As the 0.5% of you who are not using an RSS reader might have noticed, I’ve added a new sidebar with my Twitter activity. I’m pretty new to Twitter… actually, that’s not true. I did join quite a bit ago, but I just didn’t get it. Nobody I knew was really using it and I didn’t want to read a random stream of posts from everybody.
A couple of weeks ago, prompted by seeing a few other indie iPhone devs on Twitter, I decided to give it another try. I’m glad I did! It has been really fun and useful. Unlike Facebook, which is all about connecting with long-lost friends, and seeing pictures people’s new babies, I’m using Twitter exclusively for iPhone development. I keep my follow list to a relatively small amount of people, all of them independent iPhone game developers (so please, don’t feel offended if you’re a friend and I’m not following you).
My routine now consists on sitting to work with a warm cup of tea, firing up the Twitter client du jour, and let it sit in the background (without alerts, thank you). Every so often I check it out, update my status, read what other devs are up to, and get into short conversations. The effect is surprisingly similar to being back working with a team of people and having quick IM conversations with them. Don’t get me wrong, I love working by and for myself, but I do miss the camaraderie, the interactions, and the energy of working with a team of really talented people. Twitter gives me a lot of what I’ve been missing.
Last night, @timhaines put together a Google Spreadsheet of iPhone devs on Twitter, along with a form to add yourself. He sent out a Twitter message asking people to add themselves and pass the word. The effect was stunning. Within minutes there were dozens of devs on the list, and as people continued re-tweeting the message, hundreds more were added! That’s a great resource to hook up with your favorite iPhone developers.
On a similar note, Sam Houston put together a list of video game companies with people on Twitter. That’s not quite as interesting for me right now, but seems like another great resource if you’re into video game development.
So give Twitter a try. Especially if you’re an indie developer working by yourself. Don’t think of it as another Facebook, but as a way to chat and develop connections with other people.
See you there!