Tweet and Twitter, a Republican idea?

[kentuck]

Personally, I do not tweet or twitter. But I have heard that the Republican Party plans to use Twitter to catch up with the Democrats on Internet fundraising and organizing. Will this work for them? Is Twitter a simple enough technology to even work for Republicans? Can someone explain the difference in Twitter and DU?

[AllieB]

1. No it won't work. Just look at the level of sophistication of most RW websites.

Twitter is way beyond the internet capabilities of the average wingnut.

I don't like the Twitter format at all.

[Stevenmarc]

7. Don't discount GOP Twittering, it's the perfect media for their bumper sticker attention span.

[Warpy]

2. Since what happens in GOP "thought" happens a bumper sticker at a time

I think a medium like Twitter is perfect for them. Just put out a bumper sticker and ask for money.

It's too bad they didn't think of it a few years ago, before Stupid crashed the economy. Now even a media tailored to shallow thinkers with an inability to read more than one sentence at a time won't save them.

Here a blatherskyte like myself can put out several paragraphs at a time. Some others are talented writers who churn out well thought out essays.

That's the basic difference, right there.

They've found their online medium but I'm afraid that won't help them much.

[Wetzelbill]

3. It still won't get them the demographics they need

They have no clue how to do that, and it would take them revamping much of their approach to policy and the public relations style of the party. If they keep saying the same things and doing the same things it's only going to resonate with the same people, whether it's on the internet or anywhere else.

[BlooInBloo]

4. Twitter is like 140 character mass text messaging..

People receive them if they are "following" the sender.

It is therefore excellent for things like liveblogging or public safety announcements.

Across the ideology-spectrum, everybody uses it. Sort of like oxygen.

[blogslut]

5. Twitter is a micro-blogging service

Micro-blogging incorporates software that allows the user to post short messages in a social networking format. A micro-blogger can invite other micro-bloggers to follow posts and vice versa.

Twitter is not the only micro-blogging service but it is the one that has received the most media attention.

When one submits a post on Twitter, that post is called a Tweet.

The appeal of micro-blogging is that one can post from one's cell phone as well as from email and the web. Another selling point is that the interface is easy to navigate and use. Lastly, micro-blogging is limited to roughly 140 characters per entry - perfect for disseminating small bits of information and quick replies as opposed to the lengthy discussions one finds on message boards like DU or on blogs.

Twitter is not a republican idea. It is simply a tool that works very well for people with short attention spans.

[Gidney N Cloyd]

6. If Newt could always have been restricted to 140 characters, he'd be president today.

Unfortunately for his career, he's been allowed to elaborate.