“…Follow him on Twitter @TDR_aarinder.”This phrase ends the tagline that appears after every one of my column’s in The Daily Reveille. Twitter seems to be the new information superhighway when it comes to news and journalism, so higher-ups at the paper thought it would be a good idea for us columnists to sign up for the social networking site.
I log on and “tweet” my columns each week for my many admiring “tweeps” to read, letting them know my thoughts in 140 characters or less. I feel all warm and fuzzy knowing I’m sharing my news just like the people at ESPN, Fox News and CNN.
I see the relevance of my editor’s logic, but the Web site never really did anything for me. I never really saw the appeal of typing things in “text speak” given the 140 character maximum on tweets.
Twitter and I seem to have a love/hate relationship.
I still think the site is pointless and stupid, but some of my favorite TV shows, such as “SportsNation” and “Attack of the Show” use Twitter as an interactive tool for viewers to get involved. And, yes, I have participated in the mass tweeting.
But, Twitter announced its plan last week to take over the Internet once and for all.
By releasing what Twitter is calling @anywhere, the networking site plans on releasing development tools and teaming up with a variety of popular developers to expand the Web site’s open platform.
“Imagine being able to follow a New York Times journalist directly from her byline, tweet about a video without leaving YouTube, and discover new Twitter accounts while visiting the Yahoo! home page,” boasts Twitter’s official blog, “With @anywhere, Web site owners and operators will be able to offer visitors more value with less heavy lifting.”
Just when I thought Twitter was everywhere — you’re able to tweet from your phone rather than the Web site, as well as certain RSS feeds and even video games — that little blue bird will be invading other Web sites as well.
Sites such as Amazon, YouTube, The New York Times, Bing, Digg, eBay and others are joining foces with Twitter to feature @anywhere for their visitors.
Instead of leaving the site you’re already on or pulling out your cell phone if you really need to tweet, @anywhere will allow Twitter users to post their 140 character updates from many alternative Web sites.
I probably wouldn’t ever use Twitter if it weren’t for my job at The Daily Reveille. Sure, I would miss sending secret love messages to “SportsNation” host Michelle Beadle, but that’s life.
But since I am signed up for it, I’m going to get the best of the site. I’ll tweet and play along with Twitter’s little games, and I’ll be sure to brag about the steal I get on eBay when @anywhere goes into effect.
That is, until the Web site changes its policy and starts charging users for their tweets. Twitter is hardly making any money last time I checked. With no ads on the Web site, I can’t see how the bird is keeping his little blue wings afloat.
Perhaps by lending its services to other sites with @anywhere, Twitter is hoping to piggy back some of that ad revenue generated from its “partner sites.”
However, if that doesn’t work, I’ll be damned before I start paying that little blue bird to relay my 140 characters to the Internet.
And the same goes to you, Facebook!
Adam Arinder is a 20-year-old communication studies junior from Baton Rouge. Follow him on Twitter @TDR_aarinder.
Contact Adam Arinder at [email protected]