Twitter: the other Facebook

Facebook is one of the biggest time sinks for college-age people. I know I have wasted countless hours in front of the computer looking at Facebook when I should have been doing homework or studying for a test.

Every once in a while Facebook changes and for the most part people hate what they do, and the most recent change is no exception to this rule.

Change will happen, especially with computers or the Internet there will be change and for the most part if you aren’t part of the design team your opinion doesn’t matter.

The only thing you can do is decide to keep using the site or decide to use something else.

The reason why Facebook keeps changing is that they have seen that people don’t really do anything when they change it. Their membership doesn’t change so they have no incentive for keeping their clientele happy.

For most people, Facebook is the be-all and end-all social networking site and they wont change, but for the more adventurous people there is an alternative – Twitter.

Twitter is another social networking site and it is quickly gaining more popularity.

Twitter works in roughly the same as status updates on Facebook, but with a cap of 140 characters. It is designed to be kind of like a micro-blog, you say what you are thinking and people who are following you can see what you write.

It seems pretty dorky I know, but if you really look big idea so does Facebook.

The reason I really like Twitter as opposed to Facebook is that it is easier to use, it is simple and following famous people is pretty cool.

To start all you have to do is decide on a username, have an email address and then start Tweeting. The interface is easy to use, and that is the real appeal for Twitter.

Twitter can also be set up so you can send and receive updates on your phone or other handheld device, so you can stay in touch no matter where you are.

The simplicity of Twitter is really the real reason that it is great. When Facebook added applications I thought that it had overstepped its bounds for me. It turned a good thing into an ugly monster.
   
Also I find following celebrities to be pretty entertaining and informative. For instance I follow Lance Armstrong. Last Monday, he fell in a race in Spain and through Twitter, his followers found out that he broke his right clavicle.

On Wednesday, Armstrong had his manager update his fans through Twitter on his surgery which I found to be pretty cool.

Throughout the week Armstong has been keeping in touch with his fan by posting pictures of him back on a bike, letting people know that he is getting his stiches out from his operation and even posting an X-ray of his shoulder after the surgery.

Armstrong also sends updates on his family. He posted a picture of his son weighing his first pinewood derby car for Boy Scouts and then later let his fans know how his son did in the race (third overall.)

I find is cool that someone like Lance Armstrong takes the time to tell his fans all across the world about what he is doing.

I also follow Christopher Walken on Twitter which is good for a laugh or two per day. Like last Tuesday he said, “I do my best thinking in a barber’s chair. Sadly, I do my worst remembering there too. Sure, I could take some notes but who does that?”

John Mayer is also a Tweeter, and reportedly his Twitter obsession caused his split with Jennifer Aniston.

Twitter is growing to be a worldwide phenomenon. Over three million Tweets are sent daily, and over two thousand new members join each day.

As college students it is real benefit in that you can plan your day using Twitter. For instance my friends and I all have Twitter and at least once a week we will go to supper or something with the only communication being each other is Twitter.

We also use Twitter as a kind of chat room, using @replies to direct a message to a certain person using Twitter.

Twitter is also secure. You can set-up your Twitter to only have people you approve follow you’re Tweets, so you don’t have to worry about people that you don’t know seeing information that you don’t want them to see.

If you are sick of Facebook or are looking for something else to waste time, give Twitter a try.