Paul Walsh, the Irish Opportunist

I’ve been suffering from a weird intermittent cough since December and after many months of pestering from friends and family, I decided to get it check by a specialist - not a bad idea given that my GP couldn’t cure it with three lots of antibiotics and the like.

It turns out that I might not have had pleurisy after all. The pain in my side every time I coughed, according to the specialist, was probably down to a cracked rib. It’s no wonder I was in so much pain every time I laughed.

What I’m left with now, is kinda like Asthma, but not long-term. My wind pipe is tight and inflamed, which means I’ll be on an inhaler for a couple of months - so nothing major. At least I know what it is and it can be fixed.

Anyway, I decided to write this post as a result of my weird, but very funny visit to the specialist today. I asked if it was ok for me to take a picture of my chest x-ray. He said “sure, I’m going to give it to you anyway - is it for Facebook?” - to which I replied, “er, kinda. It’s for a service called Twitter, have you ever heard of it?”. “Yes of course, replied the 50-something year old doctor. I don’t use it myself but I know what it is”.

The clincher was his closing “perhaps you can link to my name when you’re all cured?! giggle”.

Social media 1. Twitter specifically, 2. Skeptics, 0.

Love it.

When Google first announced that it had acquired Jaiku, my first question was, ‘why?’. Why buy the second best in the market?! I’m a firm believer in going after the best and only the best. Some would argue that Jaiku is more feature-rich and easier to use than Twitter. However, I was never attracted to it because none of my followers/friends were on there. ‘Better’ doesn’t necessarily equal ‘better features’. In Twitter’s case, it’s main benefit was ‘people’ (i.e. users).

When Google launched Latitude I thanked my contacts at the company for educating the marketing as clearly, their product doesn’t actual solve a problem. I’ll write more about that later. By launching latitude without any Jaiku integration, it proves they were unable to make use of the software. Perhaps they knew they were flogging a dead horse. Anyway, it’s a little late to go after Twitter - they should have put in an offer when (all) of my friends were mocking me for using the service - when it was still very early and mainly used as a one-way broadcast medium.

Unsurprisingly, Twitter turned down Googles offer and according to TechCrunch, it looks like Apple is now making a move.

So, who’s going to buy Twitter? Apple, Google, Microsoft or one of the main operators (carriers)?

I’m hoping Twitter remains independent but there’s only so long they can hold back from a gazillon dollars.

Follow me on Twitter.

So, what’s wrong with it? It’s an entire page dedicated to Twitter in Square Meal magazine, entitled ‘To Tweet or Not to Tweet’, aimed at people who host parties and events and it doesn’t have a single quote from me. Why is that wrong? Let me explain…

1. I have more than 4,000 followers - more than anyone else who’s involved in UK based events
2. I run an events company
3. I have (arguably) been responsible for some of the most successful marketing campaigns on twitter - specifically for events promotion (for example, selling more than 200 tickets in less than 12 hours, during the night)
4. I own some restaurants
5. This is the best bit, the author of the article is none other than my bloody flatmate who knows all of the above.

Brilliant. By the way, this post is in jest so don’t think for a second I’m being serious. I just couldn’t stop laughing when Mike showed me the article this afternoon. One word for him - git! I’ve decided not to read it out of protest.

Am I being harsh on the git? Whatever you do, do not follow him on twitter!

Taken from the Metro:

Using Facebook or Twitter may make you a bad person because it ruins your moral compass, it has been claimed.

Fast-paced modern media, such as Facebook updates and news feeds on Twitter, do not give us time to reflect and could make us indifferent to human suffering, according to a group of researchers.

Children could be particularly vulnerable because their brains are still developing, it was claimed.

‘If things are happening too fast, you may not ever fully experience emotions about other people’s psychological states and that would have implications for your morality,’ said researcher Mary Helen Immordino-Yang, from the University of Southern California.

Yet another dumb ass quote from another dumb ass lecturer. Why do respectable publications such as the Metro (well, I enjoy reading it anyway) continue to quote people who’s job it is to come up with new opposing opinions to that of the general public?

Dear Metro, please try to interview people who know what they’re talking about. Stop interviewing people who sit on the fence commentating on the theory of everything, without actually delving into the real world of practise.

Facebook and Twitter brings out the best in us in my opinion. People have an instinct to help others by sharing opinions, contacts, advice, gossip and the like. What are your thoughts?

The tools that Twitter endorse are few and far between. So, when it’s revealed that it plans to “officially endorse” ExecTweets, and to encourage more brands to create customised Twitter homepages, it deserves to get my full attention.

I haven’t got time to write about this right now, so why not read what Milo has to say at The Telegraph - where I picked up the story.

Follow me on Twitter
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