Posted on 04/20/2009 11:54:12 AM PDT by Scanian
"Twitter is the side project that took," says company co-founder Biz Stone, 35. "Now it's our chance to do something transformative."
When I arrive at Twitter's headquarters on a recent morning, Jerry Brown is waiting in the lobby -- just another day at the world's hottest high-tech company. "It's pretty bizarre," says co-founder Evan Williams, 37. "At least once per day we look at each other and say, 'What the hell?' It's like we're living out the script of the ultimate start-up company story."
But other than the familiar face of California's attorney general standing near the steel front door, you would hardly know that this little company of about 30 employees is the epicenter of the Web, used by an estimated 20 million Americans on a daily -- even minute-by-minute -- basis. Just how fast Twitter is growing is a company secret, but its traffic appears to be more than doubling every month.
The company itself seems calm and casual. The employees drift in, grab some free food and eventually make their way to their desks. It's located in an anonymous warehouse just a couple blocks from South Park, the once-frenzied environs of the dot-com companies of the first Internet boom. In his sports shirt and slacks, sipping a bottle of apple juice, Mr. Williams exhibits indifference to the trappings of success. So does Mr. Stone, who last year won an Oxford Union debate wearing a borrowed bow tie and a pair of black sneakers.
(Excerpt) Read more at online.wsj.com ...
I have never seen so much damn buzz created over such a trivial enterprise.
Twitter is the pinnacle of narcissistic self-promotion.
Hell, I’d take a look at Barbie dolls, if I thought I could make money with them.
The last thing I want other people besides my wife and boss to know is what I am doing from minute to minute.
One of the more idiotic fads of the present day. I’m already hearing about people not reading twitters ‘in their entirety’ because they don’t have the attention span.
i have enough emails already i cant keep up with. not sure where twitter fits in yet to make things easier.
After hearing Hugh Hewitt raving that Twitter was making e-mail and blogs obsolete—he’s shut down his blog—I tried it. Couldn’t make head or tails out of it and haven’t given it a moment’s thought since.
I was hoping to find out what Twitter was by reading this. Any idea? I admit I’m technologically behind the times and don’t have a facebook page or My Space. So obviously Twitter is a total mystery to me.
I think it may come into play with organizing protests. Could be a good tool to use.
FWIW It is NOT always used that way.
There are many groups on Twitter.. one such one is called #TCOT (Top conservatives on twitter) and using a real time search engine like tweetgrid, it is like a live version of Free Republic :)
It is also VERY handy to follow breaking news events. Using tweetgrid.com I was able to get real time info from people on the ground during the attacks in Mumbai.
Thats what I use it for.. breaking news and info. I rarely post unless I am talking directly to a person on twitter.
But yes. there are lots of useless tweets out there..
Twitter seems more geared for journalists and reporters to be mental exhibitionists.
A lot of people dislike it—they dislike having to stay connected all the time. Sounds like something for kids. If you’ve got a life, it might not appeal to you. I have no interest in it whatsoever—too much else to do.
The only thing more annoying thatn twitter is its annoying jargon.
It so happens that this FREEPER is the founder of a group texting service called TXT Signal (www.txtsignal.com) that has been around for just as long as Twitter
An FR connection even: long-famed FREEPER Registered actually did our original company logo too, though we have redone it since.
Though I'm proud to say the following distinguishes us from Twitter:
We do charge for our service (i.e., have an actual business model, not suckling off VC money).
We don't stuff ads into the text messages.
We don't abscond with the personal data and sell it either (unlike Twitter, "free" texting services)
And, lastly, when the federal government calls about getting the list of contacts we have for anyone, they will get a big "F YOU!"
Any FREEPERs organizing tea parties, contact me and I'll give you the service at cost
I'd be careful about that. Think about how many times the Media has gotten important facts wrong when it comes to fast-breaking News events! Twitter could just amplify the tendency for incorrect News to embed itself in the public mind before the real facts come out.
I’m Posting on FreeRepublic!
Ok I’m done posting now...this concludes your demonstration of Twitter.
His blog is still there at http://hughhewitt.townhall.com/blog. Going full time Twitter would be monumentally stupid and, though I agree that Hugh really pushes the bounds of good taste with his adulation of the service (almost as bad as his support for Romney), I don't think he's that dumb.
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