This is a plug, I can’t call it anything else. But it’s a well-meant one.

Last night I checked out Twitter for the first time. I had been avoiding it like the plague until now. It just seemed the place for disclosure-junkies like Scoble and other bloggers. And even though I disclose a lot online, more so than I ever did before, I’m a firm believer in keeping part of my thoughts private. So I thought that Twitter was not for me. I’m sure many feel the same way.

But last night, I checked it out. For semi-professional reasons. Fidji Simo, from the Techiteasy-team, suggested installing a Twitter-widget on the blog, in which we could share insights. It adds a new dimension to the idea to me, that of a hive-mind.

A blog, even a shared one, is fairly static. You can’t accurately portray that words are merely a snapshot of evolving thoughts. All of us on this blog  believe that, just read our disclaimer. What we write now may not apply tomorrow, or even in 5 minutes. It’s just the mind processing thoughts into words.

Twitter adds a dynamic dimension. You can quickly form thoughts (in less than 140 words…argh!) and people can respond to them. Feeling like X sucks or Y rules? Write it and your friends will correct you if you’re wrong. It’s a hive-mind , much like for bees and ants, but instead communicating with smells or pheromones, we do so with thoughts. And instead of one-to-one or one-to-many, the communication goes many-to-many.

Streams of consciousness indeed. I don’t expect that something like Twitter can ever replace blogging. Sometimes you need a bigger workspace to express more complicated thoughts. But it makes a good complement, I hope. Therefore, expect a twitter-badge on this site in the near future.

Some last words on the nitty-gritty. I find this whole 140-word limit frustrating, but also refreshing. You are forced to describe what you think concisely, in short bursts. No wonder that VCs like this medium.

There are a number of ways to publish your thoughts. You can do it on twitter.com, via the web-interface. You can download a number of tools for whatever OS or mobile you’re on. And you can do it via software you may already use, like instant messengers. The downside with that is that it doesn’t tell you you’re over 140 words, until it’s too late. A last way that I adopted is via Quicksilver on the Mac. This applescript allows me to post to Twitter and gives me a warning if I’m writing too much. Too bad that doesn’t happen on this blog, but you can of course always write me a critical comment.

Related stories:

Technology Review: The rise of the mini-blog

National Geographic: Swarm theory

Vincent is a Twitter-n00b and a co-author on Tech IT Easy. You can find out more about him on this blog’s initial announcement, on his site, or on his fairly empty twitter-page.

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