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I’ve been constantly lurking on Twitter for a couple of weeks now. Occasionally posting a message and interacting with some other Twitters.
To follow what’s going on, I also installed Twhirl, a free software program that pops up at your desktop if tweets are issued by those persons you are following on Twitter.
My experience with Twitter is that it’s distracting. Very distracting, as I’m used to focus on what I’m doing.
I prefer to work in blocks of an hour or so, then do something else for a few minutes and after that return to my tasks at hand.
That method is difficult to keep up when you’re on Twitter using Twhirl as the messages pop up every few minutes or so.
Yes, basically it’s the same as the pop up window of my RSS reader showing the latest blog post, but I can easily read the feeds and respond to them (much) later, or even the following day during a separate task that I’ve set.
Not so on Twitter. That is a real time messaging system and if you respond to an old tweet, it disturbs the flow of messages, reason why people have difficulties to follow ‘old’ messages. On Twitter, you need to respond quickly.
So, using Twitter requires another daily work approach - which I still find difficult to implement.
Apparently I’m not the only one. At his excellent DoshDosh blog, Maki mentions the same problem in 17 Ways You Can Use Twitter: A Guide for Beginners, Marketers and Business Owners.
Read that post to see what Twitter can do for you.
I do mention Maki’s blog on purpose. Because his tweets often make sense to me. Two days ago, one of his tweets caught my eye:
I thought that was an interesting approach and wanted to be part of it, certainly when I read his following tweet:
Since I was following Maki on Twitter, I expected to become part of his newly created ‘community’, but something went wrong there, I wasn’t.
So how to still get in touch with Maki? In a next tweet, he mentioned this:
But that’s was useless, because he wasn’t following me so he wouldn’t see my response. That’s why I didn’t respond to his tweet. And against my better judgement I tried a direct message, but -of course- to no avail. I sincerely wonder what I have done wrong here?
Anyway, I completely missed this opportunity and I felt very disappointed, all the more because what followed in the two days after that was a useful, highly interesting discussion between Maki and his followers about the benefits of using Twitter and similar platforms.
The disadvantage of such a discussion is, that I don’t follow everyone in Maki’s community, so whenever Maki responds to one of these tweets, I have to click the Twitter account of the respondent to see what was said.
That works, but my suggestion to Maki is to make it another blog post or even report. Valuable stuff!
I want to keep following Maki and maybe participate in some discussions. That’s why I want to take this opportunity to ask following: Maki, can you please add me to your following list at Twitter? 
Finally, let me know your experiences about Twitter.
Do you use it? Add me to your ‘following’ list. And tell me about your experiences.
If you don’t use it, why not?
Post your response below.
EDIT
On Twitter (yes, it really works) Maki just referred to a Twitter video explaining Twitter in plain English. You may want to check it out.
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March 5th, 2008 at 2:01 pm
Hi Case,
If you use @+Maki’sTwitterName, he will see your replies. If he uses @CaseStevens in reply, you will see his replies to you.
He does not have to be following you to send you an @ reply.
Hope that helps.
I have the same issues with Twitter, it IS a distraction, and it has never made sense to me to follow everyone who follows me. I’m more about creating a meaningful conversation and building relationships with people in my niche.
March 5th, 2008 at 3:27 pm
Case,
I just sent this on to Maki. With Twhirl, all you had to do was hit the @ button on the avatar. Hope I was able to help with you hooking up with Maki…. I’ve had a conversation with him once or twice, as well as some other big names I would never have expected to chit chat with. Very fun, love being on Twitter!
Paula aka Hawksdomain
March 5th, 2008 at 6:56 pm
@Paula Maki has responded on Twitter and added me to his list. Thanks a bunch for hooking me up. Indeed, funny thing that Twitter!
@Doug I thought that wouldn’t work, just too easy. Tried it with a DM, but no avail. Thanks for the tip!
BTW, do WE have a relationship?
March 5th, 2008 at 8:06 pm
Heck no, I don’t use Tweeter. I think it’s nothing more than somebody with some programming skill using other people to give meaning to their own life. Tweeter just adds to the ‘message chaos’ that everybody lives in today.
Message chaos?
Yeah.
Everybody thought computers were going to put the paper companies out of business. Instead, the paper companys did even better because people had more stuff to copy….instead of being generated by slow, hand typing in a typewriter the paper was feed through computer printers that could spit it out at 8 times the speed. Something else to read…..more multitasking….more chaos.
Everybody thought pagers (digital and alphanumeric) were going to save people lots of time. More messages to read….more multitasking….more chaos.
