Filed under: Features, Blogging, Web services, web 2.0
If I keep using Twitter, I'll go blind!
We're starting something new at Download Squad: guest bloggers. This week, we're proud to welcome Saul Colt to the Download Squad family. Saul is "Head of Magic" at FreshBooks, a company which managed to bring the most boring task in the world -- accounts receivable -- to the web, and make it almost fun in the process.
I am very lucky because I have great parents who tried very hard to raise me with proper manners and values. I wasn't always the best kid and had to hear the following two warnings from my parents far more than I should have: "unlock the door or you will go blind" and "put the keyboard down...you are ruining any chance you might have for beautiful penmanship". Penmanship was a big deal in my house because even though my Dad is 6'4" and looks like a retired NBA All Star he has the kind of handwriting that Mavis Beacon could only dream of having.
My parents meant well but were only half right; I never went blind, but yes, I have horrible handwriting.
Thinking about the past got me thinking about the future and I wondered what I would be warning my kids about and I think the obvious answer is going to be Twitter!
Think about it...what is the real effect Twitter is having on society?
Give up?
Kids and grownups alike will start to not only talk, but think thoughts 140 characters at a time.
I know, I know, you are probably sitting reading this and thinking I am crazy -- but I swear I am already doing it. You can't imagine how many times I have stood naked in the shower (that is sorta a trick statement because I am always naked in the shower but I encourage you to imagine it anyway) dreaming up clever and witty things to post on Twitter.
Witty things like....
I have put away my dream of writing the great American "Sabra" novel and replaced it with writing the greatest 140 character observations or retelling of my experiences in the world -- something so clever that even Robert Scoble would re-tweet it.
This is serious folks. I keep hearing how people are worried about how Twitter will make money -- that is kids stuff compared to the real issue people should worry about: The future of communications as we know it.
I think we can all agree that children are our are future and if we teach them well we can let them lead the way but we are going to have to show them all the beauty they possess inside and I am not sure this can be accomplished at 140 characters at a time. Yet this is where we are going unless we put a stop to this right now. That is right -- you heard me right -- I am saying let's take a stand now before we live in a world where job descriptions and personal ads will all fit into a neat box that says "What are you doing?"
It is too late to correct the handwriting epidemic in North America but it is never too late to take a stand on elongated communications.
So stand with me folks and stand proud the best way I know how...by becoming the most popular person on Twitter so I can make real change from the inside....so please follow my plight from either of my two Twitter accounts @saulcolt or @freshbooks.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
pam atwell said 2:55PM on 12-08-2008
won't be reading these, sorry.
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Stephen Ingraham said 3:11PM on 12-08-2008
As a former high school teacher, I can tell you that if out kids can put together a 140 word coherent statement that is a really good start. Just string about 50 of those together and you have a page!
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Phil said 4:10PM on 12-08-2008
I'm sorry, but none of those things were in the least bit witty. Is that the sort of thing people use Twitter for? I am glad I am letting this thing just pass me by.
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Trent said 3:16AM on 12-09-2008
Believe it or not Phil, that's the "Odyssey" of Twitterature.
Puke.
Abdo said 4:21PM on 12-08-2008
No thanks. I didn't come to Download Squad looking for a lame comedy routine.
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Saul Colt said 4:22PM on 12-08-2008
Wow.
This is a tough room.
Saul Colt
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mr B said 4:54PM on 12-08-2008
I ve never used twitter but from what I read it seems like you have a status and you can chat..
..things you can do better in facebook
So I ll stick with facebook
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Kevin Rossen said 6:24PM on 12-08-2008
I disagree about the need to eliminate Twitter's mandated 140 character limit. The beauty of Twitter is that it forces you to simplify your thoughts into carefully crafted short statements. It reminds me of the process of writing a thesis statement for a college paper.
Obviously, though, one would need to be able to elaborate on their ideas in a more fully-developed manner. However, if you can't say the core of your ideas in 140 characters or less you probably don't really have a firm grasp on what you want to communicate.
