Tweet Tweet
I’ve been using Twitter more lately. Perhaps because my company is working on a Twitter client (among many other things)… or perhaps because it fills some deep void in my online life… or perhaps because I like pain (especially in light of just how often Twitter is down)…
I think the compelling thing about Twitter is that it can replicate, in a small way, the feeling of camaraderie of being in a room with your friends while not actually being in a room with your friends.
This past week I was in Palo Alto and got to spend some quality time with my coworkers all together in one small office - it was great. And while I’d kind of like to have that experience everyday, I’m also glad I don’t as it makes the occasions when we do all get together something more of an event. Plus, as much as I liked it out there in California, I don’t want to move. 
What Twitter allows is a small slice of that in-person group experience where you can toss out jokes, random thoughts, or even bits of important information that may have little to nothing to do with what everyone is personally working on at the time. As a remote employee, that is the single aspect of the office experience that I miss the most while working alone from home. Right now I see Twitter as a potential way to maintain a little bit of that.
Incidentally, that kind of usage for Twitter essentially turns it into a lightweight email list or chat room of a sort. Although in many ways, it serves an entirely different niche than either of those. With it’s message size limit, it is virtually useless as a chat medium or as a way to express long thoughts (such as this entire blog post). However, it is perfect for the stray random thought that you might blurt out loud while hanging out with friends or as a way of sharing some funny video you just watched, etc. And since it’s not a “live” medium such as a chat room, it doesn’t carry with it the expectation that all comments deserve a response, which is pretty neat and perhaps part of it’s charm.
If you use Twitter or want to try it or whatever, you can follow me and I may follow you back. Using the web interface sucks, though, so if you really want to try it out, be sure to check out one of the many Twitter clients for Windows or MacOSX, etc. as it makes the entire thing a lot more useful.