haha - I’ve just started using it, after joining earlier in the year and doing nothing with it. I’ve actually written things like “I’m going to bed now”, but I’m just experimenting. I’m enjoying it more than I thought I would - which I think is important for blogging intuitively. Must go and look at it now! c u

Robin´s last blog post..An Unusual Experiment

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I use Twitter for fun, it’s just chatter to me, background noise. Surprisingly fun to know what people are doing. I thought it was kinda crazy at first. No I don’t care what other bloggers are doing, I like reading Tweets from what people are doing. I overlook anyone who just blogs about their blog or their business, Twitter is my break to listen in on a few conversations. I don’t care about the numbers, I keep my list low and my tweets are private. I only have 31 followers and I only follow 31 people. Addictive, no, fun yes. I open Twitter only when I’m sitting at my computer doing other work, I don’t sit down just to Tweet. If people unfollow you, no problem…you could unfollow them back or if you like on sided conversations, then do nothing.

Do you want to join Twitter to advertise your blog or is it more personal, just to chat?

Natural´s last blog post..Being Human In the Age of the Electronic Mob

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Hey Barbara,

I don’t get twitter at all! Maybe I am supposed to spend a good amount of time to connect and start enjoying.

Avani-Mehta´s last blog post..Top 8 Motivation Hacks - #4

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hehehe I am a twitter addict…
it has actually become the most active part of my blog now and I usually call a lot of attention to it in my posts.
On the run new where and as they happen… And if you have mobile 3G (e.g. IPhone, Blackberry, etc)it makes the experience a lot easier allowing you to switch on or off it at will and making easier to respond on the go…
I find myself quite glued to it sometimes… it is interesting to know what others are doing at the moment… every human being has that voyeuristic tendency really… some hide it best others not at all…
It also helps me recording ideas for new posts and advertising when I have new post up calling attention to the blog.
The negative side is that if you become addicted to it it is VERY difficult to switch off…
Example? Well… I just came back from holidays… me and my wife are both twitter users and we both twittered the whole trip… step by step…
the positive: Twitter users actually helped us getting back to the road and the right way one time we took the wrong junction on the way back… hehehehe

UrbanVox´s last blog post..let it snow, let it snow let it… hey… where did it go???

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I’ve heard a few people who thought Twitter has been a very useful tool … but even they admit that it is a big time investment. I keep thinking about your interview with Lorella … all those little pieces have chipped away at her real life, even creeping in and taking over her early morning quiet time. It’s definately not worth it to me.

ru4real?´s last blog post..7 Super Helpful Bible Study Tools

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dropped in from Commentluv —
am glad to see that someone else is not all-atwitter either — haven’t really figured out what the benefit would be for me. Will check back and read more of the comments here pro and con.

Larry´s last blog post..Today I began a new journey

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I tried internet “chat” when I first got online over ten years ago. It was addictive and distracting.

I tried IM for a time when it first came out. It was very distracting, but I didn’t stay with it long enough to become addicted to it.

I looked at Twitter shortly after it came out. There was no attraction for me. Despite all of the raving over it by others, there still isn’t.

I don’t feel the need to be connected all of the time.

Different drummer and all that, I guess.

Mike Goad´s last blog post..Gas Lit Headlamp

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I have a twitter account, mainly because when I was researching blogging it was suggested in multiple area’s to set up an account. All my posts are set to ‘Tweet’ and when I occassionaly change my facebook status it sends a ‘Tweet’. Otherwise, I don’t use Twitter. Between visiting other blogs, participating in some forums and other blogging sites I don’t have time to use Twitter. Perhaps I’m missing something, but I see Twitter as being a great way to waste a lot of time. I’m already good at wasting time, I don’t need another outlet.

Neil´s last blog post..Make Saving Automatic

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I’m signed up with Twitter.

I barely ever use it. I would assume that very popular bloggers who use it do not respond to anywhere near every tweet that receive. I Don’t think people would hold it against you if you, likewise - followed suit.

