Twitter-like micromessaging is a relatively new communications model, with unique characteristics that affect how we use it and what’s appropriate. It’s an RSS feed for people, a way to directing the attention of audiences, and a means of reaching the famous without burdening them with an obligation to respond.
In short, Twitter is a human API. It’s being defined in real time in front of our eyes, through an amazing example of Internet Darwinism.
I’ve been spending a bunch of time on Twitter lately, partly because it’s fun, and partly because of the community management and social networking portions of a book I’m writing with @seanpower. Here are some observations so far.
Continue reading “Twitter's not a site, it's a protocol”