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Brent the Closet Geek said 6:40PM on 12-08-2008
I think you perhaps were missing the part about this being tongue-in-cheek.
Unknown said 7:55PM on 12-08-2008
Ah, yes. Probably.
Brent the Closet Geek said 6:24PM on 12-08-2008
Well Saul, I thought it was amusing.
And you maybe have been joking, but I already find myself thinking in 140 characters, playing with individual word lengths in the message to get it right on that 140 character mark.
I think I have a sickness, Twooshitis or something!
To #6 "mr b" I would say that the benefit of twitter beyond facebook is you can interface with twitter in a lot of ways, through twitter.com, an IM client, SMS from your phone, voice input and more. Plus the conversation isn't locked up in Facebook, it can be distributed, repurposed and remixed, making for some cool tools and data streams. And actually the status IS the chat, it's one and the same, but they do have private messaging as well.
Facebook only works through the website and the phone apps (if you have it on your phone and you have a data plan) and the conversation stays locked up in Facebook and can only be seen by people who've signed up for Facebook.
Facebook is cool, but the status updates are just that and can't become anything else. You'll never see something like TweetStats (http://tweetstats.com/), Twistori (http://twistori.com/) or Twittervision (http://twittervision.com/).
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Christopher said 7:58PM on 12-08-2008
I thought you had some witty ideas. I have yet to use twitter. Even as a full time internet worker, I don't see much real value in it, but I haven't really looked into it either. I'm sure that I don't need another distraction or time waster. Hats off to those who have figured out a way to get value from the service. Maybe I'll try it some day. I'm wondering though, why should I?
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xavierv said 8:29PM on 12-08-2008
There's a difference between sending SMS and having a conversation. Twitter is not the only growing communications tool. Online live video is booming, it is the extreme opposite of Twitter, and it allows lengthy conversations.
I don't tweet my family, I call them. Don't dehumanize humans because of a small emerging trend, 140 characters don't fit all social needs.
On another note, I find your tweets really funny. I'll go ahead and follow you now.
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Adam Darowski said 8:58PM on 12-08-2008
Great post, Saul. It is a tough room. Don't worry... I've ruined many an underpant enjoying your tweets.
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Marc C said 8:47AM on 12-09-2008
Horrible. Nothing more to say.
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scott said 12:08PM on 12-09-2008
You may want to check out http://yonkly.com
First niche microblog to ever integrate with Twitter
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Gary said 8:19PM on 12-09-2008
I've actually found your witty post interesting.
I'm guessing not everybody was satisfied with your post because
1. They haven't used Twitter before (like me)
2. I think it's very, very unrelated in comparison with all the other posts DownloadSquad submits daily.
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mayalibre said 9:12PM on 2-17-2009
It's an interesting art form, like a haiku. I didn't know what Twitter was until today. I doubt it's heinous, but it would be worth musing on its addition to the repertoire of language play and expression. Poetry and haiku are built on rhythm, and still other language enjoyment is expressed in the calligraphic or typographic arts. But there is nothing quite like a snappy come to, even if my personal preference might be for something more audio. The question itself is also so wonderfully mundane. What are you doing right now? Ha! Kinda fun, but for me only so far.
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Jess Q. said 10:20AM on 2-18-2009
I just started really Twittering (tweeting?) a week or two ago. It's kind of addictive. I'm a Livejournal user from way back and always thought comment threads were the most fun... Twitter is kind of like comment threads. Sorta.
I'd say my favorite part of Twitter, though, is that I type fast so I tend to be long-winded online, and I'm now forced to condense my thoughts into clear, concise statements. Since I'm just getting into writing college papers (and somehow I tend to write them longer than they need to be), Twitter is actually helping my education.
tl;dr - I say more with less words thanks to Twitter.
(That doesn't even get into how Twitter unchains agoraphobic bloggers from their full-size qwerty keyboards in their homes. In theory, I could leave the house more and still be able to microblog. In THEORY.)
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