I’d argue a downside of twitter though. Aren’t there more effective ways to market yourself? Does twitter give us much bang for the buck? Of course - if you enjoy it for its own sake, why not…

Personally, it just hasn’t resonated with me. Of course, I could change my mind in the future.

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Barbara,

I have to admit, I have never checked out Twitter. I see it reference ALL the time, but I just can’t bring my addiction to the computer to the next level. I have noticed since I began discovering the internet, playing online games, doing email, MySpace, blogging, I have stopped doing other things that I need to do in my life. Sure, I leave the computer, watch a little bit of a show, clean a little, try to go for a walk, do some work, but I always end up back at the computer within a half an hour. The only way to escape is to leave the house. I really have to learn to prioritize my time and I feel like Twitter would make that even more difficult. I notice that blogging has taken away from my MySpace time. I don’t find it as interesting as I do blogging now. MySpace was more for expressing myself with pictures, music, etc., not for building social networking relationships. Lastly, I don’t know how I feel about putting even more personal information about myself out in cyberspace. There comes a point where you have to leave a little mystery. So, I think I will take a back seat right now and just try to juggle what is on my plate already.

Jennifer (Danifer)´s last blog post..Baby Bump? Are You Kidding Me?

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I use twitter for fun, announcing my new posts, sharing links and that stuff, and about finding information and new websites. Twiter for me has became an alternative to stumble upon spam

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Twitter is exactly IM on steriods. It will also give you traffic to your site. You do not have to participate. I have my posts auto updated to it and check out the folks who want me to follow them before I do. I find it to be part of the social media circle that is out there along with blogcatalogue, spiceypage, posipeople, startupbiz, mybloglogs, etc. If you are tapped in, then folks will find you. So why not try it and just watch for a while.

Linda´s last blog post..America’s Power

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I didnt get twitter. I thought I was pretty “net” savvy until I joined twitter and I just couldnt see how it all worked. I felt like I was spying on other peoples conversations and a lot of the time they didnt make sense. Maybe I should give it another go.

melanie´s last blog post..Fantastic Friday - reflections of a working stay at home mum

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HI Joanna - I like how you said Twitter can reduce time spent on emails and possibly following RSS feeds. Currently I haven’t had a lot of time for my feeds, so that makes it sound hopeful.

Hi Robin - I’ll be curious to know what you think of Twitter now that you’re back on it.

Hi Catherine - I hear you about the knowledge gap with social networking becoming a big part of blogging. Like you, I know Steve Pavlina didn’t get involved in Twitter until very recently, and he has done phenomenal for himself.

Hi Natural - I’m still thinking “why” I would want to join Twitter. Getting more exposure for my blog would be great, and socializing is fun, too. My biggest concern is the time element.

Hi Ulla - I like the idea of learning of new ideas or posts that I might not otherwise find out about.

Hi Avani - Ah ha. Another non-Twitterer.

Hi Betsy - It sounds like setting a time limit for Twitter would be a good idea as we all know how an hour can pass and we don’t even realize it.

Hi UrbanVox - I know I wouldn’t use Twitter on a cell phone or mobile device as I rarely use my cell phone now. It certainly helped you and your wife when you took the wrong turn, though.

Hi Al - Like you, I’m enjoying reading the comments.

Hi Ru4real - Exactly. Each new thing we add to our blogging activities does chip away at our time and real life.

Hi Kathy - I’ve heard of Twhirl and supposedly that makes things easier?

Hi Larry - Welcome to the BWAB community. Like you, I’m weighing the pros and cons.

Hi Writer Dad - Wise words; “don’t let it consume or dictate”.

Hi Mike - Like you, I’m wondering if I need to be “connected” any more than I am now. Hmmmmm.

Hi Lance - Yes, there is lots to think about. And that’s what I keep doing.