Twitter does the same thing. While most of the popular books or getting organized are recommending that busy executives put more quality time (vs. quantity time) into their work (TWEET!) you’ve got silly things like Tweeter (TWEET!…..HUH?) chirping up just when you’re about to (TWEET!…..huh?)make get something figured out (tweet!) or say something to that gal you’ve been looking (TWEET!) at for the last 10 minutes.
I looked at Tweeter several months(TWEET!) ago and I immediately could see it could be a royal(TWEET) pain-in-the-butt. I can’t imagine the CEO(TWEET) of GM or Samsung or Catipillar Tractor(TWEET) using something like Tweeter.
That’s what I’ve got to (tweet!) say about that. Hmmmm, now what was I going to do next (TWEET!)?
March 5th, 2008 at 8:21 pm
@Art It’s even worse… you just can’t use Twitter because you easily exceed the 140 available characters.
March 5th, 2008 at 10:08 pm
I looked at it several months ago, and it is just not my thing. I’m not claiming to be a GM CEO, but that thing does not fit my current lifestyle. May be later, IDK…
Misha
Yahoo Map Quest Driving Directions
March 6th, 2008 at 5:49 am
Hey, great post!
I have been using for quite some time and I can not figure how exactly it may drive targeted traffic to my site. Your post helped enlighten this topic up. Thanks!
March 6th, 2008 at 6:01 am
I started using Twitter because some folks told me it was a good idea. I post useful things on my tweets (or at least I don’t just say I just took a leak, woo-hoo - but give out a resource or something like that).
Now I’m left wondering why everyone thinks Twitter is so fabulous. It’s just another bother so far.
However,I apreciate your article.and will implement the strategies and see if I like it any better in a week.
Ronda
March 6th, 2008 at 6:13 am
@Aurelius That’s a response I like very much! Glad to be of help. Let us know how you’re doing, ok?
@Ronda You express my initial feelings. And using Twitter means you also have to accept a certain level of self promotion from Tweeters. However, following them let you be among the first persons to know about new posts, ideas, developments etc. And you can use that, e.g. being the first to stumble a valuable post, driving traffic back from your SU account.
Also, you’ll be amazed how many experienced Tweeters will discuss matters with you.
My main problem still is the distraction thing. Have to get used to that.
Otherwise I’m beginning to see the sheer value of Twitter.
March 6th, 2008 at 6:27 am
I’m not on twitter and was thinking of checking it out some couple of days later. Judging by your feedback, now I’m thinking twice. I’ve got enough on my plate and don’t need another distraction as it is. Thanks for sharing!!
March 6th, 2008 at 8:46 am
I signed up, but then I forget to go. I have to unfollow somebody because they apparently LIVE on twitter and clog it up with inane stuff. I can see how it would be helpful business-wise, but I don’t have time for all the fluff on it. And it IS distracting.
March 6th, 2008 at 11:34 am
@Evelyn, Darlene and others:
On Twitter, Maki just posted a link to an instructive video that I added at the bottom of the post. You may want to check that one out and reconsider your decision.
March 7th, 2008 at 6:32 pm
Interesting thoughts…
I’ve signed up for Tweeter, did one… nothing.
To me, it’s like buying a lottery ticket.
I bought one of those once, didn’t win, never bought another one.
Until someone shows and convinces me that Tweeter helps me truly communicate without distracting me from what I’m doing, I’ll pass.
Right now… scratching myself, thinking about getting the hell off the computer, and go out for a beer.
Out,
Walt
March 8th, 2008 at 2:13 pm
Hi Case,
When I started to use Twitter many many months ago, I remember you were the first one I added.
Looking forward to seeing you here in Spain again this summer,
Lasse
http://twitter.com/lasserouhiainen
March 8th, 2008 at 8:19 pm
@Walt You can increase your chances of winning the lottery by buying a ticket more often. Same with Twitter by the way.
@Lasse I remember Lasse, I’ve been following you since too!
Looking forward to meet you again in Spain.
I suggest we make it a party this summer. And let’s have some more people there. Are you in?
June 1st, 2008 at 10:03 pm
Thanks for the read. Twitter is a bit distracting but once you get the hang of it, then you start thinking it’s fun. The only thing that has me hooked is the ability to communicate to your friends/fans/family INSTANTLY whatever you’re doing. IMHO, that’s is Twitter’s main USP, the rest is just fluff added on.
June 21st, 2008 at 5:41 am
I love Twitter, in fact it may turn out to be a revolution in social media. Many internet marketers are starting to use it as a blatant means of promotion though, so that might just spell doom.
June 21st, 2008 at 8:17 am
I also forgot to mention that several entrepreneurs are planning to bring out a Twitter clone with additional features. How good is that?
June 24th, 2008 at 12:50 pm
I absolutely love twitter. i do not want a twitter clone such as plurk or any of the others. I feel as far as social media marketing goes…twitter will lead the pack very soon!