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Twitter Wit: Brilliance in 140 Characters or Less

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New York Magazine proclaims, "Twitter is the hot web company right now...the Next Big Thing;" the New York Times calls it "one of the fastest-growing phenomena on the Internet;" Time magazine claims "Twitter is on its way to becoming the next killer app;" and Newsweek notes that "Suddenly, it seems as though all the world′s a-twitter." Since its creation in March 2006, Twitter has unleashed a torrent of self-expression from its six million members around the world, who send and read each others′ "tweets," messages up to 140 characters in length. Friends use the site to make plans; relatives use it to stay connected; politicians use it to lobby for votes; and humorists use it to perfect their craft. In fact, Twitter users have reinvented the classic medium of the witticism in a site where anyone can be a Dorothy Parker or an Oscar Wilde. Twitter Wit is the first compilation of Twitter aphorisms, with submissions ranging from quotidian vignettes like "I bet in Sweden the Ikea instructions are in English" to bumper sticker-type quips like "I think the bird of love is the dove. My husband thinks it′s the swallow," and contributors ranging from celebrities like Shaquille O′Neal, Jimmy Fallon, Penn Jillette, John Cleese, and Steven Fry to regular people with previously unappreciated sharp tongues. Featuring a foreword by Twitter co-founder Biz Stone, this authorized anthology of the thousand most most clever and memorable "tweets" relates the diversity of human experience in hilarious bite-sized pieces.

162 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2009

About the author

Nick Douglas

1 book71 followers

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5 stars
103 (18%)
4 stars
92 (16%)
3 stars
179 (32%)
2 stars
122 (21%)
1 star
62 (11%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 75 reviews
Profile Image for ZJLS.
65 reviews
May 5, 2013
This isn't edgy or all that witty. There were maybe 5 tweets that made me laugh out loud and a handful that were just funny. But apart from that, there were a lot of cheap shots and jokes at the expense of marginalised groups. So if you enjoy jokes about rape, women, African Americans and disabled people - well you're a terrible person and this book is perfect for you.

No wit, lazy editing, and poor judgement and you TOO can publish a book.
Profile Image for Elizabeth.
212 reviews72 followers
April 17, 2015
[2.5]

This was totally meh. Some were funny, most didn't make sense and the others were just offensive. I didn't really enjoy this. The only redeemable quality was that there were some good ones in the mix though they weren't the majority.
Profile Image for Susan Bazzett-Griffith.
1,925 reviews59 followers
August 19, 2019
A best-of compilation of funny Tweets. I'd write more, but am pretty sure it would be more than the allotted 140 characters. 3 stars. Good for distraction reading.
Profile Image for Katie Johnston.
23 reviews4 followers
March 28, 2010
I can't give a completely unbiased review, because I'm in the book, but I can say that this is a great one to pick up when you just want a quick laugh, and is also really fun to read all of the way through. Some of the funniest people on Twitter don't have millions of followers, or even thousands, and I think if people bothered look for and follow these everyday wits then they wouldn't complain that Twitter is just Ashton and Demi talking about their favorite types of sandwiches. This is a great way to see what's out there and see what people have done with 140 characters.
Profile Image for Sambasivan.
1,036 reviews39 followers
August 29, 2016
Amazing inspired set of quotes. Taken from multiple sources. A pure joy to read.
Profile Image for Abbe.
216 reviews
Read
September 21, 2012
SUMMARY: New York Magazine proclaims, "Twitter is the hot web company right now...the Next Big Thing;" the New York Times calls it "one of the fastest-growing phenomena on the Internet;" Time magazine claims "Twitter is on its way to becoming the next killer app;" and Newsweek notes that "Suddenly, it seems as though all the world′s a-twitter." Since its creation in March 2006, Twitter has unleashed a torrent of self-expression from its six million members around the world, who send and read each others′ "tweets," messages up to 140 characters in length. Friends use the site to make plans; relatives use it to stay connected; politicians use it to lobby for votes; and humorists use it to perfect their craft. In fact, Twitter users have reinvented the classic medium of the witticism in a site where anyone can be a Dorothy Parker or an Oscar Wilde. Twitter Wit is the first compilation of Twitter aphorisms, with submissions ranging from quotidian vignettes like "I bet in Sweden the Ikea instructions are in English" to bumper sticker-type quips like "I think the bird of love is the dove. My husband thinks it′s the swallow," and contributors ranging from celebrities like Shaquille O′Neal, Jimmy Fallon, Penn Jillette, John Cleese, and Steven Fry to regular people with previously unappreciated sharp tongues. Featuring a foreword by Twitter co-founder Biz Stone, this authorized anthology of the thousand most most clever and memorable "tweets" relates the diversity of human experience in hilarious bite-sized pieces.
Profile Image for Megalion.
1,479 reviews45 followers
April 1, 2016
I read this on the porch swing on a cool evening when the house got too warm for me. The door was left open so the dogs could come and go.

Halfway through I went back inside and my father immediately asked what I had been laughing at.

The mark of a good humor book for me is if it actually makes me laugh out loud, regardless if there's anyone around to look in askance at me.

As typical of compilations, I didn't get or find every tweet humorous but the majority tickled my funny bone. Thus I easily recommend this as a quick read or a "bathroom" book to read in short spans of time. I would recommend Justin Halpern's "Sh*T My Dad Says" first for twitter fun but this is a good 2nd place.

