So, you too want to tweet? Think twice

Aspiring to be on Twitter as soon as you join Facebook? Jumping over from Orkut to Twitter and feeling hip about it? Well, wait right there because a not-very-exciting world is waiting for you.

Twitter is a very popular micro-blogging site and is often confused with social networking sites like Facebook or Orkut. As a result, hoards from Orkut and Facebook join this seemingly inviting world of Twitter. But when they do so, they end up facing flak from Twitterati.

Derogatorily known as ‘Orkutiyas’ irrespective of whether they have signed up from FB or Orkut, they’re mentioned at least twice everyday by some Twitter-er with a lot of followers. And it’s true! They do create nuisance! Shubhodeep Pal, known on Twitter as @diaporesis says, “I don’t really care either way as there’s no single right way to use Twitter but there are people whose presence is sometimes irksome and irritating, perhaps due to their puerile ‘wannabe-ness’.”

They spam your mentions and bug you in every possible way. If you’re criticising their favourite actor, be ready for a string of profanity. In fact, some of these indulge in ‘frandship’ tweets too!

Abhishek Asthana, popularly known as @GabbbarSingh, feels, “Orkutiyas are perverts who think girls on the internet are easy. These people took to Twitter later than majority as it is more open than Facebook. They see a lot of females talking to strangers here and so they think that these girls will be willing to befriend them!”

But the entire Twitter fraternity doesn’t feel the same. Shagun Sharma, famous on Twitter as @DilliBelle, believes, “The wrath endured by ‘Orkutiyas’ is not their doing. People who tweet funny stuff gain a large number of followers which eventually makes ever­y­o­ne else envious of them in a way that they try to pull these people down. The wrath is a result of more of the followers’ mentality, rather than anything specific done by the Facebook-Orkut converts.”

Do these converts understand Twitter? “They understand that twitter is about gaining followers and use their sense of humour or social commentary skills to advantage,” Shagun adds.

Twitter has always been seen as a platform for people who really want to follow their interest and interact in a healthy manner.

Seconds Shubhodeep, “Orkut and Facebook are primarily thought of as ‘brainless’ pastimes. To those who use Twitter seriously - be it public policy savants, stand up comics, film buffs - these people are irritants who should have stayed on Facebook and Orkut instead of getting on Twitter and adding to the noise just because they can.”