Thoughts While Mowing…Twitter

Here it is, it's probably the last time to mow for the year and I realized I haven't:

1. Winterized my lawn: Putting down the Scotts Winterizer fertilizer to protect the lawn for the winter and get it ready when it comes back in the spring.
2. Aerate: Where the machine goes across you lawn pulling out plugs of dirt that look like a Pug shat all over it.

Sure if I was "Joe Homeowner Of The Year" I would know exactly when and would have it done by now. I also wouldn't be complaining about it not being done yet.The point is, why doesn't someone remind me?

This is where brands and services should be. Twitter.
 If I were Scotts (brand) I would have a DM reminder. The reminder would go out when their customer should fertilize and suggesting which product is best for that time of year. This wouldn't be a stretch for Scotts. They have this info on the back of there bags already. I just never keep the bag or take the time to enter the info in my calendar. [Bing: Money maker alert!]

If I were a service. The same advice I gave to Scotts would apply. Telling my customers which products I would use and offer a savings coupon.

Knowledge earns my brand and service loyalty.

You may feel like "If I tell my customers what I am using won't they just go and do it themselves?" No. I contacted you once because I didn't have time, so chances are I will contact you again for the same reason.

Twitter

The above is one example of why Twitter is worth a $1 Billion. Twitter can/should charge Scotts to send out the time sensitive DM's. Making them pay for each blast. Hopefully not making Scotts spammy. Then offering services localized searches to reach Twitter users in there area. Offering the same DM message with savings attached.

Catch me where my attention is. Then I won't have to scrabble to find someone to do this for me.

Posted via email from A Distraction Happens Daily

The Distraction From My Distraction…twitter

I have had a blog for awhile. Not the same blog, but several with varying names and topics. I get super psyched and can’t shut up. Wanting to share my opinion with whomever will listen. I of course then get burnt out and for what? I’m a nobody and then that means nobody is listening. Sure my wife or a cousin will take sympathy on me and click on a post or two, but nothing too meaningful. So I stop posting for awhile. Take this site for example, I haven’t written anything for 2 months. I am burnt out and nobody is listening, so I guess I am on schedule. This time though it is a little different, because there is a popular little service that has grabbed my attention. So much so it is keeping me from wanting to write anything here. Not good. What am I so jacked up about? twitter.

What Is twitter?
The better question, and one twitter helps you answer is: “What are you doing?”. This is the same question I get when people see me staring in to my BlackBerry. That’s how it all got started, my BlackBerry. I thought: “Well now I have this cool new ’smart phone’ I need to do this thing ALL the big tech guys are doing.” Let’s get back to What Is Twitter? It is a mass communication service. A way to update ‘friends’ (followers) with a short message, containing a maximum of 140 characters, of What are you doing? I usually still get a confused look, because everyone says “Why don’t I just call you?” I always respond with, “Am I the only one you want to tell?” So I give them an example: I have decided to get a beer after work. I could call my six usual partners in crime, but I don’t want to do that because it usually turns into a 15 minute conversation. I am either trying to convince someone to join me or listening to some ellaborate lie of why they can’t come (because they won’t admit their wife won’t let them). The alternative, send out a tweet. That way your friends using twitter will see the invite and so will those ‘following’. So now there is an oppurtunity to get together with your good friends or become friends with a follower you have never met. If I still get a confused look…Well it’s pointless and I tell them to just try it.

How I Use Twitter (Tech)
After I started using twitter I found out I didn’t need a ’smart
phone’ at all. I could have been using gtalk or twhirl without a phone.

1. When I am in front of a computer:
a. I use twhirl. A very user friendly app that polls your twitter page for updates. It shows you those updates the same way your twitter page does, with a picture of the friend you’re following and what they said. twhirl allows you to DM (direct message) that person by floating over their picture and clicking the @sign. You can also post new updates from within twhirl. twhirl also offers a convience, that you don’t notice until after using gtalk, of adding shortened links easily.
b. I use gtalk. I will use gtalk at my computer when twitter is ‘funky’ (funky means slow or spotty updates) When twitter is ‘funky’ it usually means that your twitter homepage isn’t recieving updates. When that is happening twhirltwitter homepage. Where as gtalk is a direct line message like the experience of using SMS Text. gtalk is everywhere. If you use gmail, gtalk is there as apart of contacts. If you are browsing, use the gtalk gadget. Simply put, gtalk is better than twhirl. It is faster and can be used without downloading additional apps.

2. When I am mobile:
a. I use mobile gtalk on my BlackBerry. This works the same as gtalk on my computer, but I avoid having to use SMS Text messages. I only suggest doing this as long as you have an Unlimited Data Plan with your mobile carrier.

This in no way is a diffinitive post on What twitter is, nor is it even a How To Setup twitter. It is however the best way to explain what it is to me. That leads me to…

What I believe twitter is going to be: (Predictions)
1. I see twitter as taking the place of most email communication.
2. twitter will be what it is today, however there will be corporate versions and service versions (Verizon, Sprint, At&t). Corporate versions of course will work, not as fun, but will work. The services versions however will not because they will make them closed networks.

My wishes or requests that will make twitter better:
Develop into a TRUE centralized communication portal for everything me. Acquire Plaxo and Linked-in. Facebook tricked me into believing they wanted to be this. Instead Facebook wants to be an advertising company. However, that could be what twitter wants to be, or could be tempted to become.