Very Serious Question

Actually, you’re right on the money. They are doing insanely aggressive marketing these days and fortunately MSNBC doesn’t let a silly thing like ethics prevent them drinking from that trough.

No. Chris Matthews just sees some good press in it for himself.QT

john stewart did an awesome segment on this the other night!

I think they’re actively promoting user involvement solely for the purpose of placing the blame on the American people the next time they completely flub another big issue (i.e. leading up to Iraq).Give it 2 years and Fox News will weasel word their opinions with “Some on Twitter are saying…”

CNN was kicking their ass in regards to Twitter – so now they are back…Twitter is great for TV news because it gets them SHORT view feedback…

Terry, yeah- I saw the Jon on the Daily Show reducing the whole Twitter thing to the inane and absurd trend taht it is.QT, I think I just got it- Ha! because both communicate through a series of simple ‘tweets’- yeah, it would be right up Tweety’s alley!

I think they just like saying “twitter”

It’s making me want to stop the Twitter thing–not that I do it much, I mainly read the brief thoughts of a few others. The novelty has been worn down to the nibs by members of the media trying to snatch up followers.

I’ve been using Twitter for a long time and Dan – you just don’t get it. It’s one of the most useful tools out for research, communication, marketing, development and news..

For years, eh?Yeah- well, I’ve been on The Facebook since before it was even cool..and my updates take up no more than one line- it’s the most concise-est!

I just posted about this. I am 25 and think this Twitter thing is ridiculous.www.terry-gilmores-head.com

i am not a twitter’ing member so could you please explain this….>>>It’s one of the most useful tools out for research, communication, marketing, development and news..i thought is was just…-i’m watching a dog pee-i just ate a peach-i sliced my finger cutting my peachthere’s more to it than that?!

this is a test, this is merely a test of my emergency link posting system. In the case of a real emergence this message would be followed by the screams of Rush Limbaugh getting his testicles bitten off by a ravinous wolverine.here’s the hilarious daily show clip for those with a few minutes to kill..

http://www.thedailyshow.com/video/index.jhtml?videoId=219519&title=Twitter-FrenzyDamnit! Still cant get that right!!

Dan! If it took that long to get it was too clever for its own good! I’ll leave the jokes to Bob and Elvis. They’re better at it.Here’s what you need to do. (Substitute triangles for squares)[a href="your-url-here"]Daily Show Clip[/a]QT

Gypsy,It’s a tool and the only ‘rule’ is 140 characters…but…because of Twitter..1) I know about some breaking news before anyone – the Chinese earthquake, for example – knew it in real time.2) It’s often better than Google for research…3) It’s helping me find a new place to live in New Mexico…4) I’ve developed writing ideas that went on to be BobCeaca or HuffPost articles…and promoted those articles, too..5) Talked to all sorts of people..6) Gotten new fans for my photography..etc etc…Stuff I post to Twitter has a wider audience than anywhere else I write for HuffPost.

Did I say ‘years’? Or ‘a long time”?This whole EMail thing is a fad, too…but whatever…go be happy…if you don’t get it and don’t want to, you don’t get it…

You have to love the irony of a major mainstream media news network using their airtime to promote…their little social media profiles? Isn’t it normally the other way around?

It’s not irony – major media is getting it’s ass kicked by not understanding that their advantages are rapidly fading. Twitter does a lot of news better than they do…

I love the aspect of real time updates on important news and events. I loved for example, people twittering live from the Inauguration.I also enjoy the networking aspect of it. It has attracted readership to my blog, and has directed me to people that had much needed information and services more quickly than had I sought them out via search engine or IRL.I don’t really consider this trend to twitter bandwagon jumping as much as people and organizations finally getting with the times.I can however understand how the constant talk of it can becoming grating- especially if you are not a twitter user. My suggestion is give it a try. If you choose to follow people who tweet quality content and information rather than “I just came from the bathroom”, you should be fine.Will it prove to be a fad? Perhaps, but only time will tell. I’ll Tweet you and let you know.

Twitter is what you make it. I have:1)Increased readership to my blog by 58%.2) Made two sales and have added several future clients to my database.3)Made contacts with local leaders.4)Received breaking news from local reporters before it hit the TV.5)Been inspired for blog topics.6)Connected with a diverse group of interesting people.Can it be about dog pee? Sure, if that is what you make it. It can also be about building your business, staying informed, and meeting great people, some of whom talk about dog pee.

i thought is was just…-i’m watching a dog pee-i just ate a peach-i sliced my finger cutting my peachthere’s more to it than that?!

Gyps,I just started using twitter a couple of weeks ago as a quick thought board and linked it to my blog. Or a one sentence rant that doesn’t need a full post expansion. But its networking use is a great tool.For example, if Bob “tweeted” (I know Lee does but I don’t think Bob does) he could send a general message tonight at 9:45 EST reminding everyone of their show tonight and even link the page. If you are accepting Bob’s tweets, you would remember to tune in instead of watching the American Idol results show tonight.Yeah, some people like to send a million tweets a day like “I just ran out of toilet paper” or “I can’t move out of my apartment fast enough because I’m too busy tweeting”, but those aren’t the type you’d open yourself to mobile messages from. (The end of that last sentence is awful but I’m too lazy to fix it.)

