Twitter: The next BIG thing?

From the creator of Blogger, comes a new web craze called Twitter…possibly the next BIG thing on Internet.

“Twitter what” you say? Its best you read on.

Simply put, Twitter is a service based on the premise of users answering one question, “what are you doing?”.

You post your answer to that question via the web, instant messaging or SMS, and it reaches your friends via any of those platforms, depending on how they choose to set it up.

For me its more like “away status messages” taken to a whole new level because it satisfies my need to update friends or followers on where I am, what I’m doing, or how I’m feeling.

But user’s don’t need to strictly stay within that framework. Most in fact post random thoughts or quotes, it doesn’t really matter. That’s the beauty of it.

Some may think it can be quite senseless and a waste of time. Still, I believe that Twitter is slowly reshaping the way people are communicating on the web.

Take this conversation for example

Cyberprince: Moved to Bonifacio High St. Рthe only place Sushi can run up to 100kph & home to a quaint Figaro caf̩.

PurpleGurl: @cyberprince: You’re out late? oh i forget you start at noon too… how’s ur gums?

Cyberprince: @purplegurl: Just chillin. love it here more-so when mac & nike shops open. Need to unwind before work gets crazy soon.

Despite the knowledge that your entire followers list has access to your updates, people like me are starting to use it like they would on any IM client, oblivious that everyone else is listening in. I don’t mind. At least now, more than ever, we keep in touch. Prior to her signing up, Purplegurl and I rarely communicated.

Now going back to my point on away messages, over the last year my friends and I have be feeding off each other’s Gmail status messages, which we’d update at least 10 times daily. So even though we live in Malaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines, it seems like I’m in Quezon City and they’re just in Ortigas and Makati. When time came to see each other in person, it was like we never lost touch.

The same thing goes for Twitter, I’ve set it up in such a way that I get updates directly on my mobile phone and now receive hundreds of updates a day. Truth be told, knowing that purplegurl woke up at 5am, was out smoking at 3pm, and had a headache somewhere in between are really trivial matters that I could live without, but it makes me feel she’s just next door. And that gives me a fuzzy feeling all over knowing that I have my friends nearby.

Built entirely on Ruby on Rails, Twitter is indeed a tribute to Web 2.0 and gives us clues on the direction that social communication could take.

I’ve already set my updates to public – meaning anyone who wants to can now be a follower can follow. But you can keep yours private if you want to. For more a step-by-step guide on how to setup a Twitter account you can check out my tutorial here.

RELATED READING

You can also check out these fantastic articles on what is quickly becoming the Twitter phenomenon:

• Consider Twitter
• Why Twitter Matters
• My Twitter Introduction
• Twitter, the Coup in Social Media that is Past Due

About the PTB Guest Blogger

Michael Josh, is a guest blogger only this week on Pinoy Tech Blog. He is a broadcast journalist, tech blogger and new media producer. His video podcast H.I.T. was one the first in Asia and has been featured on the iTunes Music store. His regular articles can be found at Cyberprince Chronicles.