Aint that Tweet?

Twitter (twĭt’ər) v.

1. To utter a succession of light chirping or tremulous sounds; chirrup.
2. To speak rapidly and in a tremulous manner: twittering over office gossip.
3. To giggle nervously; or tremble with nervous agitation or excitemen

In anticipation of the upcoming conference, I have been experimenting with some alternative forms of new media. I remember first seeing Twitter about two years ago and thinking, “Why would I want to be a lifecaster and even more inane, why would any care if I was life casting random thoughts and stray intelligence”. So I let it go, but kept hearing occasional tweets about it over the ensuing months and years. I once again engaged after watching the ultimate tweety bird essentially single thumbly beat a mobile keyboard into submission.

Actually, I found some of her comments relevant. Some intriguing. Some insightful and actually some led me to look at some other things. Pretty soon I started following a few other tweeters, and then a few others, and then a few more. Unavoidably, I have to turn some off, tune some out, and block a few as well. Overall, however, I have found the service manageable (turn off the automatic device update which you get text’d ever time someone sends an update – I curently follow 35 people and that is alot; let alone the person following thousands). I am not 100% convinced this is a good use of time, but I am more convinced than I was.

What I am grinding to is that in a world of intensifying information flow it will become a new skill to parse information in faster and faster ways while also setting up a battle for one of the most essential resources we all have – our time. All this stuff can be overwhelming, and intellectually numbing without some discipline. I will keep experimenting  . . .

I usually tweet when I am killing time or have something unusual or funny happen. Here are a couple sample tweet memes while sitting on the airplane waiting to take off and hiding my iPhone from the flight attendant.

• Capitalism requires a free market with information transparency to function. . . . 4:52 PM Oct 7th from txt
• Whenever outside influence obstruct that markets cannot function propely to moderate supply and demand. 4:53 PM Oct 7th from txt
• Insurance, tax breaks, bailouts, inappropriate regulation ( both too much and too little) 4:54 PM Oct 7th from txt
• Distort makers and lead to market perversions – this does not mean capitalism does not work but rather the market is not functioning. 4:55 PM Oct 7th from txt
• Optimally – health care is a great example. Big problem is that there is so much information missing from the health care maketplace 4:56 PM Oct 7th from txt
• Price, quality, outcomes, beat treatment, and best providers is sketchy to non- existent 4:58 PM Oct 7th from txt
• Couple with misaligned incentives, focus on treatment versus prevention, unhealthy lifestyles and general lack of accountbility of outco … … 4:59 PM Oct 7th from txt
• What I do – is there hope on the horizon? 5:00 PM Oct 7th from txt
• Change in the future? Incremental progress? Where to focus limited resources? 5:16 PM Oct 7th from txt

• Health 2.0 stillbrelevant in the current economic climate? 5:57 PM Oct 14th from txt
• Interesting time – innovation doesn’t atop during a downturn . .. It just has to get smarter 5:58 PM Oct 14th from txt
• And be more relevat 5:58 PM Oct 14th from txt
• The recent spat about health 2.0 is important conversation that should allow us all to focus on what matters 5:59 PM Oct 14th from txt
• Cold hard cash revenues . . . Tramsaction based business models, and personalized touch that people are willing to pay for 6:00 PM Oct 14th from txt
• Jen McCabe – I can’t see “hive mind go where you flow” surviving in this environment 6:02 PM Oct 14th from txt
• Bit I am confident your enthusiasm, persistence, and stictuitiveness will get you eveually to where you are trying to go 6:02 PM Oct 14th from txt
• Ala … ChangeHealthcare – perfect example of passion pulling thru until the product / revenue model becomes clear 6:04 PM Oct 14th from txt
• We will see you all next week . . . Tweets coming fast while waiting on airplane 6:04 PM Oct 14th from txt

“Random thoughts and stray intelligence” – now, aint that tweet.