I asked many of my friends a few questions on twitter , my idea was to collate responses and make a blog post out of it . We all know that it is the new IT thing around and is the centre of many a new innovation . But my objective is to get the human angle on this . All said and done , finally the people who use it are the people who make it such a wonderful platform and a booming centre of focus now . Here are a few observations and before we get into that , let me state that I will not quote verbatim here , but condense my findings and try and extrapolate from them . So without much more ado , let us get right into it
What is Twitter to me ?
This question drew the most diverse set of answers , ranging from one end where it was a platform to connect with more friends and make meaningful company , to getting positive responses to social causes , a mix of individuals to target for marketing and finally a powerful podium for self expression where you speak less but speak as is .
These response tell you that people are not using twitter just for the sake of sounding off at a bunch of followers who will listen to whatever you say . Twitter now has evolved into a "place" where you meet and actually socialize with people . A far cry from just a source of breaking news that it was hitherto considered to be . Very frankly speaking , I see very few people tweeting about tying up their shoe laces and their doggy pooping . They actually have meaningful conversations and derive value from these .This is not however to be mistaken with IM , no conversation is 1-on-1 , other than DMs . So everyone is in the loop and listening and even adding to what is being said . In many ways , this strikes me as one of the purposes a university is supposed to serve . People talk and get responses and go back with solid info .
Is Twitter about popularity ?
No say most of my friends in India . This is a stark contrast with the other users many whom are blindly after popularity and numbers . For most of my Indian friends twitter is a virtual hangout where they hang out with buds and actually even fight off boredom and depression . The invention of #twugs on twitter has helped here . Folks exchange #twugs all the time to pep up and cheer up buddies . They have even virtual coffees and toffees . What a wonderful thing !
But some feel that with the popularity of the medium booming , people seeking popularity on twitter is on the rise . Some examples would be @aplusk and @oprah who actually tweet gibberish but have a mad bunch of millions following them .
The concluding thought there would be , that in India it is not a rat race for numbers yet ! I see that even celebrities like @gulpanag and @Shashitharoor are not tweeting junk , they actually have info to share and they do .
What has twitter changed for me ?
The most heartening response to that was that one of my friends got sponsors for the education of needy kids from twitter . I am happy to hear that , and I guess so are you ! I know of a friend who actually manned a helpdesk for the 26/11 queries . The Gay pride movement had a lot of solidarity coming from Indian Tweeps . So social causes are getting responses from tweeps and genuine ones at that .
A group of my younger friends told me that they truncate thinking to 140 chars now ! That makes them precise and less verbose . They also dig in and share useful technical tips that makes life easier . Virtually everyone i asked has responded with positive changes coming out of twitter . There was an independent film that got promoted on twitter . There was a bunch of responsible tweeps helping out commuters when Mumbai Rains happened . The effect of twitter on Iran is well known .
All in all , everyone has been touched and touched positively by twitter .
Who do I follow/unfollow in twitter ?
Here there was overwhelming consensus . A tweep is followed based on common interests , recos from friends , a valid DP and a well written bio . Each tweep has a tweet pattern and the folks watch this before deciding on following him/her . Annoying people do not get attention and engagers get a lion's share .
On the unfollow front , here are the rules , respond to tweets or be unfollowed . DO NOT SEND Auto DMs . Do not tweet about Tons of Followers or give "Gifts" of e-books to people . Also do not come across as a brother or sister of Narcissus , then you are finished . And last but not the least if someone takes all this effort and follows you , you better follow them back or get unfollowed !
Conclusion :
Twitter is by no means a verbal gym , it is place to find , mix with and talk to sensible people , gather useful info , support meaningful causes and get help on any issues . The current crop of tweeps are not killing time here and they are serious about tweets . Tweets are in a way a reflection of you and a lot of effort goes into tweets . Tweet anyone the way you wan to be tweeted and you will be ok . Celebrity or not , credibility and responsiveness counts and rules . So Hereby I conclude that Twitter is the Adda / Hangout of the current times and sincerely pray that twitter support minimizes outages and increases the scalability of this wonderful platform that is now touching every walk of life .
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