What is Twitter Like?
October 10, 2008How do you describe Twitter to a new user?
Image source: Hubspot Twitter Webinar
Understanding exactly what Twitter is and what its benefits are is a difficult task. This graphic compares Twitter to 4 other well known online services and notes how it is different from each.
Twitter is like a blog except is it is only 140 characters
Twitter is a status update except it is viewable in lots of places
Twitter is like a giant chat room except you choose the people you follow
Twitter is like instant messaging except it’s public & archived online
What comparisons make sense to you? How do you describe Twitter to potential new users?
UPDATE: Great post on the Webinar over at Pistachio, even a shout out to Stratius, thanks.
UPDATE: Webinar now available here
Twitter is like… a big meet and greet.
Except… that it is exponentially larger and virtual.
to me Twitter is like a college or high school social scene, with the serious people as well as the class clown, except the serious people truly rule the scool
Thanks for sharing the graphic! Would love to hear more about what people think about it … and other ways to explain twitter.
Twitter is like wandering a crowded restaurant overhearing everybody’s conversations. Only, you can pick which ones you want to join in with.
My quick default explanation is the term “micro blogging.” With great phone apps. But when it comes to a metaphor, I like to think of it as a college dorm commons, especially late at night. You know, when people are delirious from studying too much and decide it’s time to order pizza. Every emotion is represented in sharp relief——slap-happy, wry, melancholy, fed up.
I like the graphic, I tell my friends that it is a Public Instant Messaging Platform, that has some similarities to MySpace/Facebook but it is realtime and posts are limited to 140 characters. Follow people who share interests in your career, hobbies, hometown, etc. Instant Access to “experts” in your career and interests. Great Collaboration tool. @richtucker
To me, it’s like an interactive on-line reality show…about everything.
[...] via audio only, as Citrix‘ GoToWebinar crunched under the load of 3700+ registered attendees. A fast-thinking attendee caught this neat screenshot explaining what Twitter is. The full slide deck is now on Slideshare: Twitter for Marketing and PR View SlideShare presentation [...]
Glad you liked the webinar and our interpretation of Twitter. For folks who want to see the whole video of the HubSpot Twitter for Marketing Webinar, here is the link: http://www.hubspot.com/marketing-webinars/twitter-marketing/
“twitter me baby” in the words of one of my favorite musicians. Twitter me is the ultimate mash up of instant non vocal communication.
hehe my profile still has money on a toilet paper roll
I would explain twitter the following way:
twitter is like group-sms-texting on the web
Cheers
Willem Kossen
my weblog
Twitter is the best place to meet colleagues, mentors, prospects, and make friends with people you would otherwise never get to meet. It is friendly, personal and yet drives business for many. It takes getting used to and regular participation. Learn the Twitter protocol and you’ll expand your life, your business, your world!
Prosper by Design, YOURS!
Melissa
http://www.sixfigureprofessionals.com
I actually included this definition in a blog post:
To put it simply: Twitter is similar to the Facebook status feature, but way cooler and there are no constant requests to join a zombie-vampire-fighter group.
I describe it as a huge cocktail party with anyone and everyon you could ever possibly want to meet and the ability to connect to them by listening to them and then responding. It’s the ultimate event– and it flows quickly like a rapid stream but if you can get into that sort of situation, you can learn a lot and create a great network,
I agree with Scott that twitter is just like the facebook status bar…I LOVE twitter!!