[Amisampath]

I've registered with Twitter a year ago and quit it cuz I didn't see any benefit there. With the recent "international buzz" going around; I re-registered with Twitter and I'm on it for last 3 weeks or so. I've posted to several social media forums "I don't get this! Help me to understand Twitter!". Everyone started to come and tell me the benefits (like you just did with this post), but know one was capable of giving a clear explanation about a "unique benefit" of Twitter. I'm not a social media newbie. I am using Facebook, LinkedIn, StumbleUpon and many more tools for couple of years, and I am perfectly clear about what each of those services "stand" for. You say Twitter is a great way to gather new articles, information etc. Doesn't StumbleUpon do the same? You say it's a great way to stay in touch with people. Facebook does the same. Why do I want to braodcast "I'm at Sanfransisco airport right now" to 100,000 people who follow me? I mean who cares, whether I'm at the Airport or somewhere else? If there's somebody truely care about where I am right now; they can give me a call or text me.
For me, TWitter reminds the "Emporeror's new dress" story. No body like to speak up and say "This is just B/S", cuz then you will appear as a social media noob. So, everyone writes about the magic of Twitter, just to be in line with rest of the bunch.
BTW, I'm @AmiSampath on Twitter, and I will continue to be there for few months and see if my attitudes will change. If I change my mind; I'll let you all know.

[DTNick]

I was on Twitter for a few months (September 2008 - earlier this month). I had left not because I didn't get it (I did), but 1. to see if I could live without it (I can) and 2. to see if anyone would notice that I disappeared (some did). Maybe I'll rejoin at some point.

[beckley]

Um, actually nobody cares. Nobody cares if they lose lame followers. Nobody cares if people leave something that makes no money off of them. And why are you trying to help those people who nobody cares about, come back to something that doesn't care?

[eCharleen]

I'm a quitter. There was a moment of awareness when I realized I was talking more about my life than actually living it. I'd now love to toss my cell phone along with Twitter, but alas... It's not a reality.

[nhr215]

ddd

[asusean2002]

so what was your epiphany about twitter?

[LQuinn]

It is not surprising that the Twitter hype has deflated. I thought it was a great concept, but lacked organization. Most social networkers are use to an easy to use interface.
I do believe, however, that Twitter was trying to make a point. There needs to be something different. I would suggest checking out a recently launched social network, www.HopOnThis.com. Not only does it contain the same functions as MySpace and Facebook, but it also rewards their members cash and prizes for social activity on the site.

[tlipscomb555]

I wrote a blog about this topic - See http://tr.im/jvFU

[SEOExpert21]

Good article and true on a lot of things especially this: "a worldwide stream of trivial, self-promotional text bombs"...that's exactly what Twitter is for the most part! Most people do use it to tell the world they're "going to the store" or tell you how "You can get 25,000 twitter followers and make money doing it in 90 days". Basically Twitter is full of people who use it as a popularity contest, Twitter is full of spammers! There are people who use it for it's "original intent" but cutting through all the crap. He does point out that you need to follow A LOT of people. This is true...you never know who will see you on one of these people's profiles. I read something that made sense, because trying to get all these followers is a full time job in itself, If you spend 1 hour a day finding out people with a large amount of followers that are in your niche, you can build that way. Start following all who are following them.
OneArmedSEO

[timchow]

Well, I would see Twitter to be a great platform to find interesting articles that are shared. One of my favorite apps http://www.boilingpage.com just solves that purpose for me. It brings the hottest pages on the web based on how popular they are in Twitter. In fact, I found this article from http://www.boilingpage.com and this article is ranked #1 for today.

[SEOExpert21]

If anything, Twitter is good for branding purposes...I think the "secret" is getting a boatload of followers and posting relevant comments or article links that have to do with your niche. A whole industry has sprung up out of Twitter...that's not a bad thing...it creates more opportunity and is another way for people to reach out to their now World Wide Audience. But like all new hot sites on the internet, it also provides a new way for scammers and scumbags to try and get your money!

There are so many Twitter Tools out there now, some useful, some not so useful. There's an old sales adage: "See The People", which Twitter enables you to do that. The more people you connect with the more chance you have of making a sale. :D

SEO Expert

[vlbca]

I wonder how many of the more permanent "Twitter Quitters" join with "protected" profiles, then wonder why they aren't having any fun.
Me: I joined Twitter in July 2007, posted the obligatory "Trying out Twitter" post, then went away until September. Usage was sporadic until the following March. Now I follow approx 400 people; approx 400 follow me and I've posted 1400 updates. I'm not a heavy user but I enjoy Twitter immensely.

[LindaA]

Well, then I guess I just don't "get" Twitter. I'm glad I don't. With the sole exception of networking for job hunters, IMHO, Twitter is totally banal and pointless. I'm just not interested in what other people are doing, and I know they're not interested in what I'm doing. As far as I'm concerned, overall, Twitter is nothing but a big waste of time.

[SEOExpert21]

Linda,

For the most part you are right about TWitter, most of the people on there do post dribble, but on the other hand, you never know who knows who. Twitter is a lot of work to get all those followers and with new sites like this come new scammers like the ones that tell you "Get 16,000 followers in 90 days and make money doing it"...the only way those people are "making money by doing it" is by taking advantage of the unsuspecting who believe that buying their crap will somehow make them rich.

I've had man discussions about this subject where people swear by it...I think the secret is fllowing a lot of people, even if you don't read everything, getting a lot of followers even thought they probably won't read everything you post, posting things about your "niche" often and just let it build.

Somebody might post something that's very useful to you and visa versa...people do search Twitter for different things believe it or not...somebody may find you and use your services. It also gives links back to your website if you have one...as someone who does Search Engine Optimization for a living, that alone is worth starting a Twitter account.

You just have to be open to the possibilities.

SEO Expert

[SallieB]

Love that cartoon! It's right on target! burp sigh ZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

[jimmy37]

I get Twitter. It's completely unoriginal as nothing more than a texting website. I don't text on my phone. Why would I want to waste my time texting online? I don't tell people what I'm doing 24/7 and I don't want to know what my friends are doing either. If I want information from a business, I'll use their RSS feed, which I categorize. If they don't have a RSS feed, too bad. I don't need a Tweet ticker scrolling across my screen.

[JanKozlowski]

I had a similar experience with Twitter...finally signed up and then couldn't figure out how to purposefully use it. Then another writer friend came up with the idea of launching a 6 week live Twitter based murder mystery. 9 of us hopped on board, took over characters and we stepped off the cliff with Tweet Mystery of Death on June 15. TweetDeck has helped immensely in keeping us organized and so far the experiment in storytelling has been a blast. If you're interested check us out at @Tweet_Mystery or www.tweetmystery.com

[wonkette]

I was tempted to sign up but then I thought, why? I prefer to be left alone than have people tell me continually what they are doing. And I don't feel the need to do the same. Twitter is only for those who feel the need to both tell the world what they are up to and.or to find out what their friends, celebrities, and colleagues are up to. The fact that our Congresspeople were quick to adopt Twitter strikes me as more jumping on the bandwagon than for any really useful purpose.

[backpack]

The statement "Another prevailing myth about Twitter is that it's just an expression of our collective narcissism, and that we're all just tweeting to hear ourselves tweet"

Sorry but this does sound more like the truth than myth

I tired Twitter for one week and just gave up on it; not because I did not get it, but because it is nothing but a waste of time and energy