The Twitter Followers You Didn't Even Know You Had

Aug 11 by Ty Dunitz | 2 comments

So Twitter’s rolled out a new feature to beef up its SMS functionality. Now, immediately, this sort of begs ‘why’, as those with a smartphone tend to use a Twitter app, and those without don’t really use phone Twitter at all, but after having read how this works, it would not prove unhandy for the unfortunately-phoned gentleman. Seriously, can you imagine me tweeting up a storm on this thing?

But the new ‘Fast Follow’ (which sounds like a basketball term to me, oddly enough) is unique in that it allows a user not to have to sign up for Twitter in order to receive tweets. Simply text “follow Username” to whatever your country’s Twitter number is (probably 40404) and bask in the tide of inconsequential information. Great for unsmartphoned Twitterphobes who never even learned to T9. Apparently, that’s still a demographic in 2010.

If you’re going to check this out, you should probably stick to worthwhile accounts that provide useful information. For instance, don’t fast follow me – your disappointment will be as legend, and your incoming text bill will be stupid enormous. Follow the Dalai Lama, or Shaq. Shaq is full of wisdom, like how many different ways you can fit ‘Shaq’ into a sentence.

WRITTEN BY TY DUNITZ

Ty is an illustrator who stays up too late, and has to wear glasses. You can follow him on Twitter if you want to (@glitchritual), but he's just gonna throw your stupid PR crap in the garbage, so don't email him.

COMMENTS
  • Jen

    I like this sentence: “Great for unsmartphoned Twitterphobes who never even learned to T9. Apparently, that’s still a demographic in 2010.”

    Interestingly, I am unsmartphoned, technically, since I’m holding out for an iPhone (which will happen whenever Verizon gets it or AT&T starts letting me use their service in Wyoming, whichever comes first), and I never learned to T9, since I got a phone with a QWERTY keyboard when I started texting. I do, however, have an active Twitter account, and as a reader of Techi, an iPod Touch and iPad early adopter, and a university student studying computer science, I wouldn’t consider myself un-techie. :P Sorry to ruin your demographic.

    I do wonder if Twitter’s ultimate intention is to get these “non-followers” to eventually sign up for Twitter after being wooed by Tweeter or two. It seems to me like it would be easier to just get an account and then configure the SMS messages from there.

  • Andy Ward

    This is a pretty interesting app. It allows you to follow someone without committing by signing up for an account.