The Decline And Fall of Western Civilization Part III: The Twitter Years

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1. Jollyjo
   

   April 10th, 2008 at 7:31 am

   Spot on…it seems a lot of folks now post more on Twitter than on their own blogs. It’s crazy!!!

2. Shafqat
   

   April 10th, 2008 at 7:33 am

   May I add my twist:

   2008: Friendfeed! Friendfeed! Friendfeed! Friendfeed! Aarrrgh!

3. Todd
   

   April 10th, 2008 at 7:49 am

   “If its too loud, you’re too old…”

4. Erick Schonfeld
   

   April 10th, 2008 at 7:49 am

   You mean: Friendfeed [Twitter, TechCrunch, Flickr, YouTube, Google Reader, art, ideas, poetry]. It all comes around.

5. Brian
   

   April 10th, 2008 at 7:51 am

   Twitter’s accomplished what every web service hopes to accomplish. That is, if you’re on the web but don’t use it, you’re out of the loop.

   For the record I was late to the party (just started using it actively last week) but I no longer feel like an outsider when I see any of the millions of blog posts/videos about it these days.

6. Raskin
   

   April 10th, 2008 at 8:00 am

   @Brian - the goal isn’t to be the “in” app with the tech crowd, but rather, to be “the” app with the rest of the 1 billion internet users!

   I hate to say it guys, but most people I talk to haven’t even heard of Twitter And I’m talking about people who use the internet all the time, have Facebook accounts, etc.

   The prob with a lot of these startups is that they target the ultra-niche early adopter crowd of approx 100k-250k people.

7. Yakov
   

   April 10th, 2008 at 8:00 am

   Hugh is from mainstream audience that doesn’t need it.

8. Search Engine Optimization Journal
   

   April 10th, 2008 at 8:06 am

   We too were tired of hearing about it and didn’t understand what all the rage was — that is until each day we do find more use and benefit. It’s pretty crazy that a somewhat simple do has the capability to do so much in terms of influence.

9. 113.com
   

   April 10th, 2008 at 8:06 am

   I thought it was
   techcrunch! techcrunch!
   techcrunch! techcrunch!
   techcrunch! techcrunch!
   techcrunch!

10. Vidar Hokstad
    

    April 10th, 2008 at 8:27 am

    I’m already suffering from information overload - I reply to a fraction of my e-mail, often ignore my IM’s for days (sorry guys - try again…). I _really_ don’t need yet another channel feeding me 90%+ noise just to add the occasional worthwhile scrap.

    What I need is good filtering. I could easily spend every waking moment just reading if I tried sifting through all that’s in my (carefully selected) feeds, e-mail and IM, never mind responding. If anyone gets me good filtering and automated summaries I’ll worship them.

11. OutThere
    

    April 10th, 2008 at 8:36 am

    While Twitter has enormous traction in the Bay area and among techno online geeks, if you step out of this bubble you realize that it is pretty much non-existant anywhere else. Twitter is serving a very vertical market.

12. Julian Baldwin
    

    April 10th, 2008 at 9:06 am

    Less we forget no one knows about Twitter other than people who frequent the Internet.. hearing about it among that crowd is enough, but don’t think it’s going to simmer once the average user joins and the network expands.

    One effect of the Internet, early adopters vs. late comers. And it’s only going to become a more interesting service as more people are informed of it’s existence. So, I’m not against all the talk but I am all about reminding people there is more to the world than bloggers.

13. SFMike
    

    April 10th, 2008 at 9:06 am

    twitter just exposes how boring most people’s lives are. I’ll pass…

14. Pavlo Zahozhenko
    

    April 10th, 2008 at 9:07 am

    Like it or not, twitter is the new way of communication. If used properly, it can actually _decrease_ information overload. For example, you can get rid of instant messengers and use twitter instead!

15. Chris Przybycien
    

    April 10th, 2008 at 9:07 am

    2008: bubble 2.0 collapses! back to talking about tech companies with sustainable business models.

16. Karrierebibel
    

    April 10th, 2008 at 9:14 am

    did you twit this?!

