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What is (not) so good about micro blogs

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... (than e.g. platforms where you can post more) ?[1]



misunderstanding possibility due to limits in characters (or let's say: in normal life there's not even time to cover all if-then-scenarios)

  • which ensures: there's again interaction because of questions, ...
    • is this now a devil's circle (in terms of time allocation)?
    • or is it wished? e.g. by twitter (to keep the system alive) and/or the sender (to engage more discussion)?
  • one could extend the char limit, link to blogs, ...
    • but when not all do this it seems unfair, since more space could give more freedom to formulate arguments or
      at least save time (e.g. quote: sorry, that I write a longer letter now, for a shorter one I didn't have the time - by Voltaire/Goethe/Twain/Marx?)


the old guard (micro blog platforms) in general

  • So, it gives users the possibility to help others, e.g.
    • info distribution (e.g. new info gets very fast to others or answers to their problems)
      • a limit like 140 chars could foster: the important info is read first
    • improve other users info (e.g. by adding appropriate tags more people see it)
    • retweeting: recognize others work/comments
    • one can engage in discussions (though the display format should foster this - not only for new people detecting the discussion - e.g. web display of twitter is hell, conversation style of identi.ca preferred)
  • it's easy to meet other people (may be like-minded, may be not)
  • tells more about you, e.g.
    • when you are awake?
    • do you really work or your salary supports non-company-related activity?
    • your social circle, ideas, ...
  • it costs time (one has to decide which time slot to skip for micro blogging)
    • well anything costs time...
    • one could argue: it's only a tweet/dent - but I wonder if you treat then the recipient unfairly? (see Voltaire + time above)
    • spam
  • booms
    • I wonder how e.g. twitter contributed to the smartphone boom?
  • ...

And now?... you've to decide how much micro blogging you do or don't do - in which time phase :-)

see also


  1. question prompted due to 140 char limit of twitter, identi.ca, though StatusNet itself allows >140 chars or other platforms like Friendika
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