Twitter Blows Facebook Away
A social networking trend for some users: The Twitter account is actively used while the Facebook account remains dormant. Why? Because Twitter offers greater simplicity and effectiveness.
What is Twitter? 
Even the founders of Twitter say that it’s difficult to define. Some say it’s micro-blogging. Others call it social networking. Two ways to introduce yourself to Twitter:
- Watch a 2-minute CNN video.
- Setup an account at Twitter.com. Accounts are still free as of this writing.
My Main Use for Twitter
My biggest use for Twitter: To learn from other software developers. There are only 168 hours in a week, so it is impossible for me to personally keep up with every change in the industry. Through Twitter, I can absorb the thoughts of the best developers on the planet. What tools work well? Which tools fail? What “best practices” are on the horizon?
And when I discover something new, I can share it with my colleagues in a snap. Everybody wins.
Getting the News Through Twitter
The major news outlets all have Twitter feeds. Twitter is an effective way to get the news in 140 characters or less. Long enough for a headline.
Effective Announcements Through Twitter
WisdomGroup runs the WindyCityRails conference through our relationship with ChicagoRuby.org. Last year we sold out three weeks in advance using Twitter and a web site. That’s it.
Brevity Leads to Clarity of Thought
The 140-character limit forces people to be clear, expressive, and brief. These seemed mutually exclusive before Twitter. Not any more.
Where Twitter Really Beats Facebook
Dealing with messages in Facebook is cumbersome.
- First, you get a notice in email that a message has been received.
- The sender’s address isn’t in the notice from Facebook, so you have to log into Facebook in order to respond.
- The Facebook interface is in a constant state of flux. It takes me ten minutes to find anything because the buttons are always moving around.
- When I finally find the messages, I discover that there’s no way to organize them. They’re all in one big bucket.
- I already have a place for messages. It’s called email. Why does Facebook offer a redundant messaging system with zero advantages?
Twitter, on the other hand, does one thing well. Twitter is all about 140-character posts. You can read or you can post. That’s it. Simple and effective. Now if they could only resolve the revenue question…