In the Margin
October 8, 2009

Twitter-view? Tweet-a-Tweet?

Are you ready to  join in a little experiment?  Then come along with me on Twitter as I interview David Pogue -- the prolific author, New York Times technology columnist and maker of occasional music videos. 

 

His new book,  The World According to Twitter is nothing like his popular series of Missing Manuals  -- it's a one of a kind book, compiled solely of contributions from the many Twitter users who "follow" his stream of updates.  Since Twitter posts or "tweets" are limited to just 140 characters, David asked questions -- ranging from the whimsical ("Make up a clever title for the sequel to a famous movie.") to the heartfelt ("You've lived your life this far. What have you learned?") and challenged readers to compress their responses into tiny packages.  The result is a "crowdsourced" compendium of wit and wisdom -- not all of it for the ages, but nearly every page contains an unexpected pleasure.

 

The results are not only a gas to read, but it's thought-provoking to think about what it means to distill a concept, or an experience, into just a few words.    And in the spirit of the book, David Pogue has agreed to join me in a conversation of sorts, via the very same platform he harvested it from.  So, on Twitter, follow these two accounts @bnreviewer and @poguebook  and you'll get both of our sides of the conversation.

 

Note: Our conversation will begin at 3:30 PM Eastern Time, today.  So come join us!

 

-BILL TIPPER

Daybook

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