This week, Twitter turns five. Care for a slice of fail-whale shaped birthday cake, anyone?
For its users, Twitter has become a lens to just about any news event you can think of—revolutions, volcanic eruptions, State of the Unions—providing an addictive mix of quips, on the scene reports, and recommended links.
To mark this anniversary, we’re interested in hearing from you how Twitter has changed your media diet. Do you find yourself reading more widely, from a greater range of sources or viewpoints? Are there any journalists or news outlets whose work you’ve become more familiar with because of their Twitter presence? And for those of you who haven’t caught the Twitter bug, tell us why you’ve decided it isn’t for you.
You could have at least have used humor:
Twitter is 5. Look at the cake! [shortened-image-link] Yr thoughts? Cuz we're too lazy to write article.
Leave attempts at readers creating interest via the comment thread to august publications like The USA Today.
#1 Posted by F. Murray Rumpelstiltskin, CJR on Tue 22 Mar 2011 at 03:13 PM
Murray, who's the one who needs sense of humour..? Oh, dear. Anyway: my first experience with Twitter was quick... Now, seriously. I think it was Financial Times's Stacy-Marie Ishmael who tweeted that mainstream news outlets look dead if you follow the right people on Twitter. I second that. The business model of a news outlet where readers will satisfy all of their information (etc, etc) needs is about to be buried -the longer it takes, the worse for the industry to rebuild itself.
#2 Posted by Victor Jimenez, CJR on Wed 23 Mar 2011 at 12:57 PM
No Twitter because
I don’t have a short attention span
I enjoy reading lengthy articles if they are cogent
I don’t care about celebrities
I don’t need to know what anyone thinks of anything when it happens
I am not interested in telling anyone what I think when it happens; except my wife
I don’t want to spend money if I can help it
I don’t want to risk developing a new compulsion
I dislike people who call attention to themselves beyond the aforementioned celebrities
I don’t want to carry anything else
I don’t like the name “Twitter” unless it concerns the chirping of birds
I am envious of the inventors beating me to the discovery
I am purposely indifferent to that which is very popular as these things are usually inversely related to anything of substance
I am not a joiner
But I might buy some stock
#3 Posted by Atypical, CJR on Wed 23 Mar 2011 at 06:27 PM
I think twitter has helped sort information, it gives another voice, it has different uses for different things. I don't think you have to be compulsively looking at it all the time. However, if you follow the right people, interesting topics and links to full articles or sites come up to illuminate issues that may be of interest. It is direct and fast, so it has an advantage over any other information outlet. As a writer, I use it as a warm up or tune up, it makes me think of things to write. I use it to quote someone or write something that hopefully is a bit though provoking. Join the conversation, give it a chance , but everything in moderation.
#4 Posted by Ryan Whiteoak, CJR on Wed 23 Mar 2011 at 11:34 PM
Twitter is incredibly useful because it opens the door to the internet. This is information sharing at its best. Face-book is a joke compared to Twitter. When the middle east crisis broke open it was Twitter that they tried to shut down. I would never own a face-book account ever!
Twitter is respected Face-book is not
A filmmakers diabetic diet beat 30 year diabetic drug companies in popularity just from Twitter twits http://spirithappy.wordpress.com/new-type-2-diabetes-diet-cure The other social sites are great for finding your first love or whatever but Twitter is for serious business people. It is the most respected marketing tool when used correctly.
#5 Posted by Mark Rosenberg, CJR on Thu 24 Mar 2011 at 11:49 AM
I love twitter! It's very user-friendly. Amanda here!
#6 Posted by Amanda Fabia Mair, CJR on Wed 6 Apr 2011 at 03:34 AM