17. Scabr
    

    April 10th, 2008 at 9:19 am

    Twitter to China and Western Civilization will raise:)

18. MistOne
    

    April 10th, 2008 at 9:30 am

    @15 twitter is no google thats for sure but in terms of business models its much closer to google pre-adsense/adwords - where user base is growing v. fast via word of mouth & utility satisfaction. Comparing to IBM or Apple (sustainable business models) makes no sense.

19. chris (trade2save.com)
    

    April 10th, 2008 at 9:30 am

    Bloomin ‘eck - I’m probably the only person here who hasn’t tried twitter. So now I’m going to sign up and see what it’s about. Just saw the video on twitter website - it seemed strangely enticing…. hmmmm

    Am I making a big mistake?

20. Robin
    

    April 10th, 2008 at 9:31 am

    Actually having recently started to use Twitter, largely because of curiosity about what functionality it’s really supposed to have, I’m finding it a reasonably good app. Even without any kind of significant follow/follower network, posting occasional queries or comments have brought useful feedback and some small amount of traffic to my sites.

    I think if you can find a balance between inane comments and just spamming you can get good (if slightly) random feedback from it. For example I posted a query about CSS and HTML emails and got a couple of responses from people who presumably just saw the Twitter in the few seconds it would have been on the “most recent” page - and that’s not something I could say about posting a similar query in a blog, and it’s quicker than searching for a relevant forum.

    Not that I think it’s some amazing world beating app, but the numbers do seem to be rising significantly, there’s more discussion about effective uses of Twitter, and my experience has been reasonably positive (and certainly a lot more so since I installed TwitterFox).

21. Raskin
    

    April 10th, 2008 at 9:32 am

    @MistOne - Seriously, do you even know what a business model is? Why not Google it before you spout nonsense. Twitter has NO business model right now.

22. JK
    

    April 10th, 2008 at 9:35 am

    The future of twitter and the web is http://moonri.se

    Don’t all go crowding there, it’s a well kept secret

23. Peter Antypas
    

    April 10th, 2008 at 9:42 am

    Whoever solves the information overload problem will make billions.

24. jeffery
    

    April 10th, 2008 at 9:48 am

    i thought it was: Facebook, Facebook, Facebook, Facebook, Facebook, Facebook, Facebook, Facebook, Facebook, Facebook, Facebook, Facebook, Facebook, Facebook, Facebook, Facebook, Facebook, Facebook, Facebook, Facebook, Facebook, Facebook, Facebook, Facebook, Facebook, Facebook, Facebook, Facebook, Facebook, Facebook, Facebook, Facebook Facebook, Facebook, Facebook, Facebook Facebook, Facebook, Facebook, Facebook, Facebook, Facebook, Facebook, Facebook Facebook, Facebook Facebook, Facebook Facebook, Facebook, Facebook, Facebook Facebook, Facebook Facebook, Facebook

25. Susan Beebe
    

    April 10th, 2008 at 9:49 am

    Signal to *noise* overload!!

26. DEckoff
    

    April 10th, 2008 at 9:49 am

    I’m definitely finding I use Twitter much more, with email and my blog less, and it has become an important part of my communication and collaboration tool set.

    Having said that, there is what I’d like to call the “Twitter Dilemma”: what do you think is the maximum number of people you can reasonably follow on Twitter?

    On one hand, a lot of people I know say 100-200, and anything beyond that and they aren’t able to really follow what’s happening. Interestingly, Dunbar’s Number suggests that the max is around 150 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunbar’s_number).

    On the other hand, I look at people like @ChrisBrogan (Chris Brogan) and @Scobleizer (Robert Scoble), and the mere fact they follow so many people… attracts even more people who in turn follow them, further building their popularity.

    But does this really need to be an either or proposition?

    What I really want from Twitter is to be able to “follow” several hundred people (that I check now and then as I have time) - and have a way to segment the people I’m following with a subset of “favorite people I’m following” (close friends, family and people who always have something compelling to say), a subset that I don’t want to miss anything they Tweet.

    If you’re using Twitter in an interesting way, I’d like to follow you, do ping me there at http://www.twitter.com/davideckoff

27. Mnsw
    

    April 10th, 2008 at 9:52 am

    Eric - thanks for fleshing that cartoon out into the TC space to bring it to my notice. That had me in splits. Absolutely marvelous work by Hugh.

