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Twitter .. what's the point ?

Tex-Twil

Tex-Twil

macrumors 68030
Original poster
May 28, 2008
2,501
15
Berlin
Hello,
a lot of people is using Twitter but I just can't see the point of this tool. I recently subscribed to some pple's Twitter but what I find particularly annoying is that it is difficult to follow other people's comments on a specific twitter page.

What I can see is basically the replies to the comments that were made making the whole stuff very frustrating. I know there are some tools which can recreate the conversation line Twonvo but still I don't find it very easy to use.

So what's the point of Twitter ? Why not just using a blog with normal comments ? Is it maybe because people Twit mostly from mobile devices ?

Talking about tools to thread the conversation, do you know a software that can do that (not browser based). On my mac I'm using twiterrific but it doesn't seem to have that ability.

Thanks for your opinions,
Tex
 
LOL - it seems like there's a lot of people talking on Twitter but nobody listening.

I've heard it referred to as "social networking for the socially inept." ;)
 
To people who don't care about what you're doing every minute of your boring life? The perfect example of this would have to be Ashton Kutcher.. Talking about useless Tweeting, nothing interesting is happening there! Not that what I'm saying is more interesting.. But I'm not on there every minute of the day :p
 
I totally don't get it. It seems more like a marketing tool rather than a legitimate form of communication or networking. :confused:
 
Tex-Twil said:
Hello,
a lot of people is using Twitter but I just can't see the point of this tool.
Click to expand...

Then don't use it. It's not for everyone. No one's forcing you to use it.

I use it as a pseudo RSS feed for things I'm interested in. I don't follow celebs - I'm not interested in them.

This is not the first time this has come up at MR. Someone doesn't see the point in Twitter, so they can't see why ANYONE would want to use it. Rather narrow minded to be honest.
 
djellison said:
Then don't use it. It's not for everyone. No one's forcing you to use it.

I use it as a pseudo RSS feed for things I'm interested in. I don't follow celebs - I'm not interested in them.

This is not the first time this has come up at MR. Someone doesn't see the point in Twitter, to they can't see why ANYONE would want to use it
Click to expand...
I have nothing against people who use it. Nobody is forcing me do use it. I just wanted to know your opinions about it to maybe found out that I miss use it. Or maybe that I have the wrong tools to use it.
 
Just to play devils advocate, I know a lot of people who would say 'what's the point of MacRumors? When stuff is released it's released... deal with it.'

I happen to enjoy both twitter and MR :)

Tweetdeck is a good tool by the way...
 
Peterkro said:
During the present unrest in Iran lots of the organisation and the getting of information in and out is being done on twitter.So what may be a useless conveyor for drivel for some is a useful tool for others.
Click to expand...
Yep I was also thinking about this. I read in newspapers that Twitter even postponed a maintenance to allow pple from Iran to use it. Good point.
 
I tried to get into it but I don't see the point, to me it seems like Facebook status updates but, well, more basic and with a smaller character limit. I admire its simplicity though.
 
You get out of Twitter what you put into it. Twitter can be a very useful tool, but I admit for most people it's just a waste of time.

I didn't get it when I joined last year either, but the power of Twitter is that you can connect with other people with similar interests, and in my case, other professionals who can offer help, work, or knowledge. I use it primarily as a business tool to stay connected with others.

And while I don't follow Ashton Kutcher I can appreciate what he said about it being a very fast way to respond and connect with adoring fans. eg, if a rumor starts, and he has the ability to respond to millions of people within seconds with his own side of the story.
 
I think it is useful for situations like the one in Iran right now. I have tried to use it like some people do but i was not able to do so. I really don't want to know what you had for lunch, or what your puppy just did. I however find it could be useful at times.
 
crazycat said:
I think it is useful for situations like the one in Iran right now. I have tried to use it like some people do but i was not able to do so. I really don't want to know what you had for lunch, or what your puppy just did. I however find it could be useful at times.
Click to expand...

I agree, I personally have no interest in getting updated every 10 minutes about what someone ate for lunch, or what they are thinking. But I too could see the usefulness in news reporting since you can culminate these views of millions of people in a matter of minutes and piece those together to create a story.
 
Twitter can be a decent pseudo-RSS feed, if you follow the right twitterers.

There's even a MacRumors twitter feed. Nice to get that on my iPhone when I'm away from my desk. :)
 
Like many others who have posted it, I use it to get updates from things I care about rather than searching for them. I get daily deals from newegg, amazon, and dell outlet as well as a bioware twitter feed so I can keep up on news about video games from them I am interested in. This, coupled with RSS feeds, potentially obviates my need to actually visit many websites, or can help me find information I care about sooner.
 
If used right Twitter can be very interesting. I sometimes make useless tweets about what I am doing that honestly no one cares about. On other occasions I will make tweets inviting thought from other people or for the purpose of letting my followers (many of whom are actual friends) know where I am and what I am doing to either meet up with them or just for their general knowledge. It is fun to be at an event and make tweets and meet up with other people who are at the event. It is an interesting concept; and frankly if people don't like what I am tweeting they don't have to follow me.
 
I've had about 10 followers so far in the one week I've used it and all but two of them I've blocked because they are just spammers. Twitter is filled with spammers including the free iPhone give aways.
 
I love twitter, there I've said it.

Best thing about it is following people who have similar interests, although I also like to follow a few Geek / Apple Celebrities and the like.

My thought is, don't care for twitter, don't like it? Don't use it! :eek:
 
Most people I know who use Twitter do so because they either haven't discovered RSS or they don't know how to use it.
 
To this day, I still don't get Twitter. Seems very tedious and pointless to me. Why not just send a text message? Basically it just seems to me like a huge text messaging list. Instead of doing it on your phone, you post online and it sends people the message for you. Oh well, to each his own. :D
 
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