Comments on: Ten issues I have with Twitter (and its community)

Twitter might be a fast-growing social network, but it's not able to escape some problems. From downtime to community issues, Twitter has some kinks to work out.

[MadLyb]

Just one of the top shining examples of the Look at Me Generation.

Here's a clue, *nobody's* life is that interesting...

Unless, you are an F1 Racing Pornstar who's album just went to number one and NASA has selected you to perform the first rock concert from the moon...nah...not even then.

I don't know which is sadder, people who think their life is interesting enough to broadcast over the InterWeb...or the people who actually read it.

Fail Twitter Fail.

[darkfate26]

Maybe following upwards of 10k people is a bad idea. I get about 200 updates / day following about 100 people and that is enough for me. Also, I follow some people specifically because they find interesting links that I wouldn't have found on my own, so I think that's a good thing.

Most spammers don't directly @ you unless you follow them back. I always check out someones updates before I follow them.

Also, are you so addicted to Twitter that you can't handle it being down for a few minutes a day. I understand the frustration when that turns into hours, but a few minutes, cmon! Get outside and take a walk without your phone.

[saintseminole]

I don't have any quibbles with the article above; it's probably all true -- at least most of it.

My quibble is with Twitter itself -- its very existence. It seems to be dependent upon the desire of the average American to be "in" on each new craze, rather than on any useful innovation. Correct me if I'm wrong, but "Twittering" is just "short blogging," right? Many people on Twitter previously had blogs, and some still do. Some have regularly updated websites where people can "follow" them.

The other day, I was reading on CNN.com and noticed the ad at the top: "Follow CNN on Twitter." Really?! I thought I was "following" CNN on CNN.com... But I guess that's too complicated for some people.

[ikramerica--2008]

So true. The idea that Twitter presents anything new when these same people blog in a much more thought out way... well maybe there are some who tweet only, or save their best stuff for a tweet, but who are they?

[tweakfairy]

Sheesh, a lot of hate for something you don't have to do if you don't want to.

I don't want to follow celebrities, or anybody else I don't know, for that matter, so I don't. I follow my kids and a couple of friends, and let only those people follow me. As a result, I have only a few tweets to read, and I get a sense of what's happening to the people who are important to me throughout the day while I sit at work unable to talk to them because there's absolutely no privacy in cubicleworld for personal phone conversation. Sometimes the tweets are mindless, brainless comments that make me laugh or smile; sometimes they're thoughtful observances that give me something to ponder; sometimes they're links to something interesting or of great use to me; sometimes they're updates on progress in important aspects of these people's lives. In all of those cases I appreciate having them pushed to me in real time, because it helps me stay involved in the lives of people I love who are very busy and far away.

Twitter is a tool first and foremost -- use it to accomplish what you want to accomplish, and stop complaining because you've chosen to let it push you around.

[rubenerd]

Best comment on this story so far. I primarily use Twitter as a replacement for international SMS on my phone, I have family and friends all over the planet and using it makes it cheaper and more convenient. When my mum died of cancer I had so much support coming from complete strangers and friends whom I've never met online as well as in the "real world" it made a huge difference.

Apparently that makes us both narcissistic, arrogant and boring though tweakfariy, then we're supposed to hear people explain why. None of them get the delicious irony of their comments.

I feel like I'm beating a dead horse when I say this: but if people don't like Twitter, they shouldn't use it. That's all there is to it.

[vickymiller]

First of all, no offense to anyone that uses Twitter, because I couldn't care less what people do. Which brings me to my next point....... I couldn't care less what people do. At NO point in my life did I ever wish "Man, I sure wish I knew what everyone was doing right now". I know that technology has brought us to this point, but do we really need to use it just because it is there? A simple phone call and a short conversation like "I'll meet you at the bar", will work just fine for me. And, I sure don't need to update my life on a regular basis.

[malexandria1]

I hate that people now use it just to be cool, instead of posting information on a website or telling someone where to meet them it's now "follow me on twitter, I'll let you know the meeting spot then." I was at CES and there was a party I wanted to go attend, instead of just telling people where the Shuttle bus would be, it was, check out our Twitter feed to "track the bus."

Well anyone whose been to Vegas knows their Wi-Fi is awful and I don't use my phone to check "twitter" every few freaking minutes. Just give me the darn bus schedule on your website, don't make me check your stupid Twitter feeds. I'm finding this more and more amongst the "pseudo-hipster," everything is about getting schedules from Twitter instead of just posting it on a website or emailing it to someone.

[cvaldes1831]

That really isn't Twitter's fault. It's the fault of a certain segment of users.

There are moronic users everywhere on the Internet, whether it be e-mail, Usenet, bboards, websites, Twitter, Facebook, MySpace, Second Life, Third Life, Fourth Life, whatever.

If you're in high-tech, try to identify who those moronic tweeters are and when you have an open job req, do your best not to give them a chance to interview.

Since I don't tweet (I just follow), my interest in Twitter is mostly about seeing how others use this service. There are people who use the service poorly; there are a few that use it brilliantly.

As far as I can tell, there is no other current mainstream/consumer Internet technology that is so ideal for attention wh*res. In many ways, it's probably worth using Twitter just to learn how *not* to use it. It's better to learn from other people's mistakes, especially because Twitter is such a public arena.

[montyhu]

I don't hate Twitter as much as I hate Facebook.

[zcollvee]

There is a reason twitter doesn't make its search wayyyy better.
So that other people can use it and make wayyy more better things :)

[franklooper]

Honestly, when I read your article, I expected you to be old. At least older than me (50).

Twitter is for the young. It's not for a fuddy-duddy like you appear to be!

#NoOffense

[bceugene]

we don't' "all know and love twitter." get out of your bubble idiot. the majority of american have never used it and could care less.

[rubenerd]

You know what I'm personally fed up with? People writing and replying to thousands of stories saying Twitter is pointless. People moan and complain constantly that Twitter gets talked about too much and that the people who use it are narcissistic. The irony in their comments seems to escape them.

If you don't like Twitter, don't use it. It's very simple.

[MSSlayer]

There is no irony in pointing out that Twitters is for attention w h o r e s.

Unlike the brain-dead people who use twitter, they aren't doing it for attention.

The fact you are so narcissistic seems to escape you.

Twitter brings down the human race as a whole, it affects everyone regardless if you use it or not. It is that simple.

[Inconnux]

My biggest problem is spammers... I get several spammers a week trying to follow me and it gets very irritating. Other than that, I enjoy using twitter :)

[bvdon]

Thank God this stuff is printed on the web and not paper. How many stories about Twitter, Facebook, MySpace, Google, Apple and Microsoft can we read? I wish CNET would make room for other striving businesses.

[jss13]

Really used the word 'cool' as in 'Obama is pretty cool' and yet within the context of Twitter. And you weren't joking. I'm on the Drew Barrymore bandwagon here... an adult shouldn't even say the word without a snicker.