I know it has value for my advocacy organization, because of its immediacy (e.g., we post information about a bill that's being voted on and encourage people to contact their legislators) and because we can connect with people that we wouldn't connect with otherwise.
So I get Facebook. We post legislative and other news, event information and anti-discrimination messages. I am having a harder time understanding the point of Twitter. Perhaps because there is not one. Mind you, I am not a patient person. There are lots of things I want RIGHT NOW. But immediacy has no value if it's not meaningful.
Twitter annoys me for many reasons, but a few of those reasons are:
1. It encourages bad grammar. I know someone who is running a media campaign for an organization and her professional - I should make that "professional" - emails says things like "u r welcome." Yes, I am a grammar snob. There's not excuse for not having a dictionary. Computers practically force proper grammar down your throat these days.
2. It's constant noise. There are people and organizations who are on it All. Day. Long. And really, without anything important to say. Can we amend the quote about not saying anything at all if you don't have anything nice to say? How about, Don't say anything if you don't have anything a. interesting, b. of consequence, c. grammatically correct, or d. impactful to say.
3. It's a constant game of "tag, you're it." I was venting about this to one of my coworkers today. He asked, "Why do you have to respond right away if you get tagged on Twitter?" I started to reply, "Because in order to keep up a social media presence..." and found myself trailing off and thinking, Well, really, why? This is bullshit. He said it best: "I don't know. I don't Twit."
4. It's a distraction. You remember how I wrote that I had my phone out on the table, on silent, in case one of our speakers at the luncheon had issues, and to keep an eye on the time? And I kept getting notifications from people at the fucking luncheon, about the luncheon? Our program was packed. How great can their experience have been if they were typing away the whole time? Couldn't this have waited until later? No, everything has to happen RIGHT FUCKING NOW.
5. Twitter is a FUCKING DISASTER if you have someone in charge who doesn't a. know how to spell, b. know how to use hash tags, c. know how to use ampersand tags. I am currently volunteering for an organization whose social media person was hired, I believe, because the previous person in charge wanted to sleep with her, and I am FUCKING TIRED of cleaning up after this Twit. This week, she accidentally put a hash tag in front of the word "please" and tagged herself. Ooops.
Well, if I were any grumpier, I'd be a cat.
24 comments:
Grumpy Cat has a LOT of charm.
And I don't twit either. Or, not having a professional life, play Facebook. And I am happy with both decisions.
I don't have Twit or Facebook for just the reasons you've mentioned.
Interestingly Twitter is already too old skool for my kids, they love Snapchat or whatever it is.
Not on Facebook and I do not Twitter/Tweet/Whatever-It-Is....!
There is so little real "conversation" with the people you are actually with---everyone is tweeting someone somewhere else, while they are with you!!!!
THAT IS CRAZY!!!!!
I'm with you dear dear Grumpy one!
You can't ever fight change and win.
No Twitter here 'cause I still value my job.
On a semi-serious note, our Guv'nor is busy decimating our education system via the Dept of Ed commissioner who was a founder of Achieve First charter schools. in Hartford we have an a notorious thin skin edu-celeberity wannabe who is a principal at a magnet school and yet spends his day not at the school, but Twittering.
The agency I work for is on Twitter but our policy is not to tweet more than once or twice a week so we don't annoy people. And we NEVER use bad spelling or grammar just to save space -- nothing destroys professional credibility faster.
Agreed. And I confess to all the people I follow on Twitter, unless you are on one of my secret lists, I've probably never read one of your tweets. And I really just use it to follow certain writers and bloggers so I can be aware of a new story/blog.
But more importantly, did the guy that hired the media woman get to sleep with her?
Twitter works extremely well for my Traveling Cats as I post pictures and they get shared a lot. But I hardly use Twitter for personal reasons because it's indeed way too short to say something valuable.
I don't Twit. "Twit" says it all.
I think of facebook as lazy blogging and twitter as super lazy facebooking... plus all the stuff you said. I don't twit, I only have a facebook because my kids do and I can do the mom-spy thing.
