The Liquid Muse

Twitter Vs. Zannel

I'm relatively new to Twitter and I admit that, yes, I find it slightly more than addictive. Ridiculously so, in fact. So, just when I've accepted that I'm a "Slave to the Tweet," here comes another way to whittle away my precious working hours... with pictures and video! Damn - it sounds so good, it hurts.

Have any of you tried Zannel? Is it all its cracked up to be? They've shared their Top Ten List with me. Sounds pretty enticing...

Disaster/ Storms - Once upon a time, critical information about disasters like storms and large wildfires was delivered in small doses, either by radio broadcasts or through the TV news at 5pm and 10pm every evening. Mobile phones bring news to audiences instantly, even if the power lines are down or you're trapped far from home. Imagine the difference between texting "trapped in the airport" to seeing the chaos of O'Hare airport shut down by a blizzard…the day before Thanksgiving.

Shopping - Tweeters love to share their daily movements, from sitting in a traffic jam to shopping for shoes at the mall. But how effective is saying, "can't decide between the red and black pair" compared to showing folks your options? Pictures let friends get involved with the process as if they were standing next to you at the checkout stand offering advice.

Event – How can text ever capture the sensation of sharing an important moment with a group of people? Whether it's sold-out a concert, a high school football game or a bachelor party in Vegas, often the sights and sounds of an event can only be expressed with pictures or video.

Celebrity - Ever had a close encounter with a celebrity? Most of us have some random story about the time that Keanu Reeves gave us his taxi or we saw the kid from Saved By the Bell at the In and Out Burger. How much better is a photo to share the experience with your skeptical friends?

Pets – People who love their pets REALLY love their pets. In fact, the U.S. pet industry is approaching $50 billion a year. From Persian cats to purse dogs, animal couture, pampering and merchandising have reached unprecedented heights as people invest huge amounts of energy and capital into spoiling their pets rotten. And nothing makes a pet owner happier than sharing little snookum's new chew toy with the world.

People – Throughout our busy days we come into contact with countless people, from the grumpy guy behind the deli counter to your great-aunt Gertrude's surprise visit. Sometimes seeing someone special affects us enough that we want to share the experience with friends and family. We've all received those 2:00AM texts from a frazzled daddy in the labor room. How cool would it be if we could see and hear baby Aidan, along with those delivery details?

Bizarre – There are moments when words just can't explain what our eyes can see. For those times, a picture or video might be worth a million words…

Business – Livecasting is not just for our personal lives. It can be an essential tool in the professional realm too. Check out this clip that a grass roots blogger captured at the recent Democratic National Convention, when he found himself in the same elevator with Governor Dean.

Travel/trips – For many of us cell phones are a necessity on trips. We whip out our phones the moment we step off the plane to let folks know we arrived safely. Or for that disgruntled teenager trapped on a road trip, there is often nothing to do but text and tweet as she passes miles and miles of the same boring cornfields. How much cooler would it be to send a digital postcard as we pass Bob's Big Ball of Twine or hike to Puohokamoa Falls on Maui?

Holidays – From Christmas to Mother's Day, annual celebrations are one of the most popular times for folks to send cards, pick up the phone or capture moments on a camcorder. They inspire our desire to share and connect with people near and far. And how much more exciting is a picture of you in your Halloween costume, than a short text saying, "I'm going as xx?"