Twittering at cons?
Just saw a blog entry about heavy use of Twitter at the SXSWi conference this year and last.
Sounds like Twitter might be a handy tool for the kind of arranging-social-gatherings that often goes on at sf conventions. I mean, text messages are great for that kind of thing, but Twitter might allow easier one-to-many information spread. For example, if you're at a great party (or a great panel), you can Tweet (am I using that term right?) about it, and if any of your friends are sitting around being bored, they can check Twitter and find out about it.
From what I've seen of Twitter so far, it doesn't really fit my head. I already can't keep up with all my friends' blogs! The Twitter "How" page describes the service as "a modern antidote to information overload," but it looks like the opposite to me. But I haven't actually tried it.
A quote on their front page says: "If you aren't familiar with Twitter, it is one of those things, like MySpace, that sounds totally ridiculous and stupid when you first hear about it. But once you start using it, you realize how much fun it is." On the other hand, MySpace doesn't really fit my head either.
Wikipedia points to a Wall Street Journal article from March, 2007, "Friends Swap Twitters, and Frustration," that says, among other things: "These services elicit mixed feelings in the technology-savvy people who have been their early adopters. Fans say they are a good way to keep in touch with busy friends. But some users are starting to feel 'too' connected, as they grapple with check-in messages at odd hours, higher cellphone bills and the need to tell acquaintances to stop announcing what they're having for dinner."
On the other hand, that article quotes Twitter founder Jack Dorsey: "Everyone says Twitter's completely useless, I don't want all this information[....] We check in later, and they're complete addicts." Then again, I am easily addicted to high-volume information streams, and end up having to drop them cold turkey--did it with Usenet fifteen years ago, have considered doing it with blogs. So knowing that it's easy to become addicted to Twitter is not the best selling point for me personally.
I know at least one of you is using and enjoying Twitter. What about the rest of you? Love it? Hate it? Both? Have you used it at a con? Would you like to? Answer in 140 characters or less.
Or more, if you want to be old-fashioned about it.