Jul 15th, 2008
Economy of Technology: Social Networking Has Practical and Frugal Uses
Twitter is a difficult to explain, technically challenged (Fail Whale, anyone?), but very popular and incredibly useful social networking site. Initially introduced as a kind of microblog (limited to 140 characters), it’s become a way to communicate, connect, and share your personal and professional goings on, request information, and hook up with fellow Twitterers.
Nowhere was the use of these more evident than in recent weeks. I needed a few of these battery packs from Radio Shack, but not badly enough to pay for shipping or go to one out of my way (I had already visited five that were on my usual routes through the week). So I simply Twittered my need, and one of my blogging buddies came to my rescue by picking up three of them. One of my other Twitter buddies let me know about a sale on generators at a local auto parts store, so I recently picked one up in case of emergency. I gave back similarly when one of my Twitter friends was looking for a fast place to get a safety inspection done for his vehicle, so I was able to suggest somewhere that was relatively nearby and very fast.
The uses go on. One of my friends lets us know what kind of specials on music Amazon is running every day; others organize get togethers (TweetUps) where Twitterers can gather. Others promote their blogs or other projects. There are many, many uses of Twitter–why not join today? You can follow me if you’d like; I’m @rsuenaga; just say you found me via my blog and I’ll be more than happy to follow back!
