Technologists tend to be an idealistic bunch. Things are created with purity and community in mind. Eventually of course, the strictly business folks come in and wreck the place.
It happened with the BBS to ISP conversion, it happened on the web with nascar-esq advertising (banner overkill), it's happening with Google and the SEO masterminds (it can't just be me, but isn't it getting harder and hard to find things?), and it's starting to happen with the blogosphere and paid links.
Magazines taking bribes and the mainstream media outlets skewing the news both helped fuel many of the "early" blogging initiatives. That shared focus and identity, that blogging wasn't the mainstream, helped foster a certain level of community. Paid links, paid review sites, misleading advertising placements, affiliate program abuse -- the blogging world is quickly following a somewhat common theme. As it all becomes more and more mainstream, it only makes sense that the initial proponents of the medium start searching for someplace else to hang out.
After SxSW, I thought Twitter had officially run its course. It was fun before hand but at SxSW it became an important tool. It was only natural to expect a let down afterwards I guess. I have to say though, that it seems more and more of the conversations are taking place there. As one community slowly gets overcrowded and commercialized, it would seem that this might be where people are headed.
Twitter's usefulness by itself can be a bit limiting. 140 character messages can only take you so far, and in some ways, I feel like I'm writing on an old-school BBS graffiti wall or typing in a horribly disfunctional IRC channel. It's not so much that twitter is a "better" way to conduct this type of socializing, it's just still a bit more exclusive and its made up of the right people.
What are the take aways of the service itself though? Instant gratification maybe? The "convergence-interface?" The friendly API? Or is it simply something to tide everyone over until the real "next big thing" happens?
It happened with the BBS to ISP conversion, it happened on the web with nascar-esq advertising (banner overkill), it's happening with Google and the SEO masterminds (it can't just be me, but isn't it getting harder and hard to find things?), and it's starting to happen with the blogosphere and paid links.
Magazines taking bribes and the mainstream media outlets skewing the news both helped fuel many of the "early" blogging initiatives. That shared focus and identity, that blogging wasn't the mainstream, helped foster a certain level of community. Paid links, paid review sites, misleading advertising placements, affiliate program abuse -- the blogging world is quickly following a somewhat common theme. As it all becomes more and more mainstream, it only makes sense that the initial proponents of the medium start searching for someplace else to hang out.
After SxSW, I thought Twitter had officially run its course. It was fun before hand but at SxSW it became an important tool. It was only natural to expect a let down afterwards I guess. I have to say though, that it seems more and more of the conversations are taking place there. As one community slowly gets overcrowded and commercialized, it would seem that this might be where people are headed.
Twitter's usefulness by itself can be a bit limiting. 140 character messages can only take you so far, and in some ways, I feel like I'm writing on an old-school BBS graffiti wall or typing in a horribly disfunctional IRC channel. It's not so much that twitter is a "better" way to conduct this type of socializing, it's just still a bit more exclusive and its made up of the right people.
What are the take aways of the service itself though? Instant gratification maybe? The "convergence-interface?" The friendly API? Or is it simply something to tide everyone over until the real "next big thing" happens?
