By this point, we all know that tweets are more than just inane, 140 character messages — they have a lot of power to actually change things, for better or worse. That being the case, Twitter has decided to launch Twitter Stories, a site that will focus on the positive effects tweets have had on some people’s lives.
Now, it’s not just stuff like “Oh hey, some guy tweeted at me and it made my day,” we’re talking serious effects. For example, a few of the stories at launch include a guy who tweeted an offer to buy burritos for anyone who patronized his mom’s failing bookstore and created a huge influx of business, and a guy who tweeted that he needed a kidney and then actually got one.
Of course, not all the stories come from the heart-warming, chicken-soup-for-the-social-network angle; some of them are just stories of ingenuity or “oh neat,” like Japanese fishermen who use Twitter to arrange the sale of their fish before they get back to port and a lady that tweets recipes.
Twitter Stories isn’t anything mind blowing, but it does look like it’ll be a center for interesting stories about the way social media is changing the world as we know it. Granted, it’s run by Twitter, so don’t expect to hear any stories about “the tweet that ruined my life,” but still, who doesn’t like a good human interest story with a ridiculous hook. As you might expect from the makers of a 140 character service, the stories tend to be bite-sized, which is perfect for a quick perusal if you want to feel stupid about the way you’re using Twitter for a few minutes. I just hope to one day see a story about someone whose life was saved by a misspelled, uncaptialized hashtag game.
(via The Twitter Blog)
Published: Nov 2, 2011 11:30 am