Twitter gets the manga treatment in Japan
Those in Japan daunted by communicating in 140 characters or less now have a comic book to guide them
This comic page asks the age old Twitter question, are you a follower or a leader?
Next weekend, Japanese Tweeters will be able to pick up “Tsuitta! -- 4 Koma de Tanoshimu Tonari no Twitter” ("The Joy of Twitter in a Four-Panel Comic") for ¥819 ($9.55).
The title, by manga artist Ajiko Kojima, explains to those daunted by the "new" medium how to get started on Twitter, what it can be used for and -- crucially for Japan -- how to play nicely with others.
Tsuitta! follows hard on the heels of the first ever Twitter manga, Yoko Gendai’s “Mitaka no Chushin de Nau O Tsubuyaku” ("I Tweeted ‘Now’ at the Heart of Mitaka.")
The ¥998 ($11.65) comic gives a similar take on the Twitter scene, but appears slightly more focused on the practicalities of following the right kind of people and on the mechanics of writing to fit the Tweet box.
Both manga offer light-hearted takes on the U.S.-led but increasingly Japan-heavy service, making particularly clear that Twitter can be about a whole lot more than what we all had for breakfast.
Anyone looking for a little more Tweet action can find your author’s streams in either English or Japanese and don’t forget the CNNGo Twitter account right here.
There’s still no escaping the Fail Whale.
Tweeting about where you are ‘Now’ is annoyingly popular in Japan.