I actually have a Twitter account, but don't "twit" either. There is something so bizarre about people not being able to enjoy an event - they have to be publicizing it in the moment. I'll never understand it.
And don't get me started on vacation photos on facebook. Sometimes I think they are so busy uploading photos to facebook they couldn't be enjoying themselves. :)
We tried Twitter and just gave up. It's completely pointless. With millions upon millions of people sending millions of inane tweets out into cyberspace, it's easy to get lost in the sea of crap.
As an example, we'd post something on Facebook and simultaneously tweet it. Facebook would get 20-30 likes/comments, and Twitter would be lucky to get a single response. It just wasn't worth the hassle.
That's why I don't do social media; does it piss me off? Well, I wouldn't know as I've never tried it. No, I'm an anti-social asshole, just kidding;-) Before you know it you'll be using a # called "#Fuck Twitter"! Lol. ;-)
I am not a fan of Twitter either. It doesn't serve any real purpose, short of letting people spout one-liners. I sorta, kiind of understand why people think Facebook is good for keeping up with their "friends" but I tend not to participate very often there either. Often I prefer to correspond one to one, so I can say what I want without a group weighing in. If it is to be a group discussion then I would put it on my blog.
couldn't agree more.
twitter annoys me, but yet I still have an account.
love grampy cat!
happy tuesday~
i linked to you today!!
xoxo
I have Facebook...and I enjoy it.
I tweet, but very seldom. I really see little point to it. But there have been a couple of times I did see the point to it when I wanted to get my point across...if you get my point.
Soooo, I take it I'm not alone!
Thanks Betty :)
Twitter is a terrible thing. People seem to think that their comments only go to a few selected friends, when in fact they have no idea who is reading their rubbbish. I really hate it when TV shows have a twitter feed along the bottom of the screen with viewers' innane comments streaming past.
Talking of grammar, have I sent you this link before?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c3y0CD2CoCs
I love to tweet, but I hate facebook and unjoined it! To each his or her own!
I have a Twitter account under "Scarlet something or other" (not exactly, but close) and I do not use it because I'd like to bury my head in a book, be sociable with my family, friends and pets and have a life outside of the computer. I do Facebook while drinking coffee, but yes, you are so right in feeling the need to respond to stay connected, and that, my friend, kills inspiration and leaves me with nothing important to share. It's like a constant case of writer's block, so when that happens, I DON'T SHARE. I also don't like when people message me and expect an answer ASAP just because they know I have the Facebook app on my iPhone...which means no excuses. I do enjoy browsing through all the artwork for inspiration and checking out gallery's "call for artists" and seeing friends' pics (especially their pets)...but no, no Tweeting for moi, chica.
I find social media a pain in the butt too. As if you didn't know. They remind me of old-school torture, only worse. Machine guns spring to mind when I hear that same ole sheepish question again, "How come you're not on MeatBook?" Meaning, are you anti-social or what. No, I'm not. You are for visiting me and paying more attention to your iPhone.
That said, let's read on…
What, of any consequence, can you share in 140 characters, you wonder. Well…
You light up my world,
And make me forget all my fears,
Your laughter brightens up my days,
And chases away all my tears.
Or…
Jack and Jill went up the hill,
To do some hanky panky.
Jill forgot to take the Pill,
And then came baby Frankie.
You gotta (I mean One Has To) appreciate conciseness. I don't. Not when it's 140 characters. Plus I'm a grammar fetishist to. It's an occupational hazard. Some say I need help. Do you reckon we'd get a discount if we went together? Yep, it's noise, tag - you're it, and BEEP!... distracting KNOCK KNOCK!
And it creates short attention spans. "Our economy - hey, look at the kitty!"
too? (How ironic.....)
I have both FB and Twitter. I need them to promote my work, get call for artists and even sell my work. And sometimes to rant and vent when it is called for... It is all in a day's work for the artist.
I held out against FB for ages. Can rant about it at will. But now it is helpful in keeping up with the various organizations in which I'm interested. However, twitter involves what I call a number sign (#) which is too close to math for my comfort. Therefore, I fear it.
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