>>>It’s not irony – major media is getting it’s ass kicked by not understanding that their advantages are rapidly fading. Twitter does a lot of news better than they do…My problem isn’t with Twitter, per se. (Other than I hate the fucking name, but then if I got to name things they’d all be named after original Batman noises. Kapow! Sploosh! Plink!).I think that it’s cool that people can fire off little thoughts, shit they might say to you if you were there, and so on. Even if 90% of it is bullshit, so’s 90% of the internet, or tv, or anything else. That doesn’t mean there’s something wrong with the tech- Lee has his whole list of stuff, right?My issue is thusly: If I wanted to read a twitter, I could do it myself. I sure as fuck don’t need the on-air talent at MSNBC to read it for me, and then give me their off-the-cuff take on someone else’s off-the-cuff take on something that just happened somewhere. Lee’s right, the televisual device, and before it the radio device, was the place for breaking news for years. Before that it was the newspaper, but radio and tv came along- thus the death of the evening edition. Radio and tv were faster, and the internet is faster still. (There is no Speed Limit on the Information Superhighway™. Solgan © Internet Marketing Board)So, news people, instead of reading the internet at me, try doing some in-depth fucking reporting. I know, I know, it’s work, but hey, maybe if you started doing that, all your shows would start scoring Rachel-esque ratings. (And Olbermann too, to be fair he’s still first…for now, sir)Wow, I’m a little sweary this afternoon.

carl, lee, anybody…so when someone “tweets” you get notified on your phone or something?! jeez, i guess i will sign up just so i can understand it. (said through gritted teeth)

twitter is facebook for lazy people

Aphorisms are insight for lazy people.

blog comments: serious businessright, “ElMystico”?

Totally.

Carl – good points, all – I promote the show on Twitter and it’s gotten us listeners. I promote my posts here, often, too…

shocker, someone making this all about themselves

Travis,People ARE all about themselves. Sure, it’s vogue to say, “no, no, no, I put everybody before myself.”, but that’s bullshit. Your thoughts dictate what rules your life, and your thoughts are almost completely about you. Any thoughts about someone else are almost always in RELATION to you.Get over it.

Twitter is another flash in the pan Internet idea. Soon to be replaced by something else.My Twitter page: http://twitter.com/Rover761

Delicious libertarianism.Is it a coincidence that someone just forwarded me this comic?http://s5.tinypic.com/1z68osz.jpg

QT said:

Dan! If it took that long to get it was too clever for its own good!

.. or maybe it’s just because the tubes are so damn slow here in Germany. And by the way- DE stands for Deutschland, not Deleware. I come from Baltimore, and yet I didn’t even notice the ambiguity of the Dan in DE when I decided on it.Also, I am just leaving it to the pros. That was recycled (read stolen) Elvis Dingeldein material *hangs head in shame*Two things:The internets would nave me believe that this twitter can be used to make a little tweet lovin’. What’s that all about?And secondly, I’m pretty sure I get the whole ‘brevity speaks volumes’ thing, but what makes this any better than using the google? It’s purportedly great for networking, is that just because all the cool people are on there, and so far the losers have yet to catch on??

Dan, when did you leave Baltimore? Perhaps your absence is the reason the Orioles suck?

Anything having to do with ill-tempered wolverines is wholly my domain and ™ Elvis Dingeldein Productions LLC. Dan, you can expect to hear from meine Rechtsanwälte regarding your recycled thievery.

If I wanted to read a twitter, I could do it myself. I sure as fuck don’t need the on-air talent at MSNBC to read it for me, and then give me their off-the-cuff take on someone else’s off-the-cuff take on something that just happened somewhereThank you, El Myst.

I guess Lee is on the Twitter payroll as well

Dan – the normal first reaction is ‘I don’t get it.. 140 character, so what?”Then – for a lot of people – you use it, make connections, experiment with content…and it starts to click.

itt “hey look at this moving picture box”

The pictures…are coming… alive!

it may be usefulit may be much more than a fadbut it is very boring and annoying to have the yappers bring it up constantly on cable news

twitter is only great when things like this happen:http://unrelatedcontent.com/wordpress/rick-sanchez-of-cnn-is-tweeting-his-knee-surgery

Ach du Scheiße, Rechtsanwälte- mehrzahl? Sie herrshcen die deutsche Grammatik aber leider nicht. Vergiss nicht den Dativ wenn von Rechtsanwälten der Rede ist.Haha! Talk about a grammar Nazi!!Travis, it’s been a decade since the O’s did any ass-kicking. I left Baltimore just over 2 years ago, my conscience is clean. Though I spent a year in Oulu, FI before that, and I hate to say it, but I think I killed the Kärpat winning streak when I left.. cant be sure because I still cant understand a word they’re saying.BTW, Kärpat is Finnish for short-tailed weasel, which I imagine is just as dangerous as any of those outback weasel forms.

