The Twitter Pull

Almost a year ago I wrote a post called I Just Can't Get Into Twitter and while I believe my original justification for that post was accurate, I can't help but feel the Twitter pull.  Back when I wrote that post a lot of the tweets were boring and unwanted updates, but now I get just as much information as I do entertainment from following folks.  Plus, I get daily pings of new followers so now my Twitter followers outnumbers my blog email subscribers and their number is also approaching my RSS feed subscriber number.

There are tons of posts out there on Twitter and I won't drone on about the business aspects of it (other than CRM, not much) but here's what I like and don't like about Twitter.  You'll see that the likes outnumber the dislikes:

WHY I LIKE TWITTER

1. Unlike instant messenger, I get a log of my friends and business associates so I can see what interesting updates they have
2. You actually can find entertaining posts in 140 characters or less
3. You can find quick breaking news stories
4. You get updates on conferences
5. Unlike RSS feeds you get a very quick overview of new posts or articles
6. Did I mention it is actually fun to look into people's lives based on the info they post in 140 characters or less
7. You can have questions answered
8. Believe it or not, it takes little time to get updates or make tweets

WHY I STILL DISLIKE TWITTER

1. I don't like hitting refresh
2. In order to solve #1, I need to install a browser add-on which I hate
3. It isn't integrated with Yahoo IM or AOL IM like it used to be
4. Not enough conversations going back and forth, yet

Yes, I feel the pull of Twitter now.  It is actually kind of fun and I get quick updates now.  I don't have to stay logged on to see the updates and can check in anytime I want now.  I'm not sure how long it will last or if it is a fad or not, but for now I kind of enjoy it.  My time spent on Facebook has definitely taken a hit, but it wasn't much to begin with anyway.  Twitter probably isn't for everyone, but if I keep growing my followers it will definitely keep me engaged.

PardonMyFrench,

Eric