Twitter is not for email
During the past month or so, I have realized people are beginning to use Twitter as their main form of communication. I am a regular Twitter user and follower, but do not keep it open on my desktop all day. I use it how it is intended to be used-- to post quick items of interest or respond with a short message to someone seeking help on a topic. And I think carefully before I answer, to determine whether the response is only useful for the questioner (and DM the answer) or if others might also benefit from the answer (and reply with the @questioner). I try not to clutter up the list with responses that are meaningless to most others. That is part of the Twetiquette (Twitter etiquette).
(Addendum: I was not implying above that people should not post "meaningless" (read "fun") items to Twitter. What I was referring to is the practice of replying to a post via an @username on the list when the actual answer only makes sense to the person who asked the question. It often does not make sense when one sees only an answer.)
I am starting to receive some of the reference questions I receive regularly from educators via Twitter. The direct messages from Twitter show up in my email inbox, and I then have to go open my Twitter client, locate the DM, and respond to the questioner.
It is easy to ask a question in 140 characters, but not so easy to answer with anything meaningful in that number of characters. So, I wind up DM'ing three or four separate messages to the questioner, including having to shorten a URL or two in the Twitter messages.
Twitter is not the place for that kind of communication, in my opinion. If you have a question that you want answered which you know will require me to search the Web and do some research, please don't send it via Twitter.
I am easy enough to find on the Web, and, if you don't have it, here is my email address: kathy@kathyschrock.net
I am always glad to help, but not always in 140-character bursts!
(Addendum: I was not implying above that people should not post "meaningless" (read "fun") items to Twitter. What I was referring to is the practice of replying to a post via an @username on the list when the actual answer only makes sense to the person who asked the question. It often does not make sense when one sees only an answer.)
I am starting to receive some of the reference questions I receive regularly from educators via Twitter. The direct messages from Twitter show up in my email inbox, and I then have to go open my Twitter client, locate the DM, and respond to the questioner.
It is easy to ask a question in 140 characters, but not so easy to answer with anything meaningful in that number of characters. So, I wind up DM'ing three or four separate messages to the questioner, including having to shorten a URL or two in the Twitter messages.
Twitter is not the place for that kind of communication, in my opinion. If you have a question that you want answered which you know will require me to search the Web and do some research, please don't send it via Twitter.
I am easy enough to find on the Web, and, if you don't have it, here is my email address: kathy@kathyschrock.net
I am always glad to help, but not always in 140-character bursts!
Labels: Kathy Schrock, Twitter
posted by Kathy Schrock at 4:45 AM
8 Comments:
Why not just DM back your email address if you cannot answer in 140 characters? Seems like a simple response.
Valid point; one I share.
I love Twitter and it is a huge part of my PLN; however, my disappointment is that some choose not to respond. I answered a posed question about examples of use of a 2.0 app and gave two links to those examples. Never heard from the tweet that asked. Now that, I consider rude. Just because it is 140 doesn't mean we just grab and go - does it?
Joe, I get over 50 questions a day from educators...seems like the person asking the question should think about the kind of answer they want and chose the best tool for the job (as we are always teaching students to do!)
Thanks for this post, Kathy. I agree that many people over-tweet and use it more as a chat room than a micro blogger. I like the 13 Twitter Don'ts listed in this PC Magazine article: http://bit.ly/3X7w
I'm not a twitter yet! I'm just learning how to set up my own blog but needless to say I am learning. Thanks, Kathy for the etiquette on twittering. I'll remember it when I begin.
Seems to me that the reader should filter content not the writer. Twitter is for...whatever you use if for.
I am not stating that one should use Twitter in a certain way. I am saying that the user should choose the best tool for the job...and Twitter is not the best place to ask a reference question which the writer knows will require a longer explanation than 140 characters.
I agree with you Kathy- there are many people out there who are shall we say obsessed with twittering to the world every little thing they are doing? Twitter is for short burst, not to be confused with all of the other outlets we have for communication!
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