I'm pretty computer savvy but was determined to skip the Twitter phenomenon

[tavalon]

What I read and saw yesterday and today is going a long way toward making me reconsider. I've no interest in what you or you or even you had for breakfast. OTOH, this has been an amazing tool for street organizing in Iran and we've all gotten to peek in as well. It's given me a new perspective.

[Kitty Herder]

1. Same here.

I had no interest in Twitter before this, but now I'm reconsidering.

[tavalon]

4. Yeah, I've had enough of social networking to last a lifetime

But this political moment by moment during the Iran debacle is riveting.

[Dawgs]

2. I was like you until last week. It's worth it.

I'm following the Iran protests from protesters, and also following politicians like McCain, McCaskill, Kucinich, Gingrich, etc.

Members of Congress who Twitter
http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Members_of_Congress_who_Twitter

[Mira]

3. I was with you about Twitter until I read your post. Can we use it to get

single payer health care?

[tavalon]

6. That's a really good idea!

I'm supposed to find out today if I have cancer. If I don't, I will immerse myself in that very idea. If I do, I'll watch while someone else does it.

Very good idea, indeed.

[G_j]

16. wow, best thoughts and wishes to you

good luck

[tavalon]

19. Thanks

I've been playing the waiting game since late April and today's talk with the doctor may not shed any more light on the issue. OTOH, it may be figured out now and the discussion will be around what is next.

[G_j]

24. that must be difficult

bless you

[tavalon]

26. I was actually getting good at it until this weekend

These last two hours are going like molasses, but my brain is going a bit faster and to dark places.

[G_j]

28. that's sounds pretty normal

I hope DU has been maybe a little bit of a helpful distraction.
If you want, let us know how it goes.

[grannie4peace]

11. genius!!

[Mira]

35. WOW = I take that personally. Thanx. Better than being cussed all the time :)

[NYC_SKP]

23. YES! Twitter for single payer, healthcare, others....

You can also tweet congresscritters...

Follow the conversation:

http://twitter.com/#search?q=%23singlepayer

http://twitter.com/#search?q=%23healthcare

:patriot:

[lunatica]

5. How many riots and demonstrations are in our lives though?

I can see what you're saying but in my life I have no reason to suddenly start twittering. But I'll consider it if I feel the need to take to the streets in a revolution. When the message is the organizing of activity for a developing situation it's a good idea, but in everyday life it's basically about what someone had for breakfast again.

[tavalon]

8. Sure, in our situation, cell phones could be all we need

In third world countries, this seems to be the only venue that is making it out.

[lunatica]

32. Iran isn't a third world country though. I can't see the same thing in the rural areas

of Mexico or South America happening. The twittering going on in Iran is among educated young people. That's a far cry from the poor

[tekisui]

7. I started paying attention to it during Pakistan's Long March

In that case, I think the speed of information was a part of what made the march a success and lessened the violence.

[grannie4peace]

9. i love it- those kids are so fucking brave!!!!!

[chatnoir]

10. Me also

Been following #iranelection the past few days as well as several Iranians tweeting in English about what's happening on the ground.

Had signed up for an acct last year but almost never used it. It seemed ridiculous to me, not to mention self-absorbed -- I could care less about tweets on breakfast or where someone is having lunch.

I've even installed TwitterFox just to keep up more easily.

[grannie4peace]

13. how do you keep out the clutter?

[chatnoir]

21. Been using TwitterFall for the #iranelection

Wish I knew of a better way but I never used Twitter much at all.

But I have a handful of regular ppl in Iran on the ground I've been actually following. I posted some below.

[tavalon]

14. I don't have an account

I've just been reading on the webpages DU has directed me to.

[chatnoir]

18. I was doing that until yesterday

Had an account but just followed on the web. Then it just got a bit unruly going back and forth to the pages.

