Why Is Twitter So Great?

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I realized that almost every single blog I’ve seen has written an article about Twitter one way or the other, so I’m only going to point to the main reason why I believe Twitter is great. Before I actually go on, I would like to say that I’m not much of a Twitter fanatic. Sure every blogger is using it just like how MySpace or Facebook is, but I totally don’t see what’s so great about sending a small message that is limited to 140 characters.

There are far many better instant messaging type of programs or websites that don’t limit you the way that Twitter does. It’s funny how Twitter was never really used until bloggers like Shoemoney, John Chow, or Darren Rowse started mentioning it. If you take a look at the old Twitter website stats, there weren’t as many tweets as there are now.

My opinion is that it’s just a following type of thing, hence the “followers” function that Twitter has. If one blogger uses it, the other blogger follows. The main thing that is allowing all these followers is the API code that Twitter provides for 3rd party programs. The result from Twitter providing the API is all the great new Twitter add-ons, plugins, and tools that makes a bloggers’ Twitter life much easier.

My Top Twitter Tools

TwitterCounter - I actually just stumbled across this new tool yesterday when I received an e-mail from Rohit. This is the first tool I’ve actually used that relates to Twitter, but I love it because it allows me to show how many followers I have. Check out the chicklet next to my feedburner count ;-)
TwitThis - Similar to the “ShareThis” plugin, TwitThis allows anyone to submit specific posts to their Twitter followers. It does save a bit of time because a click on the small image would open a mini pop-up window that would allow you to Tweet the post to others.

Twitter Tools - Alex King codes yet another great plugin for bloggers. This plugin actually goes with all the bloggers that tweets daily. You could do all the tweeting within your Wordpress dashboard.

TwitBin - Firefox add-on that allows you to send tweets when you’re surfing any website other than Twitter. Practically saves you from opening yet another tab. This add-on also refreshes automatically to show you new tweets.

There you have it…I’ve listed 4 Twitter tools that could help you tweet successfully. There are much more tools, but I believe these are the only ones you would actually need. Twitter is continuing to grow and I really don’t see any downfall in it any time soon since there are so many new tools coming for for Twitterers.

No matter if Twitter is useful or not, I enjoy following the Twitterific movement because it’s networking a lot of bloggers together. This is the great potential I see in Twitter because I’ve met a lot of CEOs lately through Twitter. I mean come on, how the heck would you be able to find or talk to the CEO of Zappos or Blog World Expo?!?! :-)
One of my secrets of using Twitter is to follow as many Twitterers as you can :-P . I have followed over 7,000, which brought Bloggin-Ads quite an amount of traffic. I’m gaining new followers each and every day and it’s bringing my blog a lot of new visitors. Shhhhhh…that’s my secret..

Do you Twitter?

BONUS - Participate in this contest here that is created by my friend :-) - +3 entries for showing proof of participation

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21 Comments »

Comment by -Paul
2008-06-14 15:01:21

I just dont get it… and am amazed that it has become so popular.

My last blog post is..Sumo in Tokyo

 
Comment by Neil Duckett
2008-06-14 15:12:32

I have used twitter, like any other application i was keen to see what all the fuss was about, but i still fail too see the real value. Maybe i`m missing the point but even following a small amount of people the conversations are so quickly archived i find i miss far more than i catch.

I have set up twitterfeed to automatically tweet any new posts i have and still log in from time to time to see what`s new but it`s not something i really get in too.

 
Comment by Jonathan Volk
2008-06-14 16:05:44

I like twitter but I don’t use it as much as I used to.

My last blog post is..Adwords For Dummies

 
Comment by dingexx
2008-06-14 17:03:45

It has a big help on me, why..?because half of the traffic of my 3 blogs are came from twitter..I notice also that some of the blogger earner are joining this community..for me it is a big help..if you need traffic…:D

My last blog post is..Workout Tips for Cycling/spinning

 
Comment by Rohit
2008-06-14 22:15:51

Thanks for the mention,Mike!!.

I agree with you that Twitter has become more popular once the big bloggers started using and promoting it !!.

And thanks for the additional tools you have mentioned and shhh…the ’secret’ :)
My last blog post is..Show off your Twitter follower count with a chicklet !!

 
Comment by Rajaie AlKorani
2008-06-15 03:27:50

No, I don’t twitter, but I’m sure one day I will finally give in and start doing it like everyone else.

 
Comment by Daniel.D
2008-06-15 07:51:16

I love Jeremy Shoemakers twitter page. have you seen it guys ?
Its got that kool shoemoney logo all over it.

 
Comment by aryst
2008-06-15 08:15:30

Sometimes but most of the time, I just don’t bother about it…

My last blog post is..Link Exchange for June 2008!

 
Comment by Eva
2008-06-15 09:08:39

Mike, I’m not much of a Twitter fanatic,too.
“I totally don’t see what’s so great about sending a small message that is limited to 140 characters”: I completely agree with you, because there are instant messaging type of programs or websites that don’t limit your writing.
But I saw, during the last 3 weeks, that for a blogger is important to have a Twitter account: in fact blog’s traffics come very often from Twitter.
An example is michaeltalk.com: he has a huge number of followers, due to his blog (and even due to his contest, I think).

My last blog post is..Win a Digital Camcorder

 
Comment by Mark K
2008-06-15 09:15:41

It took me a while to get interested in Twitter, but now I’m addicted. It’s terrible (in a good way)!

 
Comment by Dean Saliba
2008-06-15 10:46:48

I have not used it yet and have no idea what it is about.

 
Comment by shaxx
2008-06-15 18:59:32

I registered about a year ago and then only started using it in these past few months and I am slowly getting the benefits of it in terms of getting people to come over. Cheers!

My last blog post is..A Smart Bird

 
Comment by Nick
2008-06-15 21:57:23

i don’t use it either… don’t see the point, if I want to talk to someone i’ll get their aim. don’t really care about reading others conversations.

 
2008-06-16 09:09:30

Thanks-Twitbin is exactly what I need. I like Twirl, but it does not work with my Linux yet.
I’m still not sure if Twitter will stick for the long term and right now, it is just a time waster. On the other hand, my blog subscriptions have gone up 400% since I started using Twitter. Maybe it’s related, probably not.

 
Comment by Joshua James
2008-06-16 12:31:45

Excellent post! Twitter is great! You have picked some great tools as well, thanks for sharing. I recently wrote a post about how to tweet the long tail on Twitter, check it out, it’s a great tip for anyone that plugs their site or blog on Twitter.

My last blog post is..Twitter Tip : Tweeting the Long Tail

 
2008-06-16 20:49:22

[...] Joshua James: Excellent post! Twitter is great! You have picked some great… [...]

 
2008-11-10 09:13:09

[...] Why Is Twitter So Great? [...]

 
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