About a week ago, I posted a question at my favorite woodworking forum LumberJocks, to see if woodworkers would really be interested in following my daily woodworking goings on. They predominant attitude is that Twitter is just another time sink to become addicted to, and indeed nearly half of "tweets" are classified as "pointless babble". However, considering myself to be a reasonable guy and a critical thinker, I wanted to give Twitter a fair shake. After all, it is important to evaluate the potential value of a technology apart from how some or even most people use it.
In my day job as a software engineer, one of the first questions we ask back to the marketing guys when a new feature is proposed is: "What are the use cases?", in other words, how will the feature be used in such a way that it provides actual value? I used the same approach in evaluating Twitter.
Use case #1: Socializing. I can see where a group of friends (in my case, woodworking buddies) with either busy lives or separated geographically, could carry on daily conversations and maintain friendships that would otherwise be difficult to maintain. The problem for me is I have only, one, two, ..... two friends.
Use case #2: Drawing traffic to a web site. Empirically, I have not seen a significant increase in traffic to my site since I started "tweeting"
Use case #3: Education (following an "expert"). I love to teach others what I know. My primary means of disseminating my knowledge is through my "Straightedge" videos. However, making a video of the quality I want to create takes an enormous amount of time (and often frustration). I have been looking for, for some time, another way to educate that is more accommodating to my time constraints. I thought that tweeting (with pictures) what I am up to in the shop could provide that outlet, but it mostly feels like I am talking to myself. (In fact I have resorted to just that. LOL)
Use case #4: Getting (timely) expert help. I have a home repair project that I have to start tomorrow which is what I had in mind for this use case. I know my way around making furniture, but I am not an expert on home improvement. Sure, I can manage my way, but if I get into a pickle, who can I call? If I were lucky, I would have a buddy or cousin that is a only a phone call away that can shoot on over and help me out. But what if the only expert you know is in Montana, say, or is local but has to work for a living. I could keep them posted by firing off a "TwitPic" as I progress, and if I get into a pickle, there is always those tiny pockets of time throughout their day in which they can "tweet" advice.
We'll see how this last use case pans out tomorrow. However, I have gone from being lukewarm about Twitter to being a little cold. Perhaps it is "just not for me". Perhaps I am just being my usual impatient self. Perhaps I will give it just one more week.
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