I read an epub version via library loan in the Overdrive system and the formatting was off which made it a little difficult to read properly. Be forewarned if you obtain this in the same way.
Profile Image for The Reading Countess.
1,809 reviews57 followers
May 31, 2010
My oldest son picked this title up for me as a gag when he was shopping at yet another bookstore closing a few months. I lay it aside after thumbing through a few pages, although we chuckled over a few (real) tweets in the book. This is a quick read, and I needed a chuckle today, so I read it in one sitting while nursing my sick youngest son. Since I am on Twitter (too much, according to my family), the book was hilarious. Some tweets would make this a not-for-young-eyes book (lesson learned the hard way...)

Samples:
I'd tell my ex to go fly a kite but he has problems keeping things up.
Well, the good news is that now I know what poison ivy looks like.
I don't trust the Easter Bunny. I think he's been hiding something from me.
When Morgan Freeman reads a book, whose voice is in his head?

You get the drift. Funny. Irreverent. Twitter Wit.
Profile Image for Hannah.
525 reviews15 followers
December 21, 2009
Obviously this book was very funny, as the tweets featured were the best of the best on offer, or at least, the wittiest of the witty. I liked the fact that after checking some of the profiles featured, not all the tweeters are famous or highly-followed, and the home-grown touch adds afeel of authenticity to the edition.

I wasn't very impressed or even interested in the "tips" for wittier tweeting, and I think these pages could have been left out. The purpose of the book wasn't to parade the best and inspire you to gain superior status in the twitter world, it was and ought to have been simply a showcase for amusing tweets. Still, an enjoyable albeit short read, and one that can be picked up again and again and leafed through for the sake of amusement.
Profile Image for Steph.
391 reviews
May 18, 2012
36 pages in and laughing my head off... mostly. There are some decidedly naughty tweets. And some frighteningly bodily-function-related that I don't really find funny. And the cusses. People aren't required to censor their language on twitter, so consider yourselves warned.

Overall, though, quite funny. The only problem is that now I'm ashamed that I don't have anything witty to say on my Facebook updates. Seriously. I need to find a way to train my brain to think in a more twisted, humorous way.

Here is one of my favorites from the book:
by someone called zolora: "Family will be here in two hours. There are not nearly enough spaces to hide things in this apartment. It's like I'm playing Shame Tetris."
Profile Image for Krista.
164 reviews4 followers
March 16, 2012
I love it when the Internet gives back to literature. Luckily, Douglas and I share the same sense of humor. His list of tweets is witty, dark and at-times controversial--everything I love about Twitter. It's like reading through a list of my favorite tweets list on Twitter. I laughed out loud a lot, and found some new people to follow.

I wouldn't recommend this for anyone who's not already on Twitter or is particularly sensitive. The tweets are San Francisco-centric at times. I loved that because I used to live there, but it may fall flat for some people. The introduction by one of the co-founders of Twitter was particularly interesting.
Profile Image for Julie.
565 reviews2 followers
May 31, 2015
Let's ne honest, I can't justify giving this more than a 3 star because I feel like that would be unfair to the books that I have given 5 stars. Don't get me wrong, i had a good giggle at a few of the tweets in this book, however, I am the generation that lives on Pinterest and buzz feed so I have seen much funnier tweets.
It was a good book, I flew through it in one night, so project catch up on my reading challenge is back to being on track haha
Profile Image for Shannon.
550 reviews109 followers
May 18, 2010
I hate myself. This is the last "book" I have completed. I am horrible.

This fucking thing was funny though. Minus the self-important introduction which extolled the virtues of Twitter like it's a revolution in communication rather than just another bullshit social networking site which I have major issues with because I am incapable of being succinct.


THE END.
Profile Image for dersteppenwolf.
188 reviews23 followers
March 4, 2011
Un compendio con los "mejores" tweets publicados en Twitter.
Un libro tan innecesario como "lo más buscado en las páginas blancas", un dvd conmemorativo con lo mejor de "el minuto de dios" o una obra de teatro basada en el Boletín del consumidor.
Profile Image for Patricia.
1,249 reviews35 followers
January 25, 2012
I must have been a Kindle Deal of the Day that I got for 99 cents or something. Definitely worth a buck. There were some witty tweets included and a few that were hilarious. I don't spend a lot of time on Twitter, so it was fun to read a compilation of the better tweets.
Profile Image for David.
124 reviews2 followers
June 3, 2013
#notworththebother Seriously, there are some interesting, even funny tweets in this book. But you'll find that tweets from your friends and others that you are following will give you more pleasure than reading all the tweets in this book.
Profile Image for Elliot Richards.
243 reviews1 follower
June 12, 2013
This book gave my eyes a good workout as they rolled upwards on every tweet I read. Clearly "brilliant wit" is subjective where this book is concerned; alas the only impression I got from all this was that Twitter is populated by idiots. I didn't even bother finishing it.
Profile Image for Ali Juma.
15 reviews2 followers
August 8, 2015
Buzzfeed-style listicle-type book, before Buzzfeed was a 'thing'.

Don't bother - it's junk. Nothing particularly witty or edgy about this collection of tweets. You're more liked to be amused looking at your own feed. Go follow @MedievalReactions or something.
Profile Image for Claudia.
100 reviews
September 5, 2018
If it's Twitter wit you want, here's your best option.

Here is a collection of actual clever people with a sense of humor and word dexterity. This is a quick read, silly, ridiculous, and a refreshing respite to help clear your head during your lunch hour at work.
Profile Image for Megan.
91 reviews25 followers
January 27, 2010
I needed a good laugh...and I found it here! There are some seriously witty people taking advantage of 140 character usage! Highly recommend for some laugh out loud reading!
Profile Image for John.
219 reviews
January 27, 2010
: "laugh out loud funny...some of the best Tweets you will find...good fun and easy read..."
Profile Image for Amanda.
203 reviews
March 7, 2010
I actually read through this book in the store one day. It was pretty much like reading a Facebook newsfeed of hilarious status updates.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 75 reviews

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