Archive for the ‘Agency Life’ tag
Defining Twitter
In recent months, Twitter has been getting so much attention and it’s not just because of its cute little blue bird logo that you see below. Actually, that blue bird can be annoying, but it will grow on you if you stare at it for a couple of hours. And that’s exactly how Twitter is.
tweet tweet
Like many, I was completely baffled why anyone would want to share their thoughts, activities, diet, religion, cars they own, work experiences, personal hygiene, sexual preference, pretty much their entire lives (save for trips to the toilet–c’mon tweeps we gotta draw the line somewhere!) to just anyone and everyone in under 140 characters. It’s hard enough to share our lives each day with friends and family, and now to share them with the universe (twitterverse as I eventually found out) is just plain stupid.
Since I’d try anything once, I decided to give Twitter a chance a few months ago even before Ashton Kutcher (@aplusk) discovered it. I signed up anonymously as prdude and just tweeted away mainly about my life at the PR agency (which shall remain nameless) I work at. It took me less than a day to realize that Twitter does provide a unique service. It is not stupid after all.
Since that twateful day, when I signed up for my anonymous twitter handle, I’ve tried to define Twitter in my own way. Here’s what I came up with, and yes, it’s an acronym for Twitter. Corny or creative? You tell me. Honest comments are always welcomed here.
T: THERAPY. I work pretty much work for an agency that could be classifed as an insane asylum. It’s not bad at first, but after awhile (in my case, years), you’ll realize you’re becoming crazy. Twitter has been my therapy to help me through the insanity. And of course the weekly counseling and prescription meds help as well.
W: WHAT ARE YOU DOING? Could also be Whazzup? Twitter’s become a place for me to share with people who care about what I say, do and think. Seriously, there are many of them that do and they don’t work or belong in the insane asylum.
I: IMPERSONAL. No matter how many times I exchange tweets with those I follow and those who follow me, the way Twitter is set up doesn’t promote real life friendships that’s why tweet-ups like Masquertweet are gaining popularity. It may also be because I am anonymous.
T: TIME. It takes a lot of time to make Twitter worthwhile, but it’s definitely worth the investment. Not recommended for those who just don’t get it (that would include firmprez who insists that other firmprezes on Twitter have hired guns to tweet for them).
T: TEXT. It takes a lot of practice to deliver a message in under 140 characters. I avoid the “continued” tweet, which is tweeting the same idea/topic in the next tweet just because of you run out of characters. No penalty for violating though, it’s simply a personal choice.
E: ENTERTAINMENT or EDUCATION. No matter what the tweet is, someone in Twitterverse will find it entertaining or educational.
R: RETWEET. Tweet and Retweet were on a boat. Tweet jumped off, who was left? RETWEET. This and #followfriday may very well be the most powerful tools on Twitter. This is how news, ideas, products, etc. can go viral spread fast. So please RETWEET this post.
