More than microblogging - Twitter sees first Beijing TweetMeet and first marriage proposal!
Note: Contributing Editor David Feng will be posting a more detailed follow up post on the 1st Beijing TweetMeet, coming soon to CN Reviews.
Anyone who pooh-poohs the social impact on Twitter should be put on notice by the two Twitter Firsts that happened last night.
Twitter History: First Marriage Proposal
Mashable just broke some news that we may have witnessed the first wedding proposal over Twitter from @maxkiesler (website) to @emilychang (eHub).
His proposal: To @emilychang - After fifteen years of blissful happiness I would like to ask for your hand in marriage? 03:13 AM March 20, 2008 from web
Her response: @maxkiesler - yes, i do! 03:14 AM March 20, 2008 from web in reply to maxkiesler
Congratulations to both @emilychang and @maxkiesler!
Another Twitter First: Beijing TweetMeet
I discovered this Twitter first through another Twitter first: The 1st Beijing TweetMeet, held Friday 3/21/2008! My friend and fellow CN Reviews blogger @DavidFeng posted the link to Mashable and that’s how I discovered this, even though Mashable is on my Google Reader.
The more complete TweetStream is below, but here is @DavidFeng’s take:
Question: How did Twitter generate such emotional attachment from its users, so that people would meet up to Tweet together and that other people would get engaged over Twitter?
Just one month ago, I didn’t “get” Twitter. Now I see it in MMORPG terms.
Just 1 month ago, I “didn’t get” twitter and thought of it solely as microblogging. But the fact that a small group of Twitter fanatics met at the Beijing Bookworm (Building 4, Sanlitun South Road near Gongti North Road in Chaoyang District of Beijing) this Fri evening to Tweet to each other highlights how Twitter can be much more than a blogging platform. It can become a nexus of personal relationships and social exchange that makes it similar to Social Networks like Facebook or MMORPGs like World of Warcraft.
To non bloggers and non Twitterers (Tweeters? Twits?), microblogging and blogging can seem like information exchange and a process of social discovery of information. But in fact, it is not just that…it is space and place for social exchange. Microblogging far underestimates the power of Twitter. In fact, Twitter is a specialized form of Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game (MMORPG) but one in which the “role” is tightly bound to your real identity (in most cases).
Amy Jo Kim of Shufflebrain has a brilliant exposition of game dynamics. As an expert in game design, she identifies 5 factors that make games addictive. Here’s how I think it applies to Twitter:
- Collecting - # of followers, # of “friends” that you follow
- Points - # of updates or tweets
- Feedback - people follow you back! And you get an email with an exclamation point! It’s flattering when @JasonCalacanis is following me on Twitter! (before I followed him)
- Implicit Exchanges - Implicit exchange represents the positive feedback you receive as you “follow” more people and see more of who they are through their tweets. You implicitly exchange with your followers when you tweet and share what’s going on with you.
- Explicit Exchanges - Direct messages are explicit exchanges. But @twitteruser messages directed to someone else but visible to everyone’s followers, is also an explicit exchange recognized by the entire community. You are on stage, in the commons, sharing your life with everyone in the village commons.
- Character Customization - Yes you can reskin your Twitter profile page. But more importantly, you can customize your character and your persona by modifying the composition and mix of your Tweets.
- Interface Customization - Web? IM? Gtalk? Twitbin? Tweetbar? Twitterfox? Twirl? Twitterific? Directory here at the Twitter Fan Wiki. Enuf said.
If you are not already familiar with her work, you must go flip through her Game Developer Conference 2007 slides available at her website. Her blog is here.
And now back to the Tweet-by-tweet coverage of the Beijing TweetMeet
I don’t know all the people at the Beijing TweetMeet. But from the TweetStream of @DavidFeng, this is what I captured (in reverse chronological order):
- @sioksiok OK, OK… You will see me with TWO laptops next time! about 1 hour ago from web in reply to sioksiok
- OK, that was my MacBook. Now tweeting on my iPod touch… about 1 hour ago from web
- OK guys, my MacBook’s battery dies in 5 minutes. No sweat - that’s why I’ve the iPod touch!… about 1 hour ago from web
- @davidavdavid The Beijing Bookworm, we are 8 strong live… about 2 hours ago from web in reply to davidavdavid
- @webleon You want my iPod touch to tweet with? Sheetake, I should have brought my PowerBook G4 17-inch along!…
about 2 hours ago from web in reply to webleon - I think I can easily hit that magical 2,500 mark in terms of updates this weekend. Unless an Act of God happens in the Twitter world… about 2 hours ago from web
- @BlogAndGrow QQ = China’s biggest IM service. This thing is MASSIVE. about 2 hours ago from twitterrific in reply to BlogAndGrow
- @BlogAndGlow I think so!
