“Twitter User Overload Picture.” Image credit Flickr user: RenaissanceChambara
As you can tell from my whale friend above, Twitter has recently seen a huge upsurge in popularity.
For a slightly more scientific demonstration check out this Google Trends graph:
In a couple of posts over the next few days I’m going to make the argument that the recent emergence of Twitter as the newest favorite social media application showcases the potential of Web 2.0 as a useful tool for communication. Unfortunately, it also demonstrates the potential downfall of all web communication… As Jon Stewart quite rightly pointed out, the sheer facility of communication just aids the proliferation of bullshit.
What it is
Twitter is best described as a “micro blogging” platform, and like it’s precursors the AIM away message and the Facebook status update, Twitter updates are great ways to instantly relay information to the people with whom you are connected. It’s also a great way to share media and information. In particular, by providing links as part of a Twitter update, it’s also a great way to motivate your followers to action by following links to your site.
A Cautionary Note:
Twitter is not an RSS feed, and like all social media it thrives on the real or imagined sense of sincerity driving the posts you create. Innundating your audience (followers) with meaningless and seemingly unrrelated posts will cause them to stop following you. By this token “overposting” doesn’t advantage of what Twitter really is good for: motivating your followers to action.