Twitter

Twitter has been around since 2006, but I've only been using it since December, 2008. The definition is said to be "A free social networking and micro-blogging service", but are these terms mutually exclusive? Should they be? On one hand, social could be construed as friends just chatting, or simply posting "I'm getting my hair done" or "off to work". Social could be "meet me at John's Bar for drinks". Social could be posting your actual location, in hopes of in-person socializing. Social could also mean putting your political, religious, or moral views out there for public display.

The Micro-Blogging side of it is an entirely different aspect. or is it? Blogs can be extremely varied, as most internet users know. From technical how-to's, Breaking news stories, political agendas, to John Q simply telling anyone who cares to read it how his day at the office went. Sometimes I get tired of certain types of tweets - Simply posting links to web pages, repeat posts, and the usual "I hate Mondays", or "my job sux". Then I remember that Twitter is whatever the tweeter wants it to be. If telling the world (or at least your followers) that you hate Mondays is important to you, or helps you get through the day, then have at it. I know from personal experience that sometimes writing about your problems, issues and opinions can be a huge release. Venting as it is commonly known. I prefer to keep my Twitter experience more as a Social Interaction Forum. Yes I post random, rhetorical items, but for the most, I love the interaction with those I follow.

So what is Twitter? Twitter is whatever you want it to be, to use as you wish. From plugging your own site, expressing any views you have on any given subject, or merely using it as a place to chat with friends. There is no single definition of what it is. Think of it like a Psychological test - one where the examiner tells you "There's no wrong answer here". The longer Twitter exists, the more ambiguous its identity becomes.

Twitter is. That's all.