Hi Neil - Wasting time is very easy to do. Like you, I, too, have days where I wonder where the day went.

Hi Linda - Yes, that time issue, again. Something we’re all striving to find more of.

Hi Bamboo - Good question. Is Twitter a good way to market ourselves or is there a better way of doing it?

Hi Ann - I agree, reading what someone is having for dinner wouldn’t have much value - unless they’re sharing a great recipe, which I doubt could be done in 140 characters.

Hi Jennifer - Good point. Do we want to add to the amount of information we already have about ourselves online?

Hi Vered - From reading the other comments, Twitter does take up time. Like you, I don’t have a lot of extra time in my day.

Hi Miguel - It’s funny you should mention StumbleUpon as of all of the social sites, that’s my favorite.

Hi Jannie - The comments thus far have been enlightening, but like you, I don’t know if I’m “sold” yet.

Hi Linda - Oh my gosh, you’ve listed other social sites I’ve never heard of. I must be living under a rock

Hi Marelia - That’s good to know you always get an answer to the questions you ask on Twitter. That makes it a good resource.

Hi Melanie - I’ve seen some of the conversations and with only seeing half of the conversation, like you said, they often don’t make sense.

Hi Davina - I hear you. The holidays are swallowing up a lot of my time too. Might joining Twitter be a good New Years resolution?

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I will admit that I use Twitter a lot from my iPhone. At first, it was easy to get too absorbed and tune out the world around me, but now that the novelty value is gone, I can do it for five minutes here and there without getting sucked in. Unlike IM which really is a time suck for me!

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I’m with you on this one Barbara. I already have a full plate on my to-do list. One thing that worries me which you asked but haven’t received too many answers to is what if you sign up and kind of come and go. Could that hurt your reputation?

I guess the only real way to find out is to give it a try. I’d say if it’s not something you really enjoy, find something else.

John Hoff - eVentureBiz´s last blog post..Do You Have A SEO Question?

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I have never tried Twitter, and I don’t want to start. I already have a compulsion to check my email every so often, I’m afraid Twitter will just compound my feeling of techno-addiction.

I feel the same way about Facebook.

Jewel/Pink Ink´s last blog post..Calling All Freuds

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I use Twitter, but not as much as I might. Being in Spain with most of my followers/followings in North America, my tweets land in a dead time and so the conversations don’t happen.

I’ve taken to lurking and responding to others more than adding my own tweets.

Alex Fayle | Someday Syndrome´s last blog post..Breaking Free of Fear-Inspired Paralysis: Amy Derby Interview

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Hi again Barbara. Nope, no New Year’s Resolutions for me. The last resolution I made was to never make them again. And I’ve kept it
Davina´s last blog post..Small Steps To Empower Your Attitude

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I signed up with Twitter may be a few months ago but started using it only last month. In fact, even if Twitter shuts down their operations tomorrow, nothing will happen to me as I am not addicted to that or for that matter any other social networking site/channel.

A few advantages I see that are:
- I get post alerts from those who I follow. The TwitterUpdater plugin autmatically does this trick and it’s very handy. The alert comes much before even the feed is distributed by Feedburner
- I can sometime get a very quick - sometimes even in seconds - answer
- I don’t worry about getting addicted to it as it’s not that great

Disadvantages
- People misuse it as a chat instrument
- Sometimes I have to really get updates about things that I don’t care (I am now taking bath, going to sleep, downloading this…that…). I guess, people should not air too much on what they are doing daily…
- Supposed to help in microblogging with additional plugins and tools, but I guess I don’t want to blog in robot language or SMS slangs

Cheers all and Twitter addicts please excuse
Ajith Edassery´s last blog post..Writing Great Paid Reviews That Will Not Disappoint Your Readers and Advertisers!

