Having been a user of Twitter for nearly a month, I'm fast coming to the opinion that, if used with self-discipline and common sense, it can be an extremely versatile current intelligence/networking/marketing tool. For my own part, I've learned of new cases and legal developments, found a peer reviewer for an obscure article on IP insurance and the environment, picked up some fresh perspectives on subjects I thought I knew lots about, picked a couple of fights with strangers and ended up with two new friends, unearthed some unfamiliar terminology and discovered the identity of the anonymous iplab. The mandatory requirement to keep messages within the 140 character straitjacket also acts wonderfully as a way of concentrating one's mind on the need to write only that which is essential.I know that some members of SOLO IP, as well as quite a lot of solo/small intellectual property practitioners who are not part of the SOLO IP crowd, use Twitter and wonder whether, through the more expansive and less immediate medium of this weblog they might like to say anything about their experiences, possibly offering advice for the neophyte.
I have wasted a lot of time Twittering and following a couple of guys who tweet nearly everything they do. When I unfollowed one of them, and made a comment to another friend on Twitter about it, the message was unexpectedly visible to the subject of the tweet - which fortunately caused little embarassment, but did make me wonder about how Twitter works, which I hadn't taken the time to study before then. And how to deal with, say, @kevinokeefe, who has more interesting things to say than I have time to read? Generally, I endorse Jeremy's comments, but with those reservations.
ReplyDeleteI like it because its accessible on the bus. I like it because people are listening - maybe not many but some and not the IpKat, which is sad. Its also a very good way to practice my German and French but I need @BrigitC back so I can ask what some of them mean. Far less time consuming than blogging
ReplyDeleteI too have been on Twitter for about a month, and although I have wasted loads of time, what I've gained from it far outweighs the loss of time.
ReplyDeleteOne distraction is working out who has unfollowed, and I live in dread of being dumped by Ipkat if my tweets prove too tiresome.
Anyone with a blog ought to check it out as it's a great way of promoting the blog to a wider audience.