Comments on: How useful is Twitter? http://hkham.wordpress.com/2007/11/01/how-useful-is-twitter/ Media, music, and the life of a young scallywag in Hong Kong Sun, 06 Jul 2008 05:43:58 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=MU By: Brian McNitt http://hkham.wordpress.com/2007/11/01/how-useful-is-twitter/#comment-3442 Brian McNitt Fri, 02 Nov 2007 18:18:16 +0000 http://hkham.wordpress.com/2007/11/01/how-useful-is-twitter/#comment-3442 Twitter wasn't developed as an emergency broadcast or communication system, so I don't think it's fair to hold it to that standard. It just so happens that it allowed a number of people to share their experience about the earthquake in realtime which was an interesting phenomenon. I believe the experience got people thinking of new ways to use Twitter and to share information in general. FYI, that screenshot represents about 30 seconds of time. The tinyurl is a link to the shake map you suggest is good information. A similar phenomenon happened during 9/11. A number of useful websites with emergency information and resources were posted hours and days before official news sites could catch up. Regardless, I agree with your final assessment. "For people who get kicks out of sharing short, inane messages, Twitter will be a fun way of keeping in touch with friends, family, and respected others. ... Trying to force it to fit a label any grander than that is, at least at this stage, a bit much." Twitter wasn’t developed as an emergency broadcast or communication system, so I don’t think it’s fair to hold it to that standard. It just so happens that it allowed a number of people to share their experience about the earthquake in realtime which was an interesting phenomenon.

I believe the experience got people thinking of new ways to use Twitter and to share information in general. FYI, that screenshot represents about 30 seconds of time. The tinyurl is a link to the shake map you suggest is good information.

A similar phenomenon happened during 9/11. A number of useful websites with emergency information and resources were posted hours and days before official news sites could catch up. Regardless, I agree with your final assessment. “For people who get kicks out of sharing short, inane messages, Twitter will be a fun way of keeping in touch with friends, family, and respected others. … Trying to force it to fit a label any grander than that is, at least at this stage, a bit much.”

]]> By: D. Aristophanes http://hkham.wordpress.com/2007/11/01/how-useful-is-twitter/#comment-3436 D. Aristophanes Thu, 01 Nov 2007 23:57:42 +0000 http://hkham.wordpress.com/2007/11/01/how-useful-is-twitter/#comment-3436 Spot on, HKH. As far as I can see, Twitter's main purpose is to cause Robert Scoble to pound out charmless slabs of breathless yet turgid tech-hackery. Spot on, HKH.

As far as I can see, Twitter’s main purpose is to cause Robert Scoble to pound out charmless slabs of breathless yet turgid tech-hackery.

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