Yesterday on Twitter, I asked three questions:
- How do you explain to new Twitter users how it is different from IM?
- Great replies! Question #2: How do you explain the difference between Twitter & Email to the email generation?
- Question #3: How is Twitter different from a Forum?
How Twitter differs from IM, email and Forums is important because new users always compare things to what they know. Obviously there is a sample bias, the sheer diversity and pure gems in the below replies tell us something about what's new.
IM vs. Twitter
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bhc3: @Ross Re: Twitter vs. IM for new users. I actually blogged about this, though using Yammer instead of Twitter. http://bit.ly/4DPG8Pabout 21 hours ago from FriendFeed · Reply · View Tweet ·
Show Conversation
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daveferrick: @Ross Twitter is shouting into a room full of people. IM is a conversation in the hallway.
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CathyBrooks: @Ross answered #1 on FB so:IM is lunch with a friend.Twitter is like a dinner party ... just bigger and with no dishes to wash.
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andygadiel: @Ross Twitter isn't instant. In that, you don't always get an instant response. Plus, IM is 1<->1, Twiter is 1->many, and so on...
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kripptonite: @Ross 1/3 IM, 1/3 email, & 1/3 blog -
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WendyCooperPTD: @Ross if they are facebook users I tell them it's like a site for JUST facebook status messages and nothing else -
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hrheingold: @Ross IM mostly for one to one communication between pp who know each other, Twitter also useful for scanning and broadcast -
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themurmish: @Ross it's asynchronous and more public. You also can set up who is in your chat room and who is not. -
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hrheingold: @Ross IM -- buddy lists are people you know, you are expected to reply. Twitter -- you follow ppl who interest you, don't have to respond
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SameerPatel: RT @Ross: How do you explain to new Twitter users how it is different from IM? > its like a conference call using IM -
beaulebens: @Ross Number One Difference: It's public :) -
Email vs. Twitter
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kaykordeath: @Ross Open door discussions vs invite only e-mail of people you've had pre-established contact with. Wide variety of new voices. -
venkisiyer: @Ross: Twitter is like a group email list, or a news group, while email is more targeted - you pick the topics you want to respond to -
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mlazopoulou: @Ross the timeline / public -
CathyBrooks: @Ross To #2 Email=like reading a magazine story, longer more detail. Twitter=wire service, short digestible bits.
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beaulebens: @Ross twitter's number one difference to email (and IM): It's Public! Plus it's more immediate, and even less formal.
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portentint: @Ross The spam is shorter. -
hrheingold: @ross email is a queue - you have to deal with each msg 1 way or another. Twitter is a flow, you don't have to catch up and respond 2 each 1
Forums vs. Twitter
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ericjbarker: @Ross Organized by selected people not topic. -
kriszensufi: @Ross forum a bulletin board u pass in lobby of yr building twitter a snaking subway train & endless stations covered in post-its -
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jack_carlson: @Ross Topics are not organized into sections unless the user sets it up that way. -
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anadrucker: @Ross forums are normally narrow or specific conversations, with Twitter it's expanded -
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anadrucker: @Ross with Twitter you can be "passive" rather than "active". Observer v Participant. Freedom & Choice w/ no expectations.
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themurmish: @Ross #3 you only have to read posts form people you are interested in. You have more smaller conversations. No moderator harasses you.
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GoEverywhere: @Ross Forum (typically) has one theme or discussion. Twitter is free flowing and you choose whose words you want to see
How do you compare Twitter to IM, email and Forums?
