Tuesday 10 February 2009

Twitter

I'm just trying you out to see what everyone's talking about.

Sorry. I was playing with Twitter, and it asked me what I was doing.

Ooo. I've got a tweet.

Brothertobias@ nudrig2 No, I'm not famous. Although I like to think I have a modest following in the world of scripophily.

Brothertobias@ nudrig2 Not at all. It was a pleasure talking to you.

Another tweet. That's two tweets already.

Brothertobias@heavenlytwinny Thank you. It's early days. What about you?

Brothertobias@heavenlytwinny I do find the 140 word limit a constraint when trying to address issues of any complexity, especially when there is a moral or ethical dimen

Bugger

Brothertobias@heavenlytwinny dimension

Brothertobias@wedekindboy Isn't 0825 an odd time to be eating pesto?

Brothertobias@heavenlytwinny Ahaha :)

Brothertobias@wedekindboy Ah. Guadalajara. I understand. Wasn't thinking. No, I don't think I'm that Brother Tobias; I never taught at a mission school.

Brothertobias@wedekindboy No, really. I've never even been to Mexico.

Brothertobias@wedekindboy Well quite. That must have been very painful, and you have every right.

I have to go now.

_______________________________________


I dunno. I guess it's like marmite. It has a strange fascination. Yes, I visited Stephen Fry's tweets, of course I did. And thence to Sandi Toksvig's sister's. It was a learning experience (I didn't know Sandi Toksvig had a sister). And snooped in on some familiar bloggers, whose one-sided chatter was witty and entertaining, like listening to shiny people at the next table, wishing they were your friends.

But it's a bit like Blogger with just the comments and no blogs. I don't want to start collecting celeb responses like tiny trophies. And just tweeting and being tweeted would become a full time occupation. It's as if networking has become the end, not a means.

I admire anyone who can blog and twitter. So many balls to keep up. Some of my favourite bloggers have taken to Twitter. You know who you are. But I hope we who are left sedately in the blogosphere don't lose you altogether.


29 comments:

  1. Yeeessss... buuuut... it's more about sharing information and links. Those are the beautiful times on Twitter, when someone sends you something fascinating. Didn't you look at the slide show I linked to? Hmm? Hmmmm?

    Sorry, I'm just disappointed because I would have liked to chat to you on Twitter. Humph.

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  2. You mean you're not on anymore? Oh no... Back to the mindless witterings of Wossy, then.

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  3. Now I feel bad, Hattie. Just watched the slide show. At least I've reached stage 2. Okay, this was a bit of a summary execution, so I won't give up yet. Long as you keep the blog going. Deal?

    Tim - I'd forgotten about him. Better just see what I'm missing...

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  4. Woo! So you're still on there? I can't find you.

    No fear, I'm definitely not giving up on the blog in the near future.

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  5. No, I couldn't find you either. You are just teasing.

    Twitter is great. I was very sceptical about it to start with (cos I hate Facebook) but it is a lot of fun - just banter like you get in an office but with the added advantage that you can switch it (or the people) off whenever you choose. I rather miss it now I am in the wrong time zone - I am talking when everyone else is asleep.

    Get yourself back on it.

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  6. Well I am. But I had to change my bashful 'try-it-out-dicreetly' name from Philomathes to Brother_Tobias. (What am I doing?)

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  7. I keep wondering whether to Twitter. I read old Charlie B in yesterday's Guardian and it kind of made up my mind that I should---but yet I do wonder if it will distract me too much. It's all I can do to cope with Blogger.

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  8. p.s. - I went and did it. Have I been suckered into this?

    so says *fondanticing* - curses to the person who already had French Fancy

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  9. pps - I've deleted my account already. I decided it would be too distracting. So I joined and deleted all in the space of 20 minutes

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  10. Fancy, that's not fair. There's me trembling on the pedestal of exposure and public humiliation (or something), and you aren't there to hold my hand. Go on, go, give it a little longer. (Yes, I know, I'm being totally inconsistent).

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  11. You sound drunk - for all the twitter. Or are you a little bit concussed?

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  12. Extra Virgin, Do I? I'm not yet. In fact I won't be for a bit, because the plan for tonight is pizza and Slumdog Millionaire.

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  13. Just the name 'twitter' irritates me. It makes me think of birdy, gossipy women and people with no attention span, and I really can't afford to further encourage those traits in myself.

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  14. I'm with Eryl on this one, I'm very slow on the uptake with technology so I might have a look at it next year - but then it'll have morphed into twonk or something. I'm probably not the tweet type as I deliberately keep the phone unplugged most of the time.

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  15. Eryl - I really don't know if I can hack it. I think I just tweeted for the first time, and it was less natural than sandpapering my teeth. But I'm going to give it time.

    Lulu - Don't tell me you're not on Twonk yet!

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  16. I'm a first thing in the morning and last thing at night kind of Twitter. In truth I find it difficult to fit blogging into my life let alone other social networking gubbins... but I quite like the enforced brevity of Twitter... I find it a challenge. By the way, Alan Carr Tweets only occasionally but is always very funny.

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  17. I think it's the name that disconcerts me. Birds twitter, twits twitter. It hardly conveys dynamic interaction. If it was called 'banter', I'd be on there in a flash and be tongue tied and bashful.

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  18. I've tried to twitter, but I need the interaction. I'm just not that damn witty on my own.
    Pearl

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  19. I have no idea what you're all twittering on about. (Well, I do but I don't think its for me really).

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  20. I still don't really 'get' the purpose of twitter.

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  21. Like Marmite? I grew up on Marmite but at the age of about seven I converted (naturally) to Vegemite!!

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  22. I haven't tried it and don't think I will; I have enough problem finding time to catch up with blogging so if I did that too I would have to stop doing anything else.

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  23. Steve - A twice a day man, ay? Thanks for the Alan Carr tip.

    Madame D - It is off-putting. They should have called it 'Shoot' or something.

    Pearl - You'd be witty even in your absence.

    Amanda - This I underestand. Devotees are very committed though.

    DJ - My neither yet. It seems to mean different things to different people.

    David M - Ah well. Vegemite may be a weaker, paler, later imitation, but at least it's also made from beer! (BT turns out lights and dons steel helmet).

    Completely - That's the problem.

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  24. "like listening to shiny people at the next table, wishing they were your friends."
    You are a shiny person, Brother T!

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  25. I had no idea what twitter was until I read this, and I'm not now inclined to try it. How many more ways of getting disturbed does one need??

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  26. Cloudia - One of the nicest things about you is that you see diamonds in dross.

    Gadjo - Good. I feared my favourite bloggers defecting, but this is going well.

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  27. Nope, not going back. I need to conserve some time for studying - I'd never be off Twitter if I'd stayed on it.

    Incidentally, I don't know why the name *FF* had been taken, because during the nano-second that I actually was a member I did a search for that thief, I mean the person who took my name, and it said there was nobody of that name on Twitter.

    Maybe the people behind it reserve all the best names - just in case.

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  28. well, am glad i got so educated on this post. i also realized how far behind i am knowing the modes of sending bits of unsatisifactory information to the world.
    i so agree with G.D. - just how many more ways...
    p.s. like the new photo

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  29. I've not "tweeted" yet. Not enough time in the day. I do "Facebook" to keep up with my teens. Actually found some old high school and elementary school friends on there. But no, not enough time to Twitter.

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