Kathryn, you're not going to figure out if you like it until you just do it. You could always abandon it.

I didn't get it either. It seemed very much like, "Why should I CARE what these people are doing?" But that's narrow thinking.

It allows you to meet and to network very easily. People are willing to "chat" (not literally) on Twitter because you have to say everything in 140 characters. In and out. No being long-winded.

Plus, as big as it is, it's still a small community and unknown to the world at large. You can find relatively well-known people there that you wouldn't be able to contact another way. And they'll talk back... unless they're super-famous.

It's a chance to "be yourself." If I had to pick one web 2.0 tool that I've gotten the most traction out of or the one that's netted me the most traffic/publicity, I'd vote Twitter hands-down.

I. LAUGHED. SO. HARD. When I read this post. I can...

2008-12-05T11:40:00.000-05:00

I. LAUGHED. SO. HARD. When I read this post. I can totally sympathize with how you feel about twitter. I started using it - but not make updates about my life (I'm not really into that) so much as to record funny things I hear people say.

I've seen people communicating via twitter. I think it's a little strange, but I'm trying to be open minded about it.

This how I use it: For some strange reason, I always overhear people say crazy funny stuff. Things I would never imagine anyone would actually say, and that I could never be clever enough to make up. But I can't hold them all in my head all day long, nor would they make sense all smashed together in one post. Sometimes I don't want to tell the story of what I was doing when I overheard them - I just want to share what they said so that someone else can laugh too. So, I tweet this snippets - sometimes from my phone, sometimes from my desk at work.

People laugh and comment things like "Where did you here that?

Then I do it again.

As I wrote earlier this week in the post "Why I ca...

2008-12-05T10:30:00.000-05:00

As I wrote earlier this week in the post "Why I care what you're eating for lunch" (which you already commented on), Twitter is useful. It's where I tend to first hear breaking national and international news. People on Twitter help other people get jobs. They share advice and recommendations, they make you think about important issues in new ways, and they raise awareness and funds for social causes. I’ve even seen notices for missing children and calls for kidney transplant donors on Twitter.

More importantly, though, I love the whole "ambient awareness" thing. As a freelancer who works alone most of the time, Twitter makes me feel like I'm in a busy office full of cool people. I rely on it for those water cooler interactions and the laughs.

Twitter is one of my favorite web tools.While it's...

2008-12-05T10:26:00.000-05:00

Twitter is one of my favorite web tools.

While it's true that some people on Twitter bombard you with the minutia of daily life, you don't have to follow those people. I mean, who cares about what song you're listening to, or what your eating for lunch or your unussual bathroom habits.

I only follow people who provide useful info or those who really fascinate me.

Recently, I asked a question of my Twitter friends, and Chuck Westbrook provided me with a highly useful link just minutes later. Where else can I get so much value in such a short time?

D'oh. Forgive all the typos in my previous comment...

2008-12-05T10:18:00.000-05:00

D'oh. Forgive all the typos in my previous comment - some journalist, huh? (it's early!)

I think GeekMommy said it best, "The power of Twit...

2008-12-05T10:15:00.000-05:00

I think GeekMommy said it best, "The power of Twitter isn't in posting, actually, it's in listening." Using Twitter as a discovery tool has been extremely powerful in my everyday life, whether it is for personal or professional growth.

If it weren't for twitter, I wouldn't have found Chuck's great blog promotion idea, which led me here.

I have been aware of Twitter for a while, but mana...

2008-12-05T10:03:00.000-05:00

I have been aware of Twitter for a while, but managed to finally get convinced into giving it a go this week. I've been using it for 3 days now and I'm hooked in.

I'm not so interested in people's personal thoughts and moves. I use it to get live updates on topics I am interested in.

If someone has posted a blog or an article on a topic I'm interested in I want to know about it.

Conversely I've started sharing anything interesting that I come across too.

Plus I came across your blog from a post on Twitter from Chris Brogan. So if anything you should sign up to Twitter as it has given your blog a lot of publicity.

shrug Why not try it for a week and unsubscribe ...

2008-12-05T09:59:00.001-05:00

*shrug* Why not try it for a week and unsubscribe if you don't like it? Otherwise it's like saying you don't like cauliflower if you've never tasted it. (: