Twitter

term1te
term1te Posts: 1,462
edited January 2010 in The bottom bracket
Who are the best cycling related twitters to follow? Are any of them funny, profound or known for insider news? All I seem to find are ones saying things like "5 hour ride in rain awesome".

Comments

  • cee
    cee Posts: 4,553
    Term1te wrote:
    Who are the best cycling related twitters to follow? Are any of them funny, profound or known for insider news? All I seem to find are ones saying things like "5 hour ride in rain awesome".

    No.

    twatting is inane.
    Whenever I see an adult on a bicycle, I believe in the future of the human race.

    H.G. Wells.
  • teagar
    teagar Posts: 2,100
    Gervais on twitter:
    I just don't get it I'm afraid. I'm sure it's fun as a networking device for teenagers but there's something a bit undignified about adults using it. Particularly celebrities who seem to be showing off by talking to each other in public. If I want to tell a friend, famous or otherwise what I had to eat this morning, I'll text them. And since I don't need to make new virtual friends, it seemed a bit pointless to be honest.
    Note: the above post is an opinion and not fact. It might be a lie.
  • bobtbuilder
    bobtbuilder Posts: 1,537
    cee wrote:
    Term1te wrote:
    Who are the best cycling related twitters to follow? Are any of them funny, profound or known for insider news? All I seem to find are ones saying things like "5 hour ride in rain awesome".

    No.

    twatting is inane.

    +1. It's egotism of the highest order. Describing your bowel movements to your mindless followers in a limited number of characters. F*cktards!
  • i agree in the main BUT...is there any other medium in which I could (in theory) communicate DIRECTLY with, say, Bradley Wiggins?
  • cee
    cee Posts: 4,553
    Westerberg wrote:
    i agree in the main BUT...is there any other medium in which I could (in theory) communicate DIRECTLY with, say, Bradley Wiggins?

    Can you communicate directly with him using twitter? does he read your twats and respond? No.
    Whenever I see an adult on a bicycle, I believe in the future of the human race.

    H.G. Wells.
  • cee wrote:
    Westerberg wrote:
    i agree in the main BUT...is there any other medium in which I could (in theory) communicate DIRECTLY with, say, Bradley Wiggins?

    Can you communicate directly with him using twitter? does he read your twats and respond? No.

    Err, that's yes and yes actually.
  • http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2009/ja ... -interview

    "Armstrong is on Twitter, where he posts little comments every couple of hours, letting everyone in the world who's interested know exactly what he's doing. Would you consider doing that? I'm not really a computer man, to be honest. I check my emails every couple of weeks. I've always shied away from computers, the internet and all that. I'm a bit more traditional really – pick up a newspaper, pick up a phone. One of my team-mates in America the other week summed up blogging for me. He said, 'Blogging is something you do in between masturbating' and I thought that summed up the world of blogging for me."

    Im disappointed in him if he has changed his mind & now twats.
  • LittleB0b
    LittleB0b Posts: 416
    amazing how many people feel the need to come on to a thead about twitter and then proceed to go on and on about how it's such a bad concept.

    Maybe i should employ the same tactic witht he girls in lycra shorts thread - or maybe they should just stay away from something that doesn't intrest them, and live and let live.


    Anyway in reply to the OP. My current faves are:

    cyclingamericas - but then the beard does stange things to me.
    heidiswift - there's possibly a bit of i wish i was a cool kid like her envy going on - but following someone, it's like practically hanging out together right?
  • BigG67
    BigG67 Posts: 582
    I agree with LittleB0b.

    It's not for all but there are some genuinely funny twitterers (CherylKerl being one of my favourites at the moment) and I like that Armstrong and others communicate, however briefly, to the public without what they're saying being interpreted by the 4th estate.

    I do realise that a good journalist will help set context and can provide balance to a PR statement but likewise with the appallingly biased media we have in the UK, straight reporting is hard to come by.
  • to the public without what they're saying being interpreted by the 4th estate.

    Exactly - surely this is the key benefit to Twitter - it's a way for 'famous' people to reach their adoring public, without having their communication skewed through the prism of the media / PR.

    This of course doesn't excuse vain, banal and egocentric prattle.
  • cee
    cee Posts: 4,553
    edited January 2010
    Westerberg wrote:
    cee wrote:
    Westerberg wrote:
    i agree in the main BUT...is there any other medium in which I could (in theory) communicate DIRECTLY with, say, Bradley Wiggins?

    Can you communicate directly with him using twitter? does he read your twats and respond? No.

    Err, that's yes and yes actually.

    fair enough then. quite impressed that such a busy athlete has to the time to read every twat (I didn't write fool here...i wrote tw4t....but hey!) that he recieves and then responds.

    I wonder if it is actually him that writes them, or a PA
    Whenever I see an adult on a bicycle, I believe in the future of the human race.

    H.G. Wells.
  • term1te
    term1te Posts: 1,462
    Thanks for the comments. Interesting that the first 6 replies all used 140 characters or less.

    I agree that the vast majority of content is just a waste of electrons, but I use the news/comment collation facility to get almost real-time info on a couple of work related topics. For that it's great. I'm looking to punctuate the stream of rather dull press releases, etc. that I need to follow with something a little lighter.

    Interestingly I read an article in the paper this morning about a study where they had taken a bunch of teens and 20somethings and stopped them using any form internet based social networking for a month. At the end of the month most said that they had felt isolated and lonely. I don't know whether to say get a life, or feel sorry for them?
  • I wonder if it is actually him that writes them, or a PA

    cynic!

    ok, it's a fair point and it's hard to prove or disprove one way or another. I'd like to think that for every "what did you have for breakfast today Brad" question, he might get a more in depth one that he might like the chance to respond directly to.

    Plus it's a great way of putting straight those "out of context" remark disputes that come out of print journalism so often.
  • Twitter is more than just 'twatting' as its so crudely put if used in a well thought out manner like all new media its the flow of information and particularly the forming of social groups without any managment. There is a hell of lot more than just pro riders or celebs chatting out there.

    I feel i cant stop myself also pointing out the irony of those that are so cynical of the idea and form and then posting it on an internet forum - brilliant :D
    '..all the bad cats in the bad hats..'
  • Philip S
    Philip S Posts: 398
    It's good for news.

    dzabriskie's good for amusing non-sequitors. And Big Lebowski references. He's been a bit quiet of late though - maybe's he's got bored of it.
  • Term1te wrote:
    Thanks for the comments. Interesting that the first 6 replies all used 140 characters or less.

    Great point! Stick that in your pipe and smoke it :)

    So many angry people here, why get angry about Twitter?! I tweet, but then again it's easy if your job is desk based and you are using the internet all day. You can keep right up to date in your fields of interest, whatever they are. If you think it's just about following what Peter Andre is having for breakfast then you just don't get it.

    Have had a few conversations with people I consider well known/famous, it's great to see that they are just as down to earth as we are. I don't follow anyone who would be considered a sleb though...

    Here are my MTB followees http://twitter.com/#/list/captainianr/mtb

    Happy communicating!

    BTW, isn't this just so similar to Twitter?
    Twitter: captainianr
  • Crapaud
    Crapaud Posts: 2,483
    captainian wrote:
    ... If you think it's just about following what Peter Andre is having for breakfast then you just don't get it. ...
    I don't get it. The signal to waffle / drivel / banal / bollox ratio seems pretty low from the ones I've looked at. it may be useful / have a point, but I can't see it. I suspect that it's like mobile phones: useful, but mainly used for shallow shite.
    A fanatic is one who can’t change his mind and won’t change the subject - Churchill
  • It takes a while to filter out the crap I agree... Just imagine if you could see every text message in the world. You would shoot yourself. That doesn't make texting 'a bad thing'.

    Use with care for your own ends...
    Twitter: captainianr
  • Crapaud wrote:
    captainian wrote:
    ... If you think it's just about following what Peter Andre is having for breakfast then you just don't get it. ...
    I

    Jordan's Country Crisp ?
    Wind. Cold. Rain. Pick two.
  • Twitter is more than just 'twatting' as its so crudely put if used in a well thought out manner like all new media its the flow of information and particularly the forming of social groups without any managment. There is a hell of lot more than just pro riders or celebs chatting out there.

    I feel i cant stop myself also pointing out the irony of those that are so cynical of the idea and form and then posting it on an internet forum - brilliant :D

    Its so different :lol: