I hear it a lot. You probably do, too. First, they ask, "What's Twitter?" You answer, they nod, and then you hear, "Sounds like a waste of time to me."
Let's face it; anything can be a waste of time. Social media tools can be time-wasters, no question. But just like the telegraph, telephone, radio, newspapers and TV before them, they can also be used to connect human beings in the ways they value most.
This YouTube video shows a new way to TweetUp--not just to meet up for coffee or at a restaurant, but at a blood bank for a blood drive.
What is notable is that these people are doing what they're driven to do--help their community through donating blood. They are just using Twitter as the medium for facilitating that activity. Could they have emailed all their friends and achieved a similar result? Possibly. But the point is that they didn't. They were all on Twitter, anyway, and those who felt strongly about donating blood came out and helped.
Shel Holtz says it best, "New media don't kill old media." New media just give us new ways to communicate and facilitate our favorite activities. Instead of calling 20 people for a blood drive, Twitter it, and your Twitter buds will show up. You don't have to stop using the phone, of course, but when you're trying to get the word out about a time- and location-specific event, Twitter might be more effective.
And you can still pick up the phone for a conference with your client or to see how your mom is doing. New media just gives you the choice to opt-out of getting telemarketer's elbow for events like this.
