Can't we come up with a better term than "tweets" and "twitter" for serious info?

[Armstead]

(Just my pet peeve for the day.)

The concept of Twitter and Tweets has a really silly ring to it, when applied to serious matters.

This struck me particularly when watching coverage of Egypt and one of the announcers said in grave tones about something someone important posted: "We just received a Tweet from XXXXXXX that harshly condemned the government's actions"

Somehow, the idea of a "tweet" about something of momentous importance seems ridiculous...Like everytime that "tweets" and twitter" are referred to in any serious context.

I realize it's the brand name of the service that started this form of social networking. And it might be appropriate for teenagers "tweeting" to each other or even adults "tweeting" about trivial matters.

But C'mon. It's almost as bad as the words "blog" and "blogging."


Why not more grown up words like "post" or "wrote"

[FSogol]

1. Did you get my latest Poot?

:shrug:

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

3. My latest Derp seems to have been blorked.

[Armstead]

14. No but I got your Floggle

[nadinbrzezinski]

2. Have you ever used it?

IT is as raw intel as you can get.

In other places of the world it is also annoying to cops oh at certain times of the year. Yes, it is used to post where checkpoints are. We use it mostly to navel gaze.

[Armstead]

8. I'm more of a Facebook Fan (an equally stupid term)

It's not the concept of tweets that bugs me. It's great.

Just the term, seems to undercut its significance. Especially when used for more critical matters than navel gazing.

[nadinbrzezinski]

11. It is a marketing term

[gateley]

16. The words aren't a commentary on the value of the messages, it's what the

company is called and its their term. Twitter, Tweets. We say we "google" information, does that diminish the validity of what we learn?

When people use the word "tweets" we all instantly know it was a post on Twitter, I think that's more important than the words used.

[AsahinaKimi]

20. exactly

100%

[Lifelong Protester]

4. I'm probably the only other OTD person here who agrees

It is difficult to equate anything serious with the words "twitter" and "tweets". Even "Facebook" seems to be lacking the gravitas needed for the purposes for which it is now being used.

I guess the fact that I rec'd this and it is still at zero means that we who dislike the terms of "tweet" and "twitter" are in the minority. Are we the only ones who associate "tweet" with a yellow cartoon bird?

[Armstead]

10. Or a certain MSNBC host

[Jackpine Radical]

18. I think they need a more dignified term like Yahoo or Google

or Dogpile or something serious like that. Maybe I'll blog about it after I've eaten some shrooms.

[Armstead]

29. LOL....Don't get me started on Google.

[BeFree]

30. Heh

You should DU an Oh Pee.
That was fucking funny.

[onehandle]

5. 'Shakespeare liked to coin new words too.'

'Got to celebrate it!'

- Half Term Governor, Full Time Grifter, One Time Quitter, Sarah Palin

[Name removed]

6. Deleted message

Sub-thread removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Dappleganger]

7. "Tweet" indicates the source of the information...

it gives me the opportunity to go there myself and find more info just based on the use of one word.

Twitter is merely a means of getting out information, I really don't get what your problem is with it. They are verified or unverified opinions, but many tweets are also links to either articles from local news sources or pictures which illustrate what is going on. It's merely an aggregate with a social context.

[Armstead]

12. I have NO problem with the concept...Just the words

I wish somehow the zeitgeist could move towards something more grown-up sounding.

Not the most important peeve in the world, I realize...Just something that gets under my craw

[Dappleganger]

19. Ah, you just don't like the sound of the word.

Well, most people who use it don't seem to mind. I don't even think about the word, it's just a service.

[fatbuckel]

9. It`s just a word. This board posts video on Youtube.

Alongside vids of puking college beer-bongers and what not. Point is, so what?

[Armstead]

13. My post was just a post....

...maybe it's not the most matter in the world, but you can always ignore it

[kentauros]

15. "blog" and "blogging" aren't bad

because those are the obvious shorthand-forms of "web-log". The obvious shorthand-form for "Twitter" is "twit" and which can honestly be said applies to 99% of its users. It's the 1% that matters (even though I have no use for it personally) :)

[Armstead]

26. Personally "weblog" is fine...Blog sounds like cleaning the plumbing or something

[SoCalDem]

17. flarp?

I know what you mean.. sounds so teenybopper

[blondeatlast]

21. Agree.

But "Really (or maybe not so really) important stuff happening now" is hard to say.

[Armstead]

24. Maybe Online Message or something...

[jtown1123]

22. Twitter is the best source for breaking news. Don't hate it until you've tried it.

It might sound silly at first, but Twitter is a great place to share politics, news stories, ideas, etc. So what if it sounds weird?

[Armstead]

23. Arrrrrgh! I DON'T HATE Twitter.....I just raised a semi-serious point about the name

[jtown1123]

27. ehh who cares? It slowly becoming part of everyday vernacular. Like I'll "facebook you"

[fatbuckel]

41. So you`re judging something on the perceived definition of the trade name.

And you call Twitter juvenile. What else do you pass judgment on based on superficial attributes? What else might you dismiss because you deem it unconventional? Different?

[Ichingcarpenter]

25. Armstead..... I say we call them Armstead from now on.

Hey did you read that Armstead?......

sorry my friend but you need to invent something...
Gentle ribbing no shame.

[Armstead]

32. Actually that's my middle name, and I've never liked my middle name

Of course that leads to the question "Why use that as a screen name?"

But my ego likes the idea. B-)

[NYC Liberal]

28. What makes it inherintly more childish than "post" or any

other word, out of curiousity.

[Armstead]

31. Tweet? C'mon....Does that really sound adult and serious?

It traditionally was a term used to diminish something...

"You're just tweeting your nonsense."

Post has a more adult, or at least neutral, ring to it.

[kentauros]

34. "post" also has a pretty decent etymology associated with it:

post (2)
"place when on duty," 1590s, from M.Fr. poste "place where one is stationed," also, "station for post horses" (16c.), from It. posto "post, station," from V.L. *postum, from L. positum, neut. pp. of ponere "to place, to put" (see position). Earliest sense in English was military; meaning "job, position" is attested 1690s. The figurative sense of "carrying" by post horses is also behind the verb in bookkeeping (1620s) meaning "to transfer from a day book to a formal account." To keep (someone) posted "supply with news" is 1847, Amer.Eng.

[lukasahero]

33. I think we need to enjoy life a little

and find whimsy in the words. The matters of discussion are serious but we don't always have to take ourselves so seriously.

[kentauros]

36. :-)

:thumbsup:

Which is why I call them "twits" instead of "tweets" :P

[negativenihil]

35. oh jeez.

Yet another "I'M OLD!" thread on DU.

It's like this - all the most current information seems to be coming out of Twitter. Posts made to Twitter have always been called "tweets".

i'm sorry if you do not like this terminology, but well... get use to it?

[blogslut]

37. You're more than welcome to call them

micro-blog entries

uh oh, that awful word blog is in there. golly.

[snooper2]

38. 14 year olds have taken over the World

:rofl:

[superduperfarleft]

39. It's like a petri dish filled with friendship germs!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6rNgCnY1lPg

[IcyPeas]

40. tidbyte (tidbit of information) ?

[madinmaryland]

42. What I hate is when someone starts on OP here based on something from that site.

They will post 8 or 9 words and that's it. If you don't have anything more than just a text from some web site, then don't waste our time with that crap. It's just nice to have something a bit more in depth.

:wtf:

Why not just post "CALL YOUR CONGRESSMAN RIGHT ****ING NOW!!"

[WinkyDink]

43. It isn't like "Google" is the Queen's English!