Comments on: Twitter and the News: What Balloon Boy Taught Us http://inklingmedia.net/2009/10/balloon-boy/ Social Media, Inbound Marketing, and SEO Solutions Sat, 31 Jul 2010 13:18:02 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.1 By: kmueller62 http://inklingmedia.net/2009/10/balloon-boy/comment-page-1/#comment-51 kmueller62 Sat, 17 Oct 2009 14:17:56 +0000 http://inklingmedia.net/?p=594#comment-51 Joe, First off, I wouldn't get wrapped up in the profit model. And don't look at Twitter in a vacuum. It is part of a larger social media picture. Currently I subscribe to a free service via Twitter that sends me DM's every time there is a weather alert. That's a great use of Twitter, similar to similar text messaging services. I think what you are proposing would be extremely helpful. I can envision automated applications that feed you that data from remote locations and weather stations on a regular basis. Heck, there are Twitter applications that will tweet you when your washer or dryer is done. And if you configure it right, you can get some useful metadata. And geolocation is being phased in as well. I'd also challenge you on the assertion that "no one's using it." I assume you mean on your particular campus. I'm personally following a few students and others from your campus who are on Twitter. Also, remember that unlike other social media platforms, Twitter began with an older demographic and is just now filtering down to your demographic. While Twitter's growth has slowed a bit, it is still increasing in numbers, and the younger demographics are starting to come on board. My point is, don't write it off. In fact, one of the key's to marketing and doing business online (and offline, for that matter) is find a need and fill it. Twitter has an open API. Why not work on some useful weather applications and play around a bit. You might just be on to something, and since Twitter is still a relatively new platform, those who get on board now with new uses for the medium could really benefit from it. That's my challenge to you. I don't think Twitter is going anywhere soon. Will it be replaced by something else some day? Perhaps, but for now Twitter shows a lot of promise, especially for the types of things you're talking about. Joe,
First off, I wouldn’t get wrapped up in the profit model. And don’t look at Twitter in a vacuum. It is part of a larger social media picture.

Currently I subscribe to a free service via Twitter that sends me DM’s every time there is a weather alert. That’s a great use of Twitter, similar to similar text messaging services. I think what you are proposing would be extremely helpful. I can envision automated applications that feed you that data from remote locations and weather stations on a regular basis. Heck, there are Twitter applications that will tweet you when your washer or dryer is done.

And if you configure it right, you can get some useful metadata. And geolocation is being phased in as well.

I’d also challenge you on the assertion that “no one’s using it.” I assume you mean on your particular campus. I’m personally following a few students and others from your campus who are on Twitter. Also, remember that unlike other social media platforms, Twitter began with an older demographic and is just now filtering down to your demographic. While Twitter’s growth has slowed a bit, it is still increasing in numbers, and the younger demographics are starting to come on board.

My point is, don’t write it off. In fact, one of the key’s to marketing and doing business online (and offline, for that matter) is find a need and fill it. Twitter has an open API. Why not work on some useful weather applications and play around a bit. You might just be on to something, and since Twitter is still a relatively new platform, those who get on board now with new uses for the medium could really benefit from it.

That’s my challenge to you. I don’t think Twitter is going anywhere soon. Will it be replaced by something else some day? Perhaps, but for now Twitter shows a lot of promise, especially for the types of things you’re talking about.

]]> By: Joe http://inklingmedia.net/2009/10/balloon-boy/comment-page-1/#comment-47 Joe Fri, 16 Oct 2009 15:55:36 +0000 http://inklingmedia.net/?p=594#comment-47 Ah but the simplicity of twitter is also a huge weakness. I am a meteorology major, and I would *love* to work on a project to use twitter to report things like weather events, snow fall totals, when rain starts/ends, etc.... but there's no metadata! Sure, I know you can add hash tags... which aren't really useful unless everyone would be using it. And yeah... I keep hearing "it's coming." Until it has built-in geolocation data, it's useless to me. It's noise. And from a college campus of 8,000 (and as the Editor In Chief of the paper), I can tell you... no one's using it. A few people have tried it... but it's still lacking in so many ways. ...And don't get me started on that missing thing... a profit model. Ah but the simplicity of twitter is also a huge weakness.

I am a meteorology major, and I would *love* to work on a project to use twitter to report things like weather events, snow fall totals, when rain starts/ends, etc…. but there’s no metadata! Sure, I know you can add hash tags… which aren’t really useful unless everyone would be using it. And yeah… I keep hearing “it’s coming.” Until it has built-in geolocation data, it’s useless to me. It’s noise.

And from a college campus of 8,000 (and as the Editor In Chief of the paper), I can tell you… no one’s using it. A few people have tried it… but it’s still lacking in so many ways.

…And don’t get me started on that missing thing… a profit model.

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