I was being overly negative about Twitter last night. Sometimes I like to criticize things I don't really understand...it's a bad habit and I'm trying to stop it.
Our friend Mimi posted this article by Amanda Palmer (Dresden Dolls) that makes a lot of sense when it comes to how she uses Twitter. I'm not sure I agree with all of her ideas about directly asking fans for money, but I can see where she's coming from. What interests me is being able to put on guerilla shows at the last minute, find places to eat or sleep, maybe rides, etc. That could be pretty useful, especially in a town we haven't been to before.
The DIY community has been operating like this for years. We always rely on people who come to shows for places to sleep. We've done over 700 shows and we've only had to stay in hotels a handful of times.
Of course, it works both ways. When bands come through my town and I'm home, I always make the offer for them to stay at my place, and I feed them. That's only fair, and it keeps the circle going.
It seems like Twitter, used correctly, can act as an instant message board, help build community, and make more personal connections between bands and fans.
I'm still learning more about this, but I'm starting to warm up to it.
I'll keep posting as I figure out more about it.
Thanks for all the comments.
Marko-as for Facebook...I'm still on the fence about that, too. MySpace seems more useful for bands since you can post songs, but maybe you can do that on Facebook, too. I'll look into it.
My idea of using technology was writing things on my hand and calling it a Palm Pilot. If I keep going like this I'll end up with a freaking Blackberry...

-Doug