What’s All the Twitter About?

Earthquake! The breaking news of the earthquake in L.A. this summer is yet another adage to online, social-networking, “kinda/sorta,” thing-a-ma-bob, micro-blogging Web site “Twitter’s” list of accomplishments and honorable mentions.

Boasting a Twitter subscriber as the initial “reporter,” word on the quake spread on the network just as quickly as the quake sprung. The ability to expediently break occurring news, events and emergencies quickly across a large and directly-connected network is Twitter’s claim to fame. The free software provides a network as large and specific as your liking, and you can instantly send (up to 140 character) messages through instant messaging, wireless phone and e-mail. The network can also be accessed via sites like Facebook, MySpace, and FriendFeed.

Subscribers of the 2006 San Francisco-based startup overwhelmingly agree that one thing’s for certain – just one encounter with Twitter and you’ll either hate it or love it. Both haters and lovers of Twitter agree that the constant 24/7 messaging can lead to extreme annoyance from abusers of the connectivity, who seem to value quantity over quality of messages. There’s significant difference in a message boasting, “I’m hungry” versus “wildfires are spreading.”

Obviously, Twitter cons can include the constant, and quickly massive, mindless chatter, or “Twitter” rather, that can ensue and easily annoy the most patient and cyber-social users.

In his blog posting on rexblog.com, Rex Hammock, founder/CEO of custom media firm Hammock Inc. and a Twitter user, says, “Twitter is something you’ll never understand, so stop trying” and “ the amazing thing about Twitter is this: everyone uses it differently.”

Whatever the source of tweets, Twitter has established its presence and doesn’t seem to be slowing anytime soon. In fact, recent headlines affirm the enormity of the network, reporting that Twitter is “outgrowing itself” with the volume of ever-increasing users and messaging outpacing its infrastructure. 

My only question: So, would users be called Twits?

Posted by Samantha Sims