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Like Joanna says above, Twitter is something of an acquired taste but I am on it. My user name is sjhopson

I use it for a couple different reasons:

1. keep my name, face out there - this reminds people that you exist

2. when you tell people what you’re doing business-wise (like sharing snippets of your travels), they see you’re busy and in demand - this could serve as a useful marketing tool in branding your name/face

3. to help others if they have a question for their followerers about something

4. to help others by promoting an article they may have written at their blogs - so it isn’t just about you - it’s about helping others too

Have I gotten any big business deals from Twitter? No. Have I made an imprint by showing up every so often? Yes I believe so. It’s hard to tell whether you’re gaining value by spending time on it but the benefits are often intangible - you are planting seeds every time you Twitter.

What you do with it is entirely up to you. Give it a try and see what happens! Can’t hurt.

Stephen Hopson´s last blog post..End of the Week Gratitude Theme #53

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Hi Ajith - When you mentioned post alerts being similar to Feedburner, does that mean your “tweets” build up just like Feedburner does? The reason I’m asking is I am currently showing 1000+ unread posts in my Feedburner account. Would Twitter be the same?

Hi Evelyn - Like you, my day if full. I’m guessing there wouldn’t be many who care if I’m doing filing, payroll and/or heading out the door to run an errand.

Hi Stephen - Hmmm. I like how you said “you’re planting seeds every time you Twitter”. I also like the fact it makes you more accessible to help others.

Hi Kim - I’m glad you showed up as I know you’re an avid Twitterer. I do see how the additional conversations can develop into greater friendships and business relationships. I think it gives us more transparency.

Thank you for the link to Chris Brogan’s post. I’m headed over there to read it.

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I made 2 generic tweets to test it when I first signed up LAST December….I now have 50+ followers waiting. LOL

Come the new year I’m busting out!
Dennis Edell´s last blog post..Link Love For Favicon Contest Participation! (no winner yet)

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I’m a bit late to the party, but…

A month ago, I thought Twitter looked like a waste of time - I didn’t get it at all. What turned my ideas around was this insightful post on Havi Brooks’ blog:
http://www.fluentself.com/blog/stuff/twitter-demystified-the-great-debunking-begins/

I’m still learning, but I’m already having a lot of fun there and meeting lots of smart, funny people I wouldn’t have known otherwise. I like it a lot.

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I learned to hate Twitter in one short, easy lesson. I was persuaded to join by two people — wonderful for networking, but we don’t spend too much time on it. Following those two peple (and only those two) found that I was having to skim through dozens of twits a day in the attempt to find anything useful or even interesting.

Still trying to delete my account because Twitter has been “stressing out” for the last week and has that feature disabled.

Catana´s last blog post..Reading Ray Bradbury

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On my case it makes it REALLY easy…
I carry my mobile wherever I go… I feel naked without it really… heheheh
UrbanVox´s last blog post..I hate keeping secrets!!!

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Whoa, how did I miss these comments?

Hi Paunchiness - That’s kind of my thought, too. My life isn’t THAT exciting.

Hi Dennis - Amazing, Two tweets equaled 50+ followers. Is that normal?

Hi Karl - I’ve heard Twitter can be a good source for blog traffic. And what a great bonus; communicating with the “big boys”.

Hi Lisa - Welcome to the BWAB community. Thank you so much for the link. I’ll check out the post. It sounds like you’re seeing benefits to Twitter.

Hi Deborah - Welcome to the BWAB community. That is the key, isn’t it? Managing it properly, and I’m guessing watching how much time is spent Twittering.

HI Catana - Welcome to the BWAB community. Thank you for sharing your experience. I find it interesting how you had to skim to find great works. Not much unlike blogging.

Hi Three Dog Blogger - What you’ve mentioned is what I’ve see a lot of when I click on someone’s Twitter account. Am I missing something?

Hi Urban Vox - So you must Twitter via your mobile?

Hi Drivelocity - Welcome to the BWAB community. Haha. Checking the computer every half hour. Sounds familiar. Like you, I’m thinking of what interesting “stuff” I could share.

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