About a month ago, I copped to an emerging Twitter addiction. In the meantime, it's gotten worse, but I think it's about to get better.
It got worse when I found myself going on Twitter in the middle of the night (look, I couldn't sleep) and then when I installed TweetDeck, which is definitely a better crack-pipe when it comes to indulging in this insidious place/app/lifestyle/whatchamacallit.
It's been getting better over the last couple days since I realized: a) Twitter is incredibly distracting; b) less Twitter can really be more; and c) it can start to feel like an incestuous, self-referential echo chamber (as @amandachapel colorfully and caustically points out).
Twitter still intrigues me as a "one-dimensional version of Second Life" (in a good way, kind of). That is, it is a virtual space where you can meet and interact with other humans but, thanks to the fact that it is text-based (ie., one-dimensional in a McLuhan sort of way) it is easier to navigate, explore, and enjoy than SL was for me (oh, SL, I loved you....once).
Anyway, if you're on Twitter, let me know. If I'm interested, I'll follow ya. If you like what I'm puttin' down, follow me @aquentminister.
Still, whether we follow one another or not, I strongly encourage you to enjoy Twitter responsibly and in moderation. It can be a killer.
I consider Twitter to be the online equivalent of someone stopping at the door to my office (or poling their head over the cube wall) with a quick quip. You can pay as much or as little attention to the quips as you please without hurting anyone's feelings. Sometimes there is real value, but most of the time it's junk you can discard. More than anything else, for business it serves as a very effective listening tool and early warning sign for gripes or problems. I definitely recommend using search.twitter.com to watch for mentions of brand names and/or competitors' names.
Nice analogy, Dan. Also, good point on search.twitter.com. We've been using that as the "listening tool" you mention and have uncovered both queries about Aquent posted to the community ("Anybody heard of these guys?" type stuff) as well as complaints about potential or actual service failure.