about 2 hours ago from twitterrific
OK guys I am floating this proposal around - a KTV fest for all Beijing Twitterers. Tweet back if you’re in for this! about 2 hours ago from web - @BlogAndGlow Welcome to read Chinglish. about 2 hours ago from twitterrific
- @elliottng OK, how many Web 2.0 services are you on?… about 2 hours ago from twitterrific in reply to elliottng Icon_star_empty
This is scary: QQ + Twitter + CN = http://www.taotao.com/ about 2 hours ago from web - Tweeting AND eating… a David Feng tradition… now shared with all fellow Twitter-ers… about 2 hours ago from web
Late dinner - Spaghetti for me… ricey-kind of stuff chez - @sioksiok… about 2 hours ago from web Icon_star_empty
OK ???: ??????… http://fanfou.com/DavidFeng about 2 hours ago from web - @isaac @thecarol ????! about 2 hours ago from web in reply to isaac
- @sioksiok ?, There are no secrets in the Twitter world… about 2 hours ago from web in reply to sioksiok
- @kaiserkuo One of your fans (and Twitter-ers) greets you. Musically… (hint hint) about 2 hours ago from web in reply to kaiserkuo
- @thecarol NOW we are ready for you! TweetMeet ?? featuring… about 2 hours ago from web in reply to thecarol
- @elliottng Zhichunli ;-P about 2 hours ago from web in reply to elliottng
- @WebLeOn about 2 hours ago from twitterrific in reply to webleon
- @elliottng THIS is the hair that I’m — well, after for better or worse… about 2 hours ago from twitterrific in reply to elliottng
I just got a haircut, so if you’re seeing me look a bit funny, that’s… the hair. about 2 hours ago from twitterrific - @thecarol @webleon No sweat! ???! (We all make mistakes…) about 2 hours ago from twitterrific in reply to thecarol
- @WebLeOn @thecarol They probably mean @DavidFeng
about 2 hours ago from twitterrific in reply to webleon - @WebLeOn @carol They probably mean @DavidFeng about 2 hours ago from twitterrific in reply to webleon
- @isaac Greetings from us from Beijing. You in Shanghai right now? about 2 hours ago from twitterrific in reply to isaac
- OK folks, first pics from the Beijing TweetMeet reality: http://www.flickr.com/photo… about 3 hours ago from twitterrific
- Salve* @chengfen (* Latin greetings) about 3 hours ago from twitterrific
- This is the first-ever Tweetup in Beijing. Ladies and gents, you are witnessing Twit-stery (Twitter history). about 3 hours ago from twitterrific
- I think everyone’s Twitter list at the meetup just went that bit more stratospheric. The ISS is next in terms of altitude. about 3 hours ago from twitterrific
- Allegra* @zhengle (* Rhaeto-Rumansh greeting) about 3 hours ago from twitterrific
- Cute baby pics at the Tweetup! about 3 hours ago from web
With horror, fellow Twitter-ers at the Tweetup discover that yours truly speaks 10 languages. Gasp! about 3 hours ago from twitterrific - We are talking about Swiss nationality at the TweetMeet since I’m a Swiss national with Chinese ethnicity… about 3 hours ago from web
- We are twittering like mad. We are actually thinking if the server is about to go down chez Twitter ‘cos of the Beijing TweetMeet!… about 3 hours ago from web
- Bonsoir* @webleon (* French greetings) about 3 hours ago from twitterrific
- Buonasera* @nickcheng (* Italian greetings) about 3 hours ago from twitterrific
- For those of you who have never been at a Tweetup, the whole thing feels surreal. People are literally GLUED to their laptops, tweeting! about 3 hours ago from twitterrific
- Link for tonight: AllTop: http://twitter.alltop.com/ about 3 hours ago from twitterrific
- (Guess who is the 1/2 Mac / PC user…) about 3 hours ago from web
- 4.5 PC people, 2.5 Mac people. This is an INSULT for the Mac citizenry, having a BeiMac meet just tomorrow! LOL about 3 hours ago from twitterrific
- (Bad keyboard!) about 3 hours ago from twitterrific
Grüezi* @PhilipJohnson8 (* Swiss-German greetings) about 3 hours ago from twitterrific - Grüezi* @PhiipJohnson8 (* Swiss-German greetings) about 3 hours ago from twitterrific
- @sioksiok and @davidfeng hosting the first Beijing Tweetup… enjoy about 3 hours ago from twitterrific in reply to sioksiok
- OK Ladies and Gents! Live Tweetcast! Live Tweetcast! Beijing Tweetup! Live Tweetcast! about 3 hours ago from twitterrific
3 more people with the fellow Twitter-ers in Beijing. about 3 hours ago from twitterrific - Venue: The Bookworm, Nansanlitun Road. See: http://www.beijingbookworm…. about 3 hours ago from twitterrific
- People are getting married via Twitter! http://tinyurl.com/36tcys about 3 hours ago from twitterrific
- Bilingual tweetup, English and Chinese about 3 hours ago from twitterrific
- Grüezi* @JoMangee (* Swiss-German greeting) about 3 hours ago from twitterrific
- I am seated at the long table at the front entrance. about 4 hours ago from twitterrific
- Am at Bookworm… @sioksiok and others? about 4 hours ago from twitterrific
- Heading to the Bookworm. God pray for no traffic jams! about 4 hours ago from twitterrific
- Äh… Twitter meetup… silly me… about 4 hours ago from web
Facebook meetup in about 35 minutes. Will be on the road soon for the big meet-up. about 4 hours ago
If you read carefully, @DavidFeng is threatening to combine his two addictions: Twitter and KTV! I will have to come out to Beijing for that combination. I will have to break out my Wang Qing Shui (忘情水) rendition for that event.
So Twitter, the MMORPG, has kept me from my day job at Kango of helping people plan family vacations to San Diego, Santa Barbara family hotels, and other such places. OK, David Feng will follow up with a full report once he recovers from a long night of Tweeting and networking with other Twitterers.
5 Responses to “More than microblogging - Twitter sees first Beijing TweetMeet and first marriage proposal!”
I just stopped by your blog and thought I would say hello. I like your site design. Looking forward to reading more down the road.
Robert Michel
Wow! Twitter has really become viral as hell!
Marriage proposals?! What next? Votes for the president?! Great post!