I’m still not there yet myself with Twitter–I have so many bits and pieces that I’m checking every day, and I just don’t remember it. Hm, now that I think of it, maybe I’ll make it my browser’s default page . . .

@Alan – People are finding many innovative ways to make 140 characters work, interesting ideas you have there

@Adam – As yet I have not really noticed any referrers from Facebook but I know I can get one or two comments when I link from Twitter

@Mike – Just watch the time as it is easy to get absorbed

@LaurenMarie – I catch up with twitter a couple of times a day, I treat it like catching up on my emails. It is quite easy to skim and speed read it, just keep who you are following to a manageable amount.

@George – I am slowly edging out FB to a weekly thing whereas I watch Twitter every day, so already I am seeing me re-prioritize

@Matt – I find those sorts of tweets very useful

@Robert – Good idea

I just finished reading Caroline’s guide and now I have joining twitter on my clones todo list

I can see the value in it. Long term, I will probably have to choose between it and other social sites I am currently active on, but I can see how twitter might win out over others.

How much time do you think one must spend with Twitter to have it be a worthwhile source of both information for you and traffic for your blog?

Thanks again.

I started to Twitter and think it may help my blog. My blog, in addition to helping people learn English as a Second Language (mainly through writing) also contains many of my thoughts about whatever is of interest to me. Twittering allows me to post short thoughts that are not developed enough for a blog post but interesting enough to read.

I’m also writing a short story about a character that uses Twitter and will share it on my blog when it is ready. Hmmm, maybe if you are a spy you can use Twitter to transmit messages that seem harmless but if you know the code, conveys important information. Guess I’m in my James Bond mindset.

“Not another thing to try, I am too busy as it is…”

I may give it a try one day, but quite frankly it’s hard enough to find time for the things I already do. I get inundated with requests to try out new monetization systems, to read this ebook or try this new social networking gadget, that I just can’t possibly do it all. What I need is a site that will make clones of me. Then one of my clones can try out twitter

@linkerjpatrick – It’s a nice analogy, I sat here this morning with both a coffee and twitter so it works for me I agree with you that something has to give, yet another demand for our attention is not quite what we need

@Shana – I think the reason I am not 100% on it is the same I am not 100% about any social tool, you can be sucked into wasting time or find productive uses, each user is unique and variable because they are people and that is what people are like

Great post, Chris.

Shana

I have an interesting combination of local friends, big time Internet “A-List” types and even people in my local press on on my Twitter list.

I find out things on Twitter before I see them on blogs, podcasts or the local news plus I find out things about local people I would have never known.

The one thing that bothers me about Twitter is that is yet another application I have to run to get my information. As much as I find value in newsreader applications I took me a bit to adopt it because it was something else I had to run and the same holds true for Twitter and similar apps.

I know we all hate bloat but I wish we could creatively combine e-mail, messaging, micro-blogging, regular blogging, etc. in one place. I know they may be some things out there. I can personally deal with the extra apps myself but when trying to get newbies on the bandwagon it’s more difficult.

I’m using Twitter now as that is one of the places where the conversation is. Who knows in the future it may be something different.

Some people disagree with broadcasting feeds in Twitter but I love it. I know some people who not even find out about my blogs, flickr photos, etc. if I didn’t run them through Twitterfeed.com. Of course I don’t broadcast all my blog feeds or every Flickr photo.

Twitter also helps me practice writing concisely. As you can see in this comment I can be quite wordy!

If anyone does want to follow me on Twitter my user name is linkerjpatrick.

We are getting very close to being wired in real time to the internet though.

You won’t be able to sneaze soon without somebody twitting it, then following up with a lengthy opinion blog piece followed up by a podcast interviewing prominent sneazers about how your sneaze takes the sneaze industry forward into the 21st century.

Another use of Twitter is to help get your articles indexed very quickly. My articles get indexed into Google very quickly when Tweet them.

I have left my twitter profile in the link above. Please follow me and I will do the same.

I’m aware that not everyone is happy with “auto tweets” pulled from feeds, but then, everyone seems to have their own idea of what’s acceptable or not on Twitter. I suppose the best policy for each person is to find a reasonably consistent style of tweeting, then at least people know roughly what to expect and can decide whether they want to follow that person or not.

I’m working on it.

However, the fact that they have an OpenAPI is what is keeping them afloat in my opinion. If it wasn’t for all the great clients, tools, mashups and fun little applications, the raw Twitter application wouldn’t be quite so appealing.

It will be interesting to see what happens in the coming months now that Google has bought Jaiku.