Mar 27, 2008
Q: “What is the point of Twitter?” A: …
Someone recently posted on my Facebook wall: “Paul, I don’t understand, and fear I may be too old for all this already… but… what exactly is the point of twitter?”
I can come up with at least nine answers. I’m sure you can come up with more:
- It’s a great way to publish to mobile devices;
- it’s a social networking tool to make contacts and carry on conversations;
- it’s a way of discovering new information (through tips and leads);
- it’s a great way to follow what’s happening through your mobile (set Twitter up to send you mobile updates)
- It’s a way of organising people
- It’s a great way of reporting from a live event or other occasions when you only have your phone
- You can aggregate a number of twitter feeds to one collective feed of what a group of people are doing
- You can push an RSS feed into twitter, creating a mobile/social network update
- For bloggers, it’s a good place to put thoughts and ideas that are so brief you wouldn’t normally blog them
Any more for any more?
Written by Paul Bradshaw - Visit Website

12 Comments, Comment or Ping
Stef Lewandowski
Have you seen WTFisTwitter.com?
Mar 27th, 2008
tomfromthepost
This is a debate raging at the Birmingham Post.
twitter.com/tomscotney btw, if anyone else wants to add.
Mar 27th, 2008
seanachie
I’ve read your nine points closely, and I’ll repeat the previous poster’s question: ‘What’s the point in Twitter?’
Mar 28th, 2008
paulbradshaw
How about: more people have mobile phones than have computers?
Apr 4th, 2008
Matches Malone
If you have to ask, you haven’t tweeted…. Twitted?
Jan 29th, 2009
Matches Malone
And furthermore…. Why isn’t my Twitter page considered a website?
Jan 29th, 2009
Mr Kleen
The point of twitter is the give a bunch of self absorbed, egotistical doucebags a place to tell us all what they had for lunch and how great they think their every thought is. If you are that interesting, you have actually friend to tell these things to. If you dont, then your are probably a boring pratt - and no one cares anyway.
Mar 30th, 2009
Mike Power
Silly question. To quote that great scientist Sir Ernest Rutherford, the father of nuclear physics, when a woman asked him “but what is the use of physics, Mr Rutherford? He replied: “Madam, what is the USE of a newborn baby?”
And , Mr Kleen, we may be all the things you say on Twitter but at least we can spell and write coherent English. Remember, it’s like anal sex. If you don’t enjoy it, you don’t have to do it!
Mar 30th, 2009
RogerRat
What is the point of Twitter? ‘aint it obvious? Wrap something up in “meaningful” language and tell people it’s all about keeping one step ahead. But is it not a business? Is it not about the people in the business making money from you? Why make your life even more complex than it already is? You don’t need it. It doesn’t need you. It’s just more technology….. always, always more….. I’m going to get myself a pencil, some paper, and write some poems sitting in the sun.
May 20th, 2009
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