Twitter Appeal, Round Two

A few more thoughts on why I think Twitter's not all bad:

It's true--Facebook, Myspace and other social networks consume your
life. Like many other college students, I have also spent one too
many hours perusing the really quite useless information found on
these sites.

So I can see what those who denounce the up-and-coming Twitter
"microblogging" Web site mean when they describe it as "useless" or
"ridiculous."

Why do we need to know what our friends are doing every minute of the
day? Yeah, it's a little creepy.

But let's put this into perspective. Virtually any tool can be
misused. Even our most basic applications--such as a standard .edu
e-mail--can be wielded into a spam machine in mal-intentioned hands.

Facebook is a good example of this--surely the creators of this social
network did not mean for people to use it for personal revenge or the
stalkerish following of people--this is what society itself has turned
it into.

Misuse of Twitter, yes, is prevalent. I'm sure we don't care that
Joy rediscovered her passion for pb & j's or that Fred is
watching his favorite movie, "The Notebook."

What Twitter can provide us, however, is miniature updates of things
we should concern ourselves with or pertain to our life.
Subscribing to a news update can finally get rid of the ol', "I just
don't have time to keep up with current events." With one or
two-sentence updates of events, what’s the loss?

I consider Twitter a network that reflects the tendencies of our
times: a quick read of a 140-character-or-less update and you're on
your way. With technology bombarding us in every which way we turn
nowadays, Twitter is a refreshing succinct alternative.

In my experience, Twitter has also helped me more efficiently manage my time.
Being able to keep up with the people who do matter to me (and some
socially high-profile select few whose updates are worth following),
keeps me from logging onto Facebook.

I log onto Twitter, briefly see news, my friends' issues, local
business' deals for the day and done! A much better system than
logging onto Facebook to check a wall post and realizing two hours
later that I'm on picture 3,230 of a random acquaintance's tagged
photos, I’d say.

The only admonition I offer is this: Use Twitter well. Leave the
unnecessary updating of your life to Facebook and Myspace, which are,
in my belief, just means to waste time.

I also would like to stress that while Twitter can keep you informed,
it should not replace the traditional forms of information. If you
see a news story headline, click on the link that usually follows. A
superficial knowledge of an event or product you read a one-liner
about does not designate you a scholar.

Do try to use Twitter, however, to quickly navigate through new
happenings. Let is serve as a tool to pique your interest in what’s
around you—after all, what’s the point of living in a world you take
no part in? And use your new-found knowledge to “retweet” and let
others in your network in on the new dish.

Twitter, if used responsibly, can keep you and everyone in your
network properly informed—whether it be news, events or just plain fun
stuff—it’s a never-ending fountain of knowledge.