Twitter: Friendsourcing
Posted on 20. Oct, 2009 by Trond in Twitter
Twitter has taken on a life of its own, growing in leaps and bounds beyond belief. Its popularity has far outstretched original expectations. Perhaps one of the reasons behind this scenario is the simple fact that Twitter appeals to people of all ages and walks in life. Unlike other social networking sites such as Xanga that might hold an attraction primarily for the younger crowd, this particular website has drawn people from all age groups for more reasons than one. In fact, even those individuals with a limited knowledge of computers and a limited experience in browsing the Internet will discover Twitter easy to use.
Not only that, but the very existence of Twitter has redefined friendsourcing in a unique scenario that takes the best of older social networking groups and couples it with a sense of “instant gratification” that allows users to access multiple friends at the drop of a line that is kept within 140 characters. Depending upon the size of your TwitterBase, you should be able to expect at least one response if not multiple ones within moments of your tweet. Faster than a speeding bullet with a magical flight from your fingertips to their eyes, your tweets find a new home and generate lightening-quick reciprocal tweets designed to enlighten the mind or lift the spirits.
Twitter offers an easy way to touch base with your most intimate circle of friends and even with your circle of less intimate acquaintances who have signed up to tag along for a ride through your daily encounters, queries, and thoughts. This method of friendsourcing is much quicker than three-way calling, Facebook commenting, or group gathering. Through Twitter and all that it has to offer, people have immediate access to anyone who actively watches their tweets.
Friendsourcing Explained
Friendsourcing has been defined in many different ways. All of these definitions lead to the same basic point, which is the ability to use your friends as a source of information. These definitions might include the ability to draw upon your friends for advice, the task of emailing communication that merits a response from your friends, the process of sharing thoughts with your friends with the expectation of a response, the tweets that are sent out in search of answers to questions, and more. No matter how you define friendsourcing, the ability to include your friends at any given moment in time with your life circumstances at any given point in any particular day is a real boon to maintaining a close knit friendship.
In the past, before Twitter or the advent of the Internet, most friendsourcing occurred during the hours before or after class in the school hallway or on the telephone. This practice often led to a time consuming process when multiple friends needed to be contacted about some dilemma or other circumstance. After that, friendsourcing involved social networking sites that allowed members to post information for friends to view.
Today, sending tweets out to your circle of friends is instantaneous. There’s no need to contact each individual separately. Once you send your tweet, it is out there for all of your TwitterBase to see. Plus, the likelihood of a response is so much greater due to the simple fact that you have been able to contact more than a single person through Twitter.
Benefits of Friendsourcing
Camaraderie might begin with a set of circumstances that throws a group of people together, but maintaining that sense of camaraderie continues with constant, integral forms of communication. This is where Twitter simplifies maintaining contact in an effortless, enjoyable manner that has everyone happily tapping their messages out in carefree abandon.
Friends can stay connected through Twitter. They can borrow their friends’ area of expertise to get the answers they need. They can even take advantage of someone else’s experience in a particular area to help them make decisions. In other words, Twitter allows people to pick the brains of their friends in an effortless, harmless manner. If these friends don’t want to share what is on their minds, they don’t need to offer a responding tweet. On the other hand, if they like the idea of being sourced by their friends, they can respond quickly or at their convenience to any particular tweet that earns their notice.
Twitter enables its users to obtain instant contact with friends often referred to as someone’s TwitterBase. These friends have been carefully hand-selected by Twitter users who decide who they will actively follow, who they will actively block from having access to them, and who they will invite to join the current fold of faithful followers. This list of followers creates an instant group of confidants, advisors, well wishers, and sympathizers for those who need immediate affirmation that other people care about them.
Friendsourcing is also the quickest way to find someone to spend the evening with, go to a movie with, or grab a bite to eat with. Twitter has redefined friendships by providing a stickier form of glue so to speak- one that congeals a friendship through frequent informational interactions. Tweets allow their creators to invite friends in to share in their lives with helpful advice, wishful thoughts, and friendly comments. Shouldn’t you consider Twitter for your social networking needs if you haven’t already done so?
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