socialmedian: The Twitter interview: Is there anybody out there?

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The Twitter interview: Is there anybody out there?

Submitted by Jasongoldberg

Aug 18, 2008

Summary

It all makes sense when you learn that Twitter's CEO and co-founder, Jack Dorsey spent 15 years writing dispatch software for couriers, taxis and 911.

Jack's concept of "ambient social awareness" is derived from the crackling sounds of voices, coming from two-way radios, saying what patient is going to which hospital, or which passenger needs a pick-up at what location. "You have all these people roaming about a metropolis, constantly reporting on what they're doing," Jack said to me, in a recent interview. "I just found this fascinating because you get this beautiful picture of what's going on in the city."

In this interview (No. 3 of a series with Jack), we focus on how Twitter is changing the way we interact and communicate. I'm not sure Twitter feeds produce a lovely mosaic, as Jack thinks. My Twitter feed looks more like a cacophony of voices. But nonetheless, it's a picture of what's going on with people I'm following. It's my metropolis. Today, I found out that Jack was buying an electric toothbrush, my friend Graham Glass was waiting for furniture to be delivered, while venture capitalist Josh Koppelman was wondering what NBC would do now that Olympic Gold medalist, Michael Phelps, was done swimming.

As Jack put its: "Twitter has become a personal news wire." Read the full article

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