A Twittering You Will Go?

This week, a thread was started on the DB2-L list server about Twitter, the micro-messaging Web 2.0 social networking tool. Basically, someone wanted to know why more DB2 people did not use Twitter. The consensus seems to be that many organizations block it as a "non-business" web site.

(Surprisingly, LinkedIn seems not to be blocked as often as Twitter, even though LinkedIn is a prime vehicle for job search networking.)

This is disputable. If you've tried Twittering you know that it can be addictive, but it is also growing in popularity as a business tool for communication. This might seem hard to believe when you first dive into Twittering.

The basic idea of Twitter is simple: provide a platform for users to publish messages of no more than 140 characters at a time. And that can seem limiting... until you've used Twitter for awhile. If you subscribe to my Twitter feed you'll find that I send out regular Tweets (that is what a Twitter message is called) for many things, such as:

• when I post a new blog entry (maybe you got here that way),
• to share the highlights of interesting sessions when I attend a conference or user group,
• to notify folks when I've published a new article or column, and
• just to share some of the "things" going on in my life.

OK, so what are the business uses of Twitter? Well, sharing information (like I do) is absolutely a
business usage. Sharing practical web links is another. Keeping abreast of technology topics, yet
another. Micro-messaging can help you reduce email and eliminate unproductive meetings.

Other DB2 professionals use Twitter to communicate and solve problems. Willie Favero, Troy Coleman, and even some in-the-trenches folks use Twitter. So you know you'll get some good DB2 information if you participate.

So what? you may say: "my company already blocked Twitter so I can't participate." Well, there might be a way around that (I don't know if this will work or not). From your home PC, or some other non-company PC, go to twitter.com, register and see what it is all about. Then download a Twitter client, like TweetDeck (which my personal favorite) or Twhirl. Take the download and install it at work... now see if things are still blocked when you use a different client. They might be, but then again, maybe not...

Now (wink-wink) I do not really advocate people trying to get around their company's policies. But if you try this out and it works (or even if it does not) post a comment here to let us all know.

DB2-L Is Back Up & Running

In case you haven't noticed yet, the DB2 mailing list (DB2-L) is back up and running as of Monday, August 13, 2007.

However, the archives are not yet available, but it looks like they will be back up soon (with no data loss). So, welcome back DB2-L - - we all missed you!

DB2-L Is Down

Those of you who subscribe to the DB2 mailing list, also known as DB2-L, may have noticed that the usually steady stream of information, questions, and comments that used to pour into your in-box has dried up. Don't worry (well, you can worry a little bit, I s'pose), it is nothing you have done... DB2-L is not functional.

The company that hosts the list for IDUG moved the server two weeks ago and when they did they destroyed the disk drive. IDUG has been struggling to get everything rebuilt and back up since then, but it is taking longer than expected.

If you want to keep abreast of when it will be back online, status updates will be posted on IDUG's website...