Archive for the 'Social Networking' Category

Technology: The future is Twitter

Tuesday, September 22nd, 2009

By: John Sciacca

One day, we will all share a Borg-like collective mentality that will render face-to-face, actual human interaction unnecessary. Until that day arrives, Twitter is stepping in to become the preferred means of communication for many. For those unfamiliar with Twitter – say if you just got out of a 20-year prison hitch or are coming back from a particularly unpleasant alien abduction – Twitter is a social network that lets you instantly share with everyone exactly what you’re up to in 140 bite-sized characters. And since everyone is so interesting, this process is usually repeated frequently throughout the day. For many, these “tweets” are just random, meaningless bits of information, such as what John Mayer is having for lunch or Miley Cyrus’ latest boyfriend crush/crisis.

However, two companies are looking to leverage Twitter’s popularity/power to automate your Twittering, letting your tech update the world as to what you are watching and listening.

IBM – yes, stodgy old Big Blue – recently filed a patent for a new remote control that would automatically blog and/or microblog what you’re watching. This would allow your groups of friends/followers to stay in the know as to what shows you’re keeping up with, and provide you an easy outlet to let the world know exactly how you feel about Lauren from The Hills. On the flipside, it would also eliminate any plausible deniability when you say you haven’t been keeping up with Ruby. (“What the helicopter?!?”)

The second solution comes from distributed audio manufacturer, Sonos. I’ve personally reviewed the Sonos system twice and I thought it was incredibly user friendly and easy to use. The Twitter app is in Beta testing right now, but it will soon be part of the Sonos System 3.1 software. Once active, it will allow users to post about the music they’re enjoying on their system.

According to the Sonos announcement, “Music always has been and always will be social. Conversations taking place on social networks about music are always a very popular topic among social networking users. With Twitter on Sonos, customers can now start musical conversations using their Sonos Controller. Songs discovered during listening often present ‘inspired’ experiences to tell friends about it. Jamming to that favorite track from high school brings back memories you want to share. With Sonos, you will be able to share those musical light bulb moments with your friends and followers. With one click, users can post the name and artist of the track they’re listening to on their Twitter feed. They can also edit the contents and add any personal flair/messaging to the tweet.”

For fans of Twitter, these developments will likely be met with glee – probably delivered in the form of multiple tweets. For others uncomfortable with the idea of sharing their every TV and music moment – “So and so is watching the scrambled adult channel again” –these features can undoubtedly be turned off. To Tweet or not to Tweet? Leave a comment about your thoughts.