My new thesis on why twitter is powerful is centered on the concept that it is the only digital unidirectional moniker/ID.

To explain, almost all identification parameters have become multi-directional in the digital world.  If I list my email address somewhere online as a format of identification I am opening myself to others mailing me back (spam, etc).   Same thing with phone numbers, physical addresses, IM accounts, etc.  Almost any unique identifier I might use to ‘sign’ a piece of media is not only a form of attribution but also a way to contact me (a back-link).

Twitter is the only mass form of uni-directional attribution/signature.  I can put my twitter moniker  (@lessin) anywhere I please with no worry that it will result in spam (since direct messaging is only possible if I follow the person).  It is just an identifier, not a communicative back-link.*

This is actually what makes twitter such a powerful marketing vehicle (whether or not they intended it to work this way).  Since there are limited/no back-link repercussions to anyone knowing my twitter name I am willing to share/mass distribute my moniker anywhere and everywhere, and that allows it to both be an effective identifier and to propel twitter’s visibility and use

-Interesting observation via S Lessin

This is HILARIOUS