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The future of Twitter?

Twitter has felt strangely familiar to me for a while, but I simply could not put my finger on it.  Well, it just hit me.

I was born in Louisiana and raised outside of Boston.  Each summer my father would pack us into the family car and make the 1,700 mile trip back "home." 

One summer in the late 70s, as I loaded the car with luggage, maps and snacks, I noticed a strange black box with a bunch of dials and knobs mounted near the floor between the driver and passenger seats. 

I asked my dad about it and with a wink and a grin he simply replied, in a strange Southern drawl,  "Breaker breaker, good buddy." 

For the next three days I was subjected to more of the same (much more), like:

Break 1-9, this is Lobo looking for that Jive Cowboy, you got your ears on?

Yeah, this is the Jive Cowboy.

You got that big bad bear storm? Come back.

You're clear up here, Lobo.  Though there's lotsa bears in the bushes up around the 105, so back off the hammer.

10-4, I'll catch you on the flip side.  This is Lobo and I'm out.

Citizens' Band (CB) radio, a free, two-way radio service with each channel shared by many users, was an exciting, yet short-lived fad with my dad (thank God), and with many others.

However, it does remain popular among long-haul truck drivers to communicate directions, traffic problems, speed traps and other time-sensitive information of value.

Twitter reminds me of CB radio, only with many more potential contextual applications.  Now, if we can just reduce the growing number of alligator stations. :) 

P.S. BTW, wasn't this Twitter?

Posted June 25, 2009
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Comments

Dan Gunter

Tom, I have recently publish a blog post titled "Think Before You Tweet: A Twittering Guide for Disruptive Marketing Dummies." It was my response to some very annoying uses I've seen made of Twitter lately. Check it out at: http://theheartofexcellence.blogspot.com/2009/06/think-before-you-tweet-twittering-for.html

Posted by: Dan Gunter | June 25, 2009 at 07:29 AM

runescape money

Excellent post!

Posted by: runescape money | June 25, 2009 at 11:44 PM

motownmutt

and this explains where the username motownmutt first originated, back in 1984. :)

Posted by: motownmutt | June 26, 2009 at 08:16 AM

Marilyn

Huge difference, good buddy, When the power is out and the computers can't work, the c.b's can still rock and roll. Something to consider.

Posted by: Marilyn | July 02, 2009 at 04:01 PM

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