28. Blowski
    

    April 10th, 2008 at 9:52 am

    #10 Vidar: Amen, brother.

    I use Twitter, but only because I’m too much the little man to find business without it.

    I want a personalised version of Techmeme, that brings me what’s important to me right now - from my 3 email inboxes, ‘remember the milk’, basecamp, Twitter, mobile phone, home phone, Facebook, Orkut, friends’ blogs, professional blogs, news sites… etc.

    BUT I don’t want it to be open source so that I don’t give all my information to Google or Microhoo.

    Pleeeeeeease

29. Jason McElweenie
    

    April 10th, 2008 at 9:53 am

    I totally just twittered this? tweet this? tweetered this? Twat this?

30. Marie F
    

    April 10th, 2008 at 10:02 am

    Well I guess if facebook suicides aren’t cool anymore…

31. Skellig
    

    April 10th, 2008 at 10:03 am

    Wastebook, twatter, whatever. Does anyone do any work here?

32. sd
    

    April 10th, 2008 at 10:06 am

    i dun use twitter, and i know no one else personally use it. when did we starting sharing our privacy bit by bit?

33. NA
    

    April 10th, 2008 at 10:06 am

    I don’t get it. The first pane is a list of subjects, the second one is a list of web sites and technologies, the 3rd one is a technology. I doubt anyone uses Twitter just for the technologies sake, isn’t it supposed to be simply a messaging device? It’s still all about the content. Ditto techcrunch, google or anything out there, at the end of the day it’s still all about getting at the content.

34. Mary-Lynn
    

    April 10th, 2008 at 10:17 am

    Just had to comment since DEckoff, who commented above, is the reason I’m even on Twitter. He introduced it to me at PME07…and I’ve never looked back!

    I don’t mind following a bunch of people, even though it is impossible to keep up with everyone. I like that everyday, I catch different conversations.

    I can always go to a particular friends page directly to catch up on their latest posts if I keep missing them.

    I told my sister @newspicture about Twitter and she’s hooked too. We’ll even have twitter conversations on the phone. She’ll tell me about twitter posts she saw that I missed, and I’ll do the same for her. Yes…we twitter tag team!

    Feel free to follow me @marylynn3.

35. Peter Cooper
    

    April 10th, 2008 at 10:36 am

    McLeod wasn’t really on Twitter very long at all anyway, so I’m surprised this is news. It’s like being surprised that.. I don’t know.. Britney Spears couldn’t keep her official blog going for more than a few days.

36. Michael Parkatti
    

    April 10th, 2008 at 10:44 am

    Nice. I just launched a parody twitter @ http://www.dipshitter.com … instead of self-important twits, dipshitter only wants to know why you’re so unremarkable.

37. Wes MAhler
    

    April 10th, 2008 at 11:28 am

    I just got started on twitter, although the picture makes sense. Shorter, faster information bursts.

38. Joshua Konkle
    

    April 10th, 2008 at 11:36 am

    Is there a make money twittering site yet? That’s when you know it’s hitting the mainstream. Anyway - The fall of civilization will occur when we all have nothing in common…

    My bigger concern is someone tracking all my blog comments/twits and assembling them into a schedule overlaying it with all my late assignments - hmmm, that would be painful. LOL

    I wonder if VANTOS the investigation company could do that…or clearwell systems.

    JK

39. Delete Google
    

    April 10th, 2008 at 11:42 am

    Somebody please “delete” Google.

    Thanks.

40. Jeff McCord
    

    April 10th, 2008 at 12:29 pm

    Sounds like to me the companies listed in 2006 are just jealous of twitter??

    Sorry Techcrunch… don’t be a sore loser!

41. techmine
    

    April 10th, 2008 at 12:57 pm

    I am glad he deleted his Twitter account. Its so much of noise pollution there!

42. twat
    

    April 10th, 2008 at 1:09 pm

    how do I delete the Google from my internets?

43. LOL @ Silly People
    

    April 10th, 2008 at 1:46 pm

    The arrogance of Twitter users is incredible. Twitter doesn’t make most people more productive. It creates a high noise-signal ratio and no one outside of the 650 and 415 area codes even knows what it is.

    Twitter is NOT Google, Facebook, or any other pervasive web company. Twitter will never cross the chasm.

