I had a good time writing Ten Twitter Misconceptions, and I’m having an equally good time reading the comments on it–both the ones from Twitter enthusiasts and from those who remain skeptics. Some of the doubters, however, seem to be taking the story as me arguing that they should like Twitter. Other naysayers seem offended by the fact that some people like Twitter at all.

So maybe I should have added an eleventh mythconception to my list: The notion that there’s something wrong with disliking Twitter, or simply not being interested in it. I do think that some criticism of Twitter comes from people who just haven’t figured out how to make sense of it, With technology, as with everything else in life, it’s a good idea not to assume that something’s bad just because you don’t like and/or understand it.

But I’m proudly agnostic when it comes to technology, and don’t do missionary work on behalf of any product or service. (I’m always a bit befuddled when stuff I write about PCs and Macs inspires seething partisanship on either side–as far as I’m concerned, both Windows and Macs have their place…which, come to think of it, is probably why I use both.) If you don’t wanna use Twitter, that’s just fine with me. In fact, there’s no reason to bother with it unless it speaks to you.

(Okay, there is one reason to give Twitter a chance: Like a lot of worthwhile things, it’s an acquired taste. If you’d asked me about it during the first week I tried it, I would have mostly talked about how I didn’t understand its appeal. In fact, I stopped using it. But I’m glad I revisited it a few months later.)

Some of the tech thinkers I admire most are passionate advocates, such as Daring Fireball’s John Gruber (the smartest and most entertaining Mac fan you’ll ever encounter) and Robert Scoble (who won’t be happy until everyone on planet Earth likes FriendFeed as much as he does). Me, I’m happiest when the people I write for find technology that works for them, whatever it may be. And I’m tickled by the fact that the Technologizer community includes plenty of folks who cogently disagree with just about every word I write.

 
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