At any given moment, people on Twitter are likely to tell you that they’re hungry, sore, or tired. But last night, people used Twitter to report something that was literally of earth-shaking importance: an earthquake near San Jose.
Twitter Is Great For Reporters
Alright, I’ll jump on, even acquiesce. I have viewed Twitter as more of a social phenomenon kept neatly secret within the tech community – a bubble in which the brainiacs converse. I have watched and chuckled and dismissed. I may change my mind.
To Twitter or Not to Twitter?
Jeremiah Owyang posted yesterday on the value of Twitter. Here’s an excerpt:
PlaceShout: Like Twitter, But Useful
Before you start hating, I like Twitter. I think it’s a very interesting as a social experiment and I follow its development — even if I refuse to use it. When somebody lets me know why I should, I might. Until then we talk about PlaceShout, where economy of words contributes to the economy of local businesses.
Google, Why Jaiku and not Twitter?
It would be interesting to be a fly on the wall over at Twitter HQ today, now that Google has acquired Jaiku — a mobile social-networking app that from all descriptions is pretty similar to Twitter (disclosure: I haven’t actually used Jaiku, but I do use Twitter sporadically).
After all, Twitter is the one that has been getting all the geek cred from the Robert Scobles of the world, and from the sounds of it Twitter’s app has a far bigger reach.
Twitter & the Power of Micro-Blogging in Emergencies
As time goes by, and we get to read more and more on the various benefits from
Twitter + Etiquette = Twitterquette?
I’m not an early adopter. I’m not even, necessarily, a late adopter. When pagers were en vogue I eyed them as suspiciously as I would electronic leashes. It wasn’t until after living in Japan that I learned mobile phones had some worth – just because I sort of had to have one there. I’m an observer, not an adopter.
Childbirth 2.0: Have Blackberry, Will Twitter
Who needs a birth certificate when you’ve got Twitter, Flickr, and Ustream to document the blessed event? Who’s ready for Birthing 2.0?
Twitter, Indeed Backer Involved In Name Game
Union Square Ventures’s past investments include Del.icio.us and FeedBurner; it’s currently backing Twitter, Indeed, and AdaptiveBlue. Union Square Ventures is also behind a lawsuit against Union Square Partners, and, for simplicity’s sake, I’ll henceforth refer to the entities as “Ventures” and “Partners.”
Jaiku/Twitter/Facebook/Kyte/Plaxo – Pay Attention!
I’ve really been bitten by the Facebook/Twitter/Kyte/Jaiku bug. Stephanie Booth, everyone’s favorite Swiss blogger, met me tonight at the Jaiku party (that’s Jaiku’s PR guy, Neil Vineberg holding the Jaiku poster) and said I had to add Dopplr to my bag of tricks (it keeps track of where you, and your friends, are).