The World According to Twitter
New York Times Columnist David Pogue Shares 2,524 Tweets
Aug 28, 2009
While giving a lecture, New York Times Personal Tech Columnist David Pogue developed the hiccups. He turned to Twitter for relief by typing a request for a cure. Within seconds, his followers tweeted him their cures along their humorous remarks. This was the beginning of David Pogue’s book, The World According to Twitter.
What is Twitter?
To understand the book, one must first understand Twitter. Twitter is a place where anyone can express his or her opinions, ideas, news, pictures, and conversations, with one limitation. It must be typed in 140 characters or less. This has resulted in a tech shorthand language that accommodates the small space allowance. It is posted immediately, in real time, all around the world.
Twitter users connect by following others that appear interesting. A user is a tweep; tweeps talk by twittering. Many applications have arisen in response to tweep needs; some shorten URLs of websites, others upload pictures quickly, and several allow users to view streams of different conversations in columnar format on one screen.
Twitter has become a phenomenon where people of similar interests meet, chat, and move on. It has become a source of breaking news and citizen journalism, allowing people to follow the latest events in real time. It has also been the birthing ground for new books about Twitter, such as Twitterature, My Life in Tweets, and The World According to Twitter, by David Pogue.
Personal Stories in Tweets
David Pogue decided to post questions to his followers after the hiccup incident and gather the responses. Some of the questions were on personal topics such as sharing their most embarrassing moments, or sharing the worst breakup story they ever heard. Others were word games; add one letter to a movie title and describe its premise. One request asked for a book review in 140 characters or less.
Some were philosophical, asking for personal views in tweets, such as the post that asked what people had learned in their lives thus far. One post even asked for complete recipes in one tweet. Amazingly, there are some tasty sounding recipes in the book. One question asked, "Who's had a brush with greatness?" User @footage replied, "I had dinner with Alanis Morissette...when she was 11. Really."
Who is David Pogue?
David Pogue writes a personal tech column for the New York Times, he is also a correspondent for CBS News Sunday Morning, and he contributes entertaining tech videos for CNBC. He is the author of over 50 books, including six in the For Dummies line and 25 in the Missing Manual series. His books and articles make technology accessible for the average user and with his humor, he turns a subject that could be dry into an entertaining topic.
While Twitter may seem like it wastes time to some people, it can be a rich source of social interaction and public opinion. David Pogue shows us just how useful and fun Twitter can be in his book, The World According to Twitter.
Pogue, David, The World According to Twitter, Black Dog & Leventhal Pulblishers, August 2009
ISBN: 978-1-57912-827-2
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