    Now you unimportant types can go back to Twittering about how you just ate a jelly bean and thought it tasted funny. Oh damn, it wasn’t organic! Now you can Twitter about how you are depressed.

44. Michael B
    

    April 10th, 2008 at 2:07 pm

    Haha nice cartoon.

    -To make money online
    http://mikesmoneyclub.blogspot.com

45. johns
    

    April 10th, 2008 at 2:38 pm

    Blah, blah, blah, blah…. People are so afraid of silence these days. Muzak in every store, gym, etc. People unable to to live life without a set of earbuds blasting music or podcasts into their heads. Everyone talking at you incessantly. Listen to me, listen to me, PLEASE.

    People should be spending more time THINKING and less time yammering at each other or trying to block out the world around them.

46. Rodney Rumford
    

    April 10th, 2008 at 2:50 pm

    I think Hugh missed a big branding opportunity by deleting his acccount. He was in the top 50 of people followed on twitter with over 6000 followers. He effectively told them that he does not give a shit. People followed him because they care.. and they like his cartoons and brand.

    I understand why he wanted to back away but he left a huge opportunity for furthering his brand and engagement by leaving twitter.

    More analysis here on why I think this is a huge mistake.
    http://facereviews.com/2008/04.....ig-mistake

    Cheers!

    Rodney Rumford

47. dc crowley
    

    April 10th, 2008 at 2:53 pm

    I love twitter. But when I got to work I switch off twitter. I miss conversations! shrug! Twitter like your TV has an off button! Start using it duh!

48. nemrut
    

    April 10th, 2008 at 4:06 pm

    Twitter is for high school girls, those withh ADD, 20 something hipster wannabess w/too much time on their hands, 40+ something web 2.0 wannabees, paranoid geeks (eg, Max Levchin) who ‘…strive for relevance’

    IOW, Twitter is a huge time-sink and the bane of productivity and thoughtful discourse..nuff said

49. JeromeG
    

    April 10th, 2008 at 4:37 pm

    That cartoon is so true to my case but I haven’t quit it (Twitter) yet.

50. korman
    

    April 10th, 2008 at 5:55 pm

    Ahh well, at least we still have http://twitter.com/gapingroid

51. Joshua Konkle
    

    April 10th, 2008 at 6:27 pm

    @46

    Do you mean a Hugh mistake? Hah, okay, not so funny.

    In general, I don’t think individuals do a very good job at brand transition into something bigger than they are. It’s likely the reason TechCrunch will have difficulty getting the aggregate going.

    I experience TechCrunch and then Michael. He is only a glimmer, but overall I don’t think of this as The Arrington Post/Blog or whatever. I read this as TechCrunch…

    For most individuals, it’s hard to envision oneself as anything more than just a person..

    just my 2p

52. Andy Wong
    

    April 10th, 2008 at 7:23 pm

    Blog about your ideas/knowledges,
    Search for information,
    Twitter about data.

    Can you tell the difference between wisdom, knowledge, information and data?

53. Alejandro Reyes
    

    April 11th, 2008 at 12:07 am

    I’m too afraid to read the article cause I might have to delete my twitter account.

    I’m alejandro and I’m a twitterholic!

54. Simon
    

    April 11th, 2008 at 2:05 am

    Facebook, Twitter….they have never appealled to me, both for the same reason. They would tempt me to waste too much time on unproductive things.

    I’m not a marketer, so I have no need to *promote* things through them (other people do that for me when needed), and they are not a useful feedback tool from a development point of view (for me) either. Traditional IM and emails do the job much more efficiently as far as I’m concerned.

    I don’t need yet another way to distract myself from getting things done.

55. David Everitt-Carlson
    

    April 11th, 2008 at 2:08 am

    I tried Twitter mostly because of Hugh’s constant plugging…he was quite the addick for the last few months…but honestly, I haven’t gotten a thing out of it…yet. I wouldn’t miss it if it were gone…

56. Marc
    

    April 12th, 2008 at 12:42 am

    I think twitter still has a way to fall before it catches up with mainstream FM radio, which this point has degraded to nothing more that ads and shout-outs … and let us not not forget the ubiquitous and threadbare “dropping trow”.

    sigh