In case you haven't noticed, the only website being talked about in the world right now is Twitter. When Oprah and Larry King are talking about how to subcribe to their Tweets, you know that the site has gone mainstream. We've been having a number of discussions about the site and although I think it's here to stay, many people have mixed feelings about it.
What seems to be the largest barrier is understanding why people would even use the service. I've heard, from a number of people, that they simply don't care about hearing what people are doing 'right now'. ("I just ate a Big Mac!" or "I feel tired. Should I go to sleep?"). While I agree that the little mundane facts about our lives aren't really for mass consumption, Twitter does have it's advantages.
For starters, it gives you access to people who are not your friends. You can follow celebs, athletes, journalists and politicians to track their every move. You can send them direct messages (not that they'll respond) and feel like they could be your friends. You can't get that type of access on Facebook.
Secondly, Twitter does a great job at connecting people who have like minded interests. For example, there are a number of marketers and advertisers who use the service and it's easy to follow them and see what campaigns are getting a lot of press and what people are currently discussing in the space. LinkedIn and Facebook don't offer this type of opportunity. LinkedIn let's me build my personal network of contacts but I don't really use it to have discussions with people. Facebook is for my friends - the people I've actually met.
One of the best lines I've heard about Facebook and Twitter is this:
"Facebook is the place you go to connect with people you know. Twitter is the place you go to connect with people you wish you knew."
Whether you Tweet or not, you can't deny the ridiculous amount of coverage the site has been getting (see video below, thanks Bud!). I'm looking forward to checking back in about a year to see how things are going.
You can follow me here (if you want to learn about my mundane life).
