For those of us already struggling to maintain URLs, a MySpace page, a Facebook page, a Linked In page, multiple email accounts, multiple IM accounts and text messages, the emergence of Twitter in the blogosphere begs the question: What twit came up with the idea of tweets?
On the upside, with a 140 character message limit, we won’t be getting keyboard cramps. On the downside, what the heck do we post? If you’re interested in starting a cult, this is the place to find followers—literally. That’s what people who read your tweets are called.
But for us tentative tweeters, this is a really daunting issue. You want to be cool without trying too hard. You want to sound smart without sounding like a smart ass. You want to connect with like-minded folk without stalking them.
Who’s doing it Twitter style? Ashton Kutcher hit 1 million followers before CNN news did. Oprah Winfrey reached out to the Twitter universe for the first time this April. Although she launched with a faux pas…. apparently, the correct universal salutation is Dear Tweeple.
Twitter is a vehicle that perfectly reflects its time: fast, fleeting and frivolous. It’s a great tool if used among friends who actually care that Burger King forgot the onions or your new shoes hurt. The rest of us, not so much.
Twitter poses the question “What are you doing?” Before answering that, ask yourself the question “Why am I doing it?”
That said, if you’d like to follow me on Twitter try twitter.com/agelessons.