Recently, a couple halted their wedding for a minute or two the moment the groom had to kiss the bride. Why so? Because the grrom had to tell his twitter followers that it was time to kiss his bride. Stories like these aren't unusual on Twitter. How it's done these days however is far different from when twitter was on its initial stages. Twitter wasn't expected to be a hit because everyone thought that blogs and podblogging and social networks was going to be the permanent trend.
Microblogging Arrives
Then Twitter was introduced and there were very few who believed that it would be huge. In fact, some wondered how 140 letters, space included, can ever say anything of vast interest to anyone. Jack Dorsey, who invented the twitter concept, figured out that most people do not want to write anything more that what's happening in real time. He thought that the most basic social network would be one as simple as can be. And what can be more simple indeed than expressing how boring or exciting your day is or how your breakfast tasted great ? Thus, microblogging was born and it started as personally individualistic as it could be. THus, we have 104 years old Ivy Bean, who tells us about her dinner and your next door neighbor who tells you that she has to run to Walmart because she forgot some culinary ingredient.
Why Twitter Hit it Big
Twitter hit it big because it seemed to understand human psychology. As social creatures, individuals have an inherent desire to tell others what's happening in their lives. Simplicity paid off because Twitter doesn't require that one be a English whiz nor have something significant to write about. People want to know what other people are doing and thinking in real time and that's why Twitter has grown extremely huge.
Microblogging and Mobile
Even before Twitter, there was Multiply and Facebook that encouraged mobile blogging. The difficulty, however, is that coming up with a blog entry using your cell phone seems so distracting. After all,writing a single meaningful paragraph can be difficult for some people. Dealing only with 140 characters however makes it easier for one to twit. One only has to pull out the cellphone and write a sentence or two. Microblogging and mobile has now become almost synonymous. It isn't unusual these days to see something as you walk through the mall and decide to twit something about it. In fact, most twits aren't "done" at hoem or at the working place, but on the subway, mall or even while one is about to kiss his new bride.
Realizing that Twitter can be a Facebook threat, Facebook launched a Twitter connection so that every Facebook user who updates their twitter status can also automatically update their Facebook status. The message perhaps is this --- simplicity does pay -- and there is nothing as easy as random twits of two sentences via any mobile phone. Today, Twitter's news and commercial advantage has been recognized. Even the mainstream cable news networks encourage people to twit the news. Marketeers also have seen how effective Twitter seems to be when directing them to their sales website through tiny urls -- add a catchy message via Twitter and you have your web store or business site advertised. Twitter has come a long way indeed. Seems that the axiom today is --- "I twit, therefore I am" ?
(by Heliumasia CYS)
