Twitter

I was resigned to not blogging tomorrow – I don’t know a) if I’ll have much any access to a computer, and b) if I have access to a computer if I’ll have much time to do any blogging – but I will have my mobile phone, and perhaps the periodic update won’t be impossible after all. (I was going to lug my Tablet down to Margaret River with me, but I’ve decided I won’t because its wireless card isn’t working, and even if it was, I think that expecting wireless access is overly optimistic.)

Assuming the mobile phone network exists when I get down south today, I’m hoping to do the odd update on my whereabouts and doings using Twitter. (Thanks for digging up the number for non-US users, Morgan! I don’t know why I couldn’t find it – it was driving me bonkers!)

What is Twitter, you ask? Basically it’s a site that allows you to post little snippets about what you’re doing, using either the web, Instant Messaging, or SMS.

Twitter’s doing the rounds in the biblioblogosphere (thanks to David Rothman for reminding me of Libworm!) at the moment. As usual there are roughly two different views of it – the w00t! crowd who love it, and the why would one bother? side. I think I tend toward the woot/positive side. I do agree with Liz Lane Lawley’s point that really only people who know me would want to know what I’m doing. Others have asked how Twitter could be applied to our work – well, we’re not all about our work, are we? We might want to socialise, keep up with our friends, and so on? 🙂

Some are also asking why or how one would remember to post updates every minute of the day – my response is, why would you do that, unless you have something you want to tell your friends? It’s just another way of communicating, I think.

So, if you do want to see what I’m up to, feel free. I’ve also stuck a “Twitter Party Badge” (displaying what my two friends and I are up to) in this blog’s sidebar.

Having said that, I really hope that mobile phone coverage is okay down there.