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More Twittering
I went through the typical Twitter experience. I tried it, sent a few messages, connected with a few friends, and then turned it off on my phone as I was getting killed with text messages.
I think the best way for me to use Twitter is text my updates in and use the web to display them to all of you. I've put a twitter badge on my right sidebar and have set up the system to nudge me for an update once a day.
I realize that updating once a day sort of defeats the instant gratification aspects of the system. Maybe I am just too old to communicate that way. Or maybe if I start doing it once a day, then I'll gradually start doing it more often.
I was sitting with Jason Calacanis the other day in his office and he posted to Twitter that we were having coffee. I would not have thought to do that. Maybe in time I will.
But regardless of how I use Twitter, I do see a lot of benefits of a communication system like this. Dave Winer has written thoughtfully about what Twitter might turn into over time. And this Technology Review piece suggests that developers are already building on top of the Twitter API:
But at least a few independent Web developers are still enamored with Twitter, and they're using the programming interfaces provided by Obvious to build mashups that give messages more context.
I think there's a lot of merit to the idea that Twitter can be a part of the Internet infrastructure like Google Maps or FeedBurner. And so I intend to keep trying to use it.
Comments (12) | Posted April 6, 2007 in Venture Capital and Technology
Comments
I'm going through virtually the same struggle with it. I don't want the continuous interruption and I'm trying to figure out the value to the rest of the world having real time info about me.
How about putting it above the fold on the left hand side so it's more obvious since it's regularly changing data.
Posted by: Brad Feld | Apr 6, 2007 10:32:11 AM
I did the same thing... got into it, nobody i knew really well was on it, so it was boring, subscribed to a few friends, got clobbered w/ messages -- went away. Now I, too, have it on halfass.com on my blog sidebar and run twitteriffic (check that out, btw) on my mac for when I want to see it all in a little app. Good stuff, and agree about it being a "pipe" -- get the data flowing, then mash it up!
Posted by: scotty | Apr 6, 2007 11:13:07 AM
veryy veryy nice informations...thank you very much. mr suma...
Posted by: patent | Apr 6, 2007 11:27:14 AM
If you guys have to work so hard at it, why bother? (not trying to be snide, but it seems like an artificial way to adopt a service)
Posted by: lawrence | Apr 6, 2007 11:29:41 AM
FYI, reading this post in Google Reader pops up an HTTP Basic Authentication dialog prompting for a Twitter API username & password.
Posted by: Tim Dierks | Apr 6, 2007 11:41:00 AM
Fred,
Check out this twitter widget one of our developers built. :)
Would love your thoughts...
http://www.yourminis.com/minis/yourminis/podman/mini:twitter
Posted by: alex | Apr 6, 2007 1:02:13 PM
I think "playing" with Twitter is the best way to figure out what it is -- and can be. I'm being patient with the service as I find experimenting with it like the early days of blogging...I didn't know exactly what I was doing or why. However, there is a frustration with its performance that's akin to going in and out of cell-phone coverage. It stops working for periods of time and I forget it exists. Like I said, on "early" stage platforms that catch such a updraft of popularity, I cut a lot of slack on early glitches if I think the underlying premise and direction is correct. (I use Twitterific as a desktop client -- I guess that's what it is -- sorta a Twitter newsreader).
Posted by: Rex Hammock | Apr 6, 2007 1:03:44 PM
"FYI, reading this post in Google Reader pops up an HTTP Basic Authentication dialog prompting for a Twitter API username & password."
same thing happened to me using Bloglines reader -- rather disconcerting!
Posted by: jim | Apr 6, 2007 4:05:10 PM
There's something to twitter. Reminds me of the first time I used skype.
Oh, and... "veryy veryy nice informations", btw.
Posted by: Rick | Apr 6, 2007 9:27:49 PM
hey there! im kinda new on this venture capital thinggy but i really wanna learn about it. i found one venture capital company on wikipedia named ITU VENTURES. Have you heard of this? Anyone have a take? I learned that Chad Browstein is the founder.
Posted by: Jassmaree Franchezka | Apr 7, 2007 12:38:53 PM
I am playing around with Twitter too - their friend flash widget has a lot of promise.
Fred, I've been meaning to ask you a hypothetical question...
If RIAA sued you much like they are suing the college students around the country, would you remove your music links or go through the entire legal process?
Why do you think that they are targeting these students who have little financial means in general and there are sites like this that have a lot of traffic and they selectively stay away?
I'm not speaking negatively about your music posts in fact, I love them I'm just trying to understand the RIAA organization a little better and wondering what your response may be?
Dan Buell
www.danbuell.com
Posted by: Dan Buell | Apr 9, 2007 1:07:12 AM
one thing i found very interesting about your widget, is that when it came into bloglines at the top of your post it displayed my, rather than your, last twitter...
if you don't make declarations people can't help you. i loved your articulation in the second post: "twitter is starting to work for me"
Posted by: James Governor | Apr 10, 2007 5:27:31 AM
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