The big surprise from yesterday’s PodCamp was the presentation by Dave Delaney. He sold me on Twitter and, believe me, I was a hard sell. I’ve been watching Twitter on the sidelines since it launched in 2006.
Why I Resisted Twitter
- It seemed narcissistic. Do you really need to know what I’m doing most of the time? Of course not.
- It sounded intrusive. If you don’t like IM (and I don’t, nor am I crazy about the telephone), why would you like a web version of IM?
- It’s one too many things.
What changed my mind?
- Dave’s enthusiasm — which wasn’t spin or a sales pitch. While I don’t know Dave, he finds Twittering worth his time and he’s clearly a very busy guy. He focused on how to do it more than why, but listening to him I figured out some good reasons to try it…..
- It’s not only easy to start, it’s easy to stop. If you don’t like it, it’s as simple as clicking on the “Delete my account” link.
- Brevity is an art form — and one I can use practice at. I relish this 140 character limit.
- It integrates seamlessly with blogging. It feels a bit like pull-quotes or side-bars or even blowing kisses. Needless to say, it’s not called blowing kisses at your blog. But there is an apt description: “micro-blogging.”
I haven’t totally relinquished my reservations, but Dave tipped the pro / con balance sheet way in its favor. For now I’m planning on ignoring the narcissism on Twitter. If it’s just too rampant, I can always blow my account to smithereens.

3 comments ↓
That’s funny, I just started about a week ago! ProBlogger recently had a post (http://www.problogger.net/archives/2008/01/23/9-benefits-of-twitter-for-bloggers/) on Twitter for bloggers, and that was part of what sold me.
great posts on podcamp, which was a stellar event IMO. Well paced, very informative, lots of fun swag and top-notch presenters. I agree with the web diva on this one. Kudos to everyone involved.
Shelby — That’s so cool that you’re new to Twitter too! And thanks for the link. Very helpful.
Judy — I’m so glad you came to PodCamp! I’m hoping to post more from my notes soon. So many ideas, so little time.
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