I’ll admit, I was skeptical at first. Twitter initially came off as a lot of facebook status updates, and who needs that when there is facebook? I was already member and had “friended” everyone I knew on the social media wesbite. Twitter turned out to be a different platform and now one that I panic without.
I joined twitter over two and a half years ago. The most interesting development over that time has been who gave in and joined. Everyone was reluctant at first–why do you need twitter with texting and facebook many thought. They thought it was silly.
I was the only guy on twitter in my fraternity for the first year. I would take a lot of crap about being on there and guys joking about following me. That all changed beginning in 2010, and now only a handful of guys are still holding out.
The social website has changed how news is reported and who can report news. I first learned about the killing of Osama bin Laden on twitter from a former White House aid that I had never heard of.
One negative is that everyone wants attention and followers. With twitter, anyone can tweet something and others may believe it without checking with others sources or experts.
Meantime, it has also allowed anyone to build their brand or product, and get it out to the public much easier. Thanks to retweets and friend recommendations, I have learned exponentially more. And we all know word of mouth means a lot more than an advertisement or newspaper clipping.
Ever wanted to follow your favorite athlete and see what they go through? Well twitter gives you that opportunity with many big athletes. Some more than others, will even take the time to respond to a lot of the fans. It has completely revolutionized a fans’ access to very successful yet restricted people.
Overall, what I have found over the years is that twitter is addicting. I check twitter before going to bed and first thing after turning off my alarm. It’s full of news, opinion and unique viewpoints.
No longer are we restricted to a few guys opinion from your local town. Following a few hundred people of interest are crucial to a successful experience.
Finally, twitter has changed how we watch live events including sports. I sat in the seventh row at a Colts preseason game but I found myself looking at my phone more than the field. Twitter is like watching the game with a large group of friends–everyone has an opinion and many share unique statistics or facts throughout the game. If I missed something, one of my followers will let me know and even send a picture my way.
Twitter and social media has truly changed how I personally go about things. It has changed who I can communicate with, what I can read and my go to source for instant news.
If you are one of the few still holding back, I encourage you to at least give it a try…because once you do, you’ll be hooked.