Some of the ones I've been following:

http://twitter.com/azarnoush
http://twitter.com/persiankiwi
http://twitter.com/hamednz
http://twitter.com/TehranBureau

[hlthe2b]

12. I've had issues with it but now wish we'd had it during Katrina...

Its value as a public information "checks and balance" on the "official" press has been proven in Iran, for sure. However, Public Health had valid issues with its tendency towards hysteric rumour spread during H1N1, at least initially. As with most things, twitter requires some "peer pressure and peer review" to keep it accurate and honest.

I am so glad the people of Iran have it as a tool, now though. Kudos, twitterers!

[KharmaTrain]

15. Careful About Believing All That "Twits"

While this Iranian situation appears to be a breakthrough moment for Twitter...primarily due to our lazy and cheapened corporate media that was not prepared to cover this story and were caught short-staffed and napping over the weekend...Twitter has provided a very important link and forced the networks to get off their asses.

I am not and will not get involved with Twitter...and I see it as a new bright shiny toy...a fad and one that has a limited shelf-life. Soon there will be better internet devices...IPhones, portable puters and the 4G networks where 120 characters will mean nothing. You could post a thesis. But for now, Twidiots are all over the corporate media.

Here's a big caveat I have...and that not to believe all that is Twitted...since, just like the internet, one can get an account and post whatever they want...get people to believe up is down. Surely many of the reports coming out are legit, but I would strongly suspect there are others who are jumping in from mom's basement to stir the pot...especially cause they were seeing how their "twits" were going viral.

A year or two from now, Twitter will going Pet Rocks, Baby on Board signs and the Macarena...

[tavalon]

25. Believing all that blogs, all that twits, all that writes from the New York Times

All of these things are dumb.

[Sydnie]

17. I want to install it on my IPhone but don't know which software to use

Anyone have any suggestions on what software is easily manageable on an IPhone?

[Dawgs]

27. I use Twitterfon.

http://www.appstoreapps.com/2008/08/30/twitterfon/

[customerserviceguy]

20. I'm not reconsidering

The very fact that I have this place to post and get information means I don't need a poor substitute (like Twitter, Facebook, MySpace, or anything like it) to be able to get unfiltered political news and opinions, and be able to express my own.

Good for the Iranian people that they have it. For now. As soon as their government figures out how to censor it, they will. Maybe it will slow down the development of an Iranian nuclear bomb for a day or two while it happens, but that's the only lasting impact it will have.

[NYC_SKP]

22. I'm getting news faster than with DU or other Internet Resources or any other medium.

For example, I read tweets about the asshole Lakers Fans rioting before any news source had it.

Of course it's not 100% reliable, but then neither is MSM or local TV.

But it's real-time and usually authentic.

BTW, it wasn't hard to create an account and it's pretty unobtrusive to use on your computer.

:patriot:

[earthside]

29. Pretty Junvenile Communication.

Twitter is certainly getting hyped over this Iran situation, but to get any real news or information, a person still needs more than 140 characters.

In this age of netbooks, cell phone texting, iPhones, Blackberries, etc., that Twitter limits to such so little information shows that in the end it is a juvenile gimmick. Face it, the real purpose of Twitter is for teens to tell each other when they are going to the bathroom or going out for a smoke.

For serious purposes this gimmick only encourages rumor and misinformation, at the same time indulging the notion that people can be instantly "in the know." Even with Iran, we don't know how many people have been fooled and/or tricked into bad situations because of malicious or misunderstood 140 character 'Tweets'.

I hope that this is a very short-lived fad. We have enough lack of intelligent discourse in the world as it is ... sorry, but Twitter is for children.

Twitter just may be the ultimate "dumbing-down" phenomenon of the mobile communication era.

[tavalon]

30. That was and after all is said and done, may still be my pov

The way it's being used in Iran, though, is history making.

[salguine]

31. What the hell is "OTOH"!? I'm so weary of acronyms, really I am.

[ThomWV]

33. On The Other Hand

Had to think about it myself.

[tavalon]

34. A very old one: On the other hand