Twitter's cool but Skype still has place
As I make the move from Japan, I made the choice last evening to continue the Skype "back channel" chat room I initially started in 2007 as a "water cooler" for the now defunct Blognation Japan. Over the last 3 years it has continued to see interesting conversation as it slowly and carefully grew through TechTalkJapan and later JapanTechTalk.
Last night I changed the name to Voice of Japan and announced it would be left open to all participants. (On a side note I also "reopened" the pacificIT Skype chat room as well.) While I wasn't really expecting a reaction one way or another, I was surprised by one regular participant who frequently came in to make announcements and sometimes engage. He proclaimed how Twitter really was the best way connect with each other then left room - as in withdraw from the group. My response is, while I respect everyone's wishes for entering and exiting, I really can't agree Twitter is the end all and be all for discussion on the Internet. In fact, I personally use Facebook and Skype for "real life" engagement than Twitter. Twitter is great for announcements but conversations are basically the same as screaming across the floor of a crowded hall - you can hear each other but it can disturb others having their own conversations. I will continue to use Twitter as a wonderful broadcast tool and news source - about the world and my friends. When I truly see a technology "jump the shark", I'll dump it quietly... when it seems really silly to hang on. Otherwise I will do everything I can to NOT sever my connections. They're just too important. Robert @ Sanzalone com
