

Ask HN: Who needs Twitter? - yuvadm

Twitter. A platform that, in essence, enables its users to exchange 140-word long messages. No more, no less.<p>There is no denying Twitter's popularity. Users do use it.<p>But time and again the question arises -
Why do we even need such a platform?
What is the added value that users get from Twitter?
Has Twitter become yet another tool to satisfy our very basic narcissistic desires?<p>What's your take on Twitter's success? Specifically, what is the need for such a platform?
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lhorie
>> Specifically, what is the need for such a platform?

>> Has Twitter become yet another tool to satisfy our very basic narcissistic
desires?

I think you just answered your own question there.

Seriously though, just getting a 140-char blurb out there is a good way to get
a conversation going with whoever happens to be interested. My co-worker has
this set of food-themed icebreaker cards that pretty much look like a bunch of
tweets in flashcards and there's definitely some value there.

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donohoe
Twitter has value when you look at its content as a whole.

While I'm of the opinion that Twitter is over-hyped to a point, I would say
that I've met a large number of people in real-life as a result of using
Twitter. Going to meetups and other tech events in NYC take on a new dimension
when you already 'know' people there, and its an immediate ice-breaker.

Likewise I've been able to solicit feedback on projects from people I could
not otherwise reach, peoples who's opinions I respect. I could not do this in
Facebook, email, or in a forum.

So while we do not 'need' the Twitter platform, it is very useful to have.

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ZeroMinx
It's good for getting live news updates. For example, right now there's a bomb
scare in central London.

You can get updates and pics at; <http://twitter.com/#search?q=holborn>

Nothing in "normal" media yet, as far as I can tell.

It was also quite nice to follow during G20 demonstrations in London. Of
course you see a _lot_ of dupes, but filtering that out you get instant
updates and pics from the front line.

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chc
Who needs ice cream? Who needs pets? Who needs love and companionship? Are
they all just tools to satisfy our very basic desires?

Yes.

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getonit
In my case specifically, and in a wider scope too (IMHO), the limit is
removing the barrier of having to explain in any detail. Forcing me to post
the TLDR version of what I want to say encourages me to make the effort much
more often.