Dan, I’ve visited Oulu on business several times. A company I used to work for had a subsidiary there. An interesting town, but absolutely brutal in the winter.

Speaking of Very Serious… Tweety is chirping about McCains earmark bitching. If he watched Olbermann he wouldn’t be doing this segment. And how is it that Keith is the only one bringing up the pertinent numbers here? Obama didn’t say he was going to eliminate earmarks, he said roll it back to 1990′s levels, and he did. The earmarks are lower than they’ve been in years. End of story. effing tweety.

I have been saying that all day.. He said REFORM not ELIMINATE… McCain is the one who railed against them..gonna make them famous and use his pen and all that crap…

Dan in Deutschland, thank you for the clarification. Did I ask you about Delaware before? I feel like I did, but I don’t remember. And you and I shall sit back and watch Mr. Dingeldein and Mr. Cesca being exceptional wits… I don’t pretend to be able to keep up. QT

I appreciate the sage advice- however should anyone want to battle for German grammatical prowess, I’m the man for the job. That is, unless you can find a real German.Oh, and I just answered the whole DE thing pre-emptively, though I think that SillyGit explained the German country code last week in an unrelated topic.Alan, living in Central Germany now the weather is much too warm for me- not quite as hot as a Baltimore summer, but here there’s hardly a chance to escape into the AC, anywhere. I’m gravitating northward before long. I’m pretty sure I belong in the cold weather.Also, the summers are incredible up in N Finland. There is at least a monthlong period when the sun never sets. Just watch out for swarming bloodthirsty mosquitos in the fall.Adding: I’m parallel-’tweeting’ this comment into Microsoft Word to try and catch my grammatical errors.

I really should have noticed that mosquitoes is spelled with an ‘e’, like potatoes.Ain’t that the world.

Ceu is right about El Mystico Johnson being right. (I was just grabbing that exact quote to comment upon). I enjoy hearing the strange ramblings of a few friends and strangers (John Cleese is fun to follow) but if I want the news I’ll go to the news. And not to hear about the news’ tweets. It’s getting a bit surreal.

Just read through this blog/ comments… and you know what’s funny? I only did it because I got a tweet about it.

My two cents worth: like everything in live it’s all what YOU make out of it – nothing more nothing less.

Hey, speaking of Very Serious…why is every talking head saying “this Rush business is good for the White House in a small way/bad for the White House but a super score for Rush Limbaugh because it’s building him a huge new audience”… Okay that was a paraphrase not a quote, but this is the bullshit narrative that’s going.Good for Rush in a big way? Really? Like because the (extremely popular) President Mr the Obama and Mr the Press Sec’y Gibbs are talking about him, it’s building him a lasting audience? Not just people popping into listen? And of course there’s the “Bill Clinton had to deal with Rush” bs. Rush Limbaugh is an aging sideshow whose numbers have no where to go in the long run but down. One hopes people are paying more attention to the list of republicans not daring to offend him than are absorbing his tired schtick.

And who the fuck is this idiot on David Schuster saying that Obama should veto his own budget because letting the legislature write the damn laws in this country makes him look weak. OMG David it’s no good unless he vetoes something with his bick thick presidential veto pen to prove he is man!!!

I’ve never used Twitter. I’m not particularly opposed to it, but lately I’ve decided not to join anymore social networking sites. I’m tired of having to keep up with profiles and passwords for everything. Plus, I don’t know anyone else that uses Twitter. I might do it if Bob was twitting, or maybe Elvis, but only because it would be interesting and funny.

Nano, I ran across Mr. Dingledein on there (thinking like you) and have been following but getting silence. Seems he’s done very little tweeting the last few months. (Hint, hint) His old ones are what you would expect–quite entertaining.

You know, I was thinking the same thing about CNN the other day.I’ve tried Twitter. But I really don’t feel that the day-to-day minutiae of my life is all that interesting to broadcast.I read the other day that companies are making applications for your plants to tweet you when they need watered. What happened to just walking over to the plant and checking the soil? Other applications will tell you if you left the lights on or how much energy your appliances use. If you had 20 people following you a Twitter, do they all need to know you forgot to water the plants or that your refrigerator used 1500 MW yesterday? Have we truly reached the point where the banal is now entertainment for everyone?

Aw hell. I’m on it now. Fuck. Why couldn’t I just stand firm?

Twould be helpful if everyone posted their twitter names so I can follow them… I’m on twitter, and apparently have my WindOn .Water account set to update twitter automatically. Forgot I did that.QT

Jane, now that you’ve stopped scream-tweeting like a psychotic Bluejay I’ll tell you, Ms. Grumbles, that you must have joined a million others in joining today because the site had login problems earlier. That might be why you are having avatar problems. Or you could just be SCREAMING at it instead of uploading it. Not sure. Calm down–OM. Now try again.

Ooops, meant to drop that in the PTT. Twitter has rotted my brain already.

Good question. Not only have I not upgraded to anything in the Blackberry class for a wireless plan, maintaining a MySpace artist page is as much effort as I really want to deal with in the social networking department. I haven’t bothered with Facebook, either.