karpj

Thanks tgrass... I agree; we'll try to simplify it.

narkee,

Thanks for the comment.

I suppose the same thing will happen that happens in the US...

zmmz,

Thank you very much!

rameshnid,

Thanks for the comment.

We're working out all of those issues, including the possibility of providing a hieroglyphics based communication mechanism for bi-directional picture story telling via Twitter.

jeb,

Thanks for the (sort of harsh) comment.

The use of Twitter in what I'm doing is not for idle fun - it's to give people a way to communicate to the outside world that doesn't depend on anyone else.

A farmer will be able to ask a question about crop rotation; a college student can ask about what it's like to attend a Western institution - a tribal leader can tell the world about how aid workers are raping women in their remote village. Right now, it simple isn't possible to expose the world to what's happening. Five billion people on earth do not have internet access, and communication is not the same via cell phone.

bmelton,

Thanks for your comment!

Five billion people on earth have no internet access. Many are living in complete poverty, without any infrastructure, and/or under an oppressive government.

The benefit is to give these people a way to communicate with, learn from, and contribute to, the rest of the world - we hope to give a voice to the voiceless.

I picked Twitter b/c messages can be moved efficiently via satellite, and there is an existing global network of contributors to answer questions and to help.

more than a year ago i started The Printed Blog www.theprintedblog.com we were the first print newspaper comprised entirely of blogs and other online content. we were discussed in every print newspaper in the world, including the New York Times (http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/22/technology/start-ups/22blo...) after going through around 300k of my own money (and some angel money), we couldn't sustain the business. i wrote about why here blog.theprintedblog.com