Twitter has changed everything Jan05 '08

First, there was AOL. Instantly chatting with anyone in the world, without the constraints of long-distance telephone calls became a reality. The problem was, it wasn't appropriate to randomly instant-message strangers, even if they shared your proximity or interests.

Next, there was blogging. Blogging fine-tuned the "gathering" of people who had similar interests, because blog posts allowed comments, as well as links back to the commenters' own blog or site. This connected like-minded people. "She read my blog. I started reading her blog. We became friends/contacts."

Now, there's Twitter. Twitter combines instant-messaging and blogging, and removes the barriers that once existed between strangers. Now, all you need to talk to someone is a shared interest or proximity. Twitter also introduced the concept of micro-blogging, that is, condensing your thoughts under 140 characters. What would seem somewhat restricting is actually a powerful new way to promote ideas. It's almost become an art or a skill - figuring out how to get your idea across with only a few words.

Twitter has changed my life. 2007 was the year when that happened. Here's an example of how my contacts/networking has grown since my initial use of the internet:

• Before the internet (1980 - 1994): Contacts limited by proximity to people I've met face-to-face. Local telephone calls are the only way to communicate remotely.
• AOL days (1994 - 1999): A few more contacts enter my life as the ability to communicate without being restricted to proximity is introduced.
• Blogging days (2001 - Present): Dozens more contacts enter my life, and the value of those contacts increases, due to the shared interests of blog posts.
• Twitter days (2007 - Present): Hundreds more contacts enter my life, and the value of each contact remains high, since we congregrate due to shared interests/proximity.

As you can see, as the internet evolves, the value of your contacts become stronger and more fine-tuned. At the same time, your rate of meeting new contacts increases. This is the perfect formula: constantly meet new people who are interested in what you do and who you are.

To many, the concept of Twitter is still yet to be understood or adopted. Since Twitter is primarily a technology, some people are slow to adapt. But rest assured - ideas like Twitter are not going away. They're here to stay, and only become stronger and more fine-tuned. If you're not using services like Twitter now, I can guarantee in two to three years time, you will be.

And if AOL, blogging, and now Twitter continue to change the world - I absolutely can't wait to see what's next. I'm guessing it will be out of this world.

Categories: Blogging , Communication , History , Internet , People , Reflection , Technology , Twitter

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