As an experiment, I turned on Twitter on my cell phone, so I could get notifications during the meeting I had to go to tonight. I set my phone to vibe when I received incoming messages, so I wouldn’t be bothered with the loud bell-chiming text message alert noise my cell phone normally makes.
The meeting lasted about an hour and twenty minutes, which is extremely short for us. We usually go for 2 and a half to three hours. Not having dinner helped. The fact that we were only saved from an all-out meltdown by a required constitutional process also helped immensely.
In the span of that time, I received about 18 messages from my 15 twitter friends. Most of them were from the ever-lovely caseymckinnon and the interesting ruperthowe. Michael Verdi and Heath Parks also made a few appearances.
I cannot adequately put into words what is cool or interesting about Twitter, except perhaps to express it thusly: the site was originally called “Twittr” and it annoyed me then because I miss the letter “e” (or should that be “lettr”?) It is now spelled with an “e” and somehow, that makes me feel “bettr” about it. Why? I don’t know. The English teacher in me, I suppose. Maybe I find it cool and interesting now because everyone else finds it cool and interesting. It’s hit the videobloggers like a punch (particularly after SXSW, a “cool factor” tipping point trend which I just don’t get….like Burning Man), and seeing “the cool kids” having adopted this fashion trend, I of course want to fall into line. I don’t know.
I find it easy to use, and that’s one of the factors outside the cool factor that makes me smile. Usability is always and ever at the forefront of the joy I might take in a product or system. Make it easy to use. If it’s not easy to use, make it easy to fix.