Ways to use Twitter

Here are some working phrases:

"More than it appears to be"
"Deceptively Simple and Mad Enough to Work"
"More return than effort put in"

and some more

"Less than you expect"
"Elegant design fits so easily with other applications"
"Returns come when you put the effort in"

which set of statements (assumptions) are more true of Twitter?

The answer is dependent on how you want to use Twitter.

If you are a programmer, like me, then you want something to "just work". You do not ever want to see it "fail sometimes". It has to be consistent. Therefore simplicity is a distinct advantage, just look at all the problems Microsoft had with it's less popular version of Windows (Windows 2.0, Windows 4.x, ME, Vista) vs its more popular renditions (Windows 1.0, Windows 3.11, Windows 95, NT, 98, and Windows 7). Complexity can lead you astray. (Windows 4.x?)

The "small is good" approach to software engineering brought utility as entertainment. It is a mistake. iPhone apps are great if they reduce human time involvement with the gadget, otherwise they are entertainment.

Entertainment eventually fades, you can only watch the same film a few times, really. Software must have "utility" and that means that from day one to day last it must function 100%, it must be able to establish your data from import or carry you though all the boring data entry somehow, it must work with that data and finally, be able to export the closing balances of the life of the computerised activity. That is "utility". It is there when you need it.

The internet is both utility and artifact. By making everything artifact, we fail to discover the most current services; conversely, making everything utility means that brains switch off.

It is like art vs science. Both being present in an invention is what gives it both legs and continuity.

Twitter feeds that are using the first set of assumptions seek to sell. These do not work.

Twitter feeds that use the second set of assumptions are smart services that have a chance of attracting customers.

How to do that...? Something to think about....

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