OK, SO INCLUDE ME in as one of the drones buzzing about Twitter (even our headline here, I’m sure, has been used already, somewhere). We like it so much actually, that Cartt.ca added a Twitter widget to the home page this week as a way to provide additional quick bursts of teeny tiny opinionated news bites.
Like many, I questioned the value of the micro-blogging site, when I first learned about it some months ago at a conference. Twitter, which seems to have no discernable way yet to earn a living, by the way, gives users 140 characters to answer the single question: “What are you doing?”
Of course, I don’t really care about what my own family is up to all the time, so I wondered why anyone would care what I’m doing? (“Greg’s opting for decaf this morning!” Zzzzzz….)
However, if you banish the personal dreck, I’ve come to learn, Twitter looks like it can be a useful journalistic tool when you ignore the “What are you doing” and kind of substitute it for “What are you thinking?”
For example, I used it yesterday to post several observations about the CRTC chairman’s appearance in front of the Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage – and I intend to use Twitter to add more micro-coverage of a number of other upcoming events I – or others from Cartt.ca – will be attending (such as Cable Week and NAB), because some things don’t require much more than 140 characters to be adequately – or just initially – described.
Time will tell if anyone is listening, or if I’m just shouting blindly into the ether.
As always, however, readers will let us know what they like or don’t like and this is no exception. So, follow me on Twitter (I’m @gregobr) – or if you’d rather stay out of the Twittershpere, add my Tweets (ugh) to your RSS readers.
Or if you find it annoying, cloying or just downright stupid, let me know that too at greg.obrien@cartt.ca. We’re going to be experimenting with more than just Twitter over the next number of months, and we need to know what you like and what you don’t.
Whatever we try, however, you’ll always be able to rely on Cartt.ca, as usual, to get top notch, timely, industry info.
