Tweeeet

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The planets must be aligned in some way as I appear to be in the blogging mood again after a while away. It looks to me like the whole shape of blogging is changing around this here interweb, and in a way which I approve of. The rise of Twitter and Facebook has meant that people have another, more immediate outlet for their updates and no longer feel the need to blog.

Previously, (on LA Law) I would collect all my outrages, comments and moaning until I had about half a page worth of blog material ready to go. Not anymore, as these things are out in the ether before I’ve had a chance to calm down/stop laughing.

I suspect this cultural shift is a good thing as it removes a lot of fluff. Well, if not actually removing it then at least putting it in a place where you’d expect to find it. You don’t go to Facebook or Twitter for an in depth read for example. (Mind some, some teens are barely able to sustain coherence for 140 characters. *old man mutter)

As if to provide an example of the difference, I have an Adium (OSX messenger app) window open to the right of the one I’m currently typing in. (Apple’s Pages 09, fact fans). In it I get realtime Twitter updates and I can see that my good friend Cally (to whom I’m also related in some way that’s too complicated for me to work out after two beers) has recently seen and enjoyed the latest Indiana Jones film. Which is good, as I have it on my ‘to watch’ list at the moment. This kind of real time stuff is great, it helps me stay closer to people who live far away. I like that.

And the immediacy of those updates means that for me at least, they carry more meaning. It’s like being in a pub and hearing the numerous conversations that occur between members of your group. Sure, you may not be wholly interested in them all, but merely being able to hear them all makes you feel part of a group, of interacting socially.

It’s when you combine a strange eclectic mix of Tweets that it becomes something greater than the sum of it’s parts. The mix I have of family, friends, a Mythbuster, Stephen Fry, techies who’s opinion I value, Jason from the Gadget Show and a porn star provides not only a stream of interesting, funny and useful comments, but mixes together to provide a view on life that I’d never otherwise be aware of.

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