For that growing number of WSJ reporters who have found themselves asking, "What's the big deal about
Twitter?" I present the the following well-considered piece from LA Times writer
James Rainey:
Twitter's charms sort of grow on you
James Rainey
February 18, 2009
Twitter always reminded me of my dog, squirming around, tail wagging -- demanding a little more attention than I felt I could give. But when I devoted a few minutes of attention, it was usually worthwhile.
The Internet-based status-update service has been all the rage of late, with master Twitterers receiving awards, celebrity journalists pledging their allegiance and a research paper showing just who uses the micro-blogging system that delivers news morsels, 140 characters at a time.
Twitter -- -- will never be the New Yorker or even the Associated Press, but it's another window into a world that I find I'm liking, despite myself.
[...]
The site's entry prompt -- "What are you doing?" -- implies it's merely a repository for the banal, narcissistic drivel that chokes social networking sites. But many Twitter users have pushed well past daily minutiae (i.e. "I love my new Crocs"), as demonstrated by last week's first Shorty Awards.
Read on.
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