"Trying to explain Twitter to my parents and grandparents," I tweeted recently. "Anyone got any tips?"
"Good luck with #hashtags," replied a friend. Another suggested that I show them Senator Chuck Grassley's campaign commercial, in which the septuagenarian explains that Twitter is not an incurable disease.
Meanwhile, back at the dinner table, I was struggling to explain how Twitter works. My parents and my mother's parents have all used Facebook, and they all have Ivy League degrees. But even @ replies seemed to require several additional layers of explanation (it's like a short email that everyone can see but it's really for one person unless you put a period in front of the @...).
I know my folks could learn how to use Twitter if I sat them down at a computer -- it's really no harder than sending an email. But while I slogged through the technical specifics, I was avoiding their real question -- why should we use Twitter at all?
So now, for the benefits of my grandparents and yours, here are five jargon-free reasons for Grandma to get on the tweet train.
1. Relevant Headlines Customized For You
Think of Twitter as a stream of constantly updating headlines and comments about everything that matters to you. You can get updates from your favorite news organizations. Athletic teams. Celebrities. Your local government. Your airline. Your favorite websites. Your colleagues. And of course, your family and friends.
You can digest all of this information quickly because Twitter limits each headline (called a "tweet") to 140 characters. Want to go deeper? Many tweets include links where you can learn more.
Plus, if you write your own tweets, you can to add your voice to the conversation.
2. Non-intrusive, Flexible Conversations With Your Friends
If you send a group email, you're assuming that everyone wants to read it. You're also forcing everyone to read everyone else's replies. On Twitter, anyone who reads your tweets can choose to actively converse with you, or simply read your updates and conversations at their own pace.
Tweeting (yes, it's both a noun and a verb -- sorry) can also yield surprising insight from others who might "overhear" you -- you might pose a question to one person and get insight from a different person you never even thought to ask.
3. Access to Powerful People and Companies
Want to talk to your favorite athlete, movie star, or politician? Want to get rapid customer service from your rental car company, or to ask your favorite potato chip company to make a unique flavor for Groundhog Day? When you talk to famous people and companies on Twitter, they listen -- and there's a decent chance they'll respond. You can't say the same about email.
4. (Almost) No Junk
Email comes to you whether you want it or not. But on Twitter, you have total control over the information you receive. If an account is spamming you with ads, meaningless lunch updates, or just too much information, you simply unfollow them.
5. Twitter is Safe (As Long As You're Smart)
The information you give to Twitter to start your account -- like your email address and password -- is just as secure as it is on other sites you already use like Facebook, LinkedIn, and Gmail. Your tweets, however, are public -- the Library of Congress even keeps an archive.
Fortunately, it's easy to keep your personal information secure on Twitter: if you don't want the world to know something (your bank account, your political views, the blood type of your firstborn), don't tweet it.
Even if you're not comfortable posting any information, that's fine. As Twitter says on its homepage (and as I explained in Reason 1), "[y]ou don't have to tweet to get value from Twitter."
But between you and me, you'll have more fun if you do.
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