Understanding the Evolution and Impact of Twitter

Evan Williams shares the story of Twitter's creation as a side project at Odeo, highlighting its simple concept of sharing status updates. He discusses the unexpected uses of Twitter, such as real-time event reporting and user-driven innovations like the '@username' syntax. The development of Twitter's API and third-party applications, including Summize's search engine, expanded its functionality. Williams reflects on Twitter's impact and potential, emphasizing the importance of following hunches.

What was the original company where Twitter started as a side project?

• Blogger

• Facebook

• Odeo

• Google

What lesson did the speaker learn from the success of Twitter?

• Follow hunches even if they can't be justified

• Always follow market trends

• Focus solely on one project

• Avoid side projects

What is the primary function of Twitter as described in its early concept?

• Sending status updates in 140 characters or less

• Email communication

• Sharing photos

• Video conferencing

During which event did Twitter prove to be crucial for real-time information sharing?

• Hurricane Katrina

• San Diego wildfires

• Olympic Games

• 2008 Financial Crisis

Which group of people started using Twitter to share updates from behind closed-door sessions?

• Journalists

• Celebrities

• Tech Entrepreneurs

• Members of Congress

Which syntax was invented by Twitter users to reply to specific messages?

• &mention

• *star

• @username

• #hashtag

What was the significant third-party development that Twitter acquired?

• Buffer

• Summize

• Hootsuite

• TweetDeck

What was the original design intention of Twitter?

• A private messaging platform

• A broadcast medium

• A video streaming service

• A photo-sharing app

How did Twitter users help during the gas shortage in Atlanta?

• By sending emails to local authorities

• By creating a Facebook group

• By organizing a protest

• By tweeting gas prices and locations with a specific hashtag

What is one of the broader impacts of Twitter mentioned in the talk?

• Facilitating fundraising for various causes

• Improving government transparency

• Increasing advertising revenue

• Enhancing online shopping experiences