To Tweet or Not to Tweet… What’s the Big Deal?

Interesting read…laughing at the “I just don’t know where THEY find the time”.   I used to say that - i STILL say that.  I’ve heard other social media gurus say it as well, so IMHO that thought isn’t totally crazed.   Alas, it really is a simple answer…it is merely doing things differently.  You don’t find time, you make time.  The age-old challenge is to make the time.

Another interesting point that you make is on the educational/marketing value of Twittering.   I have found a wealth of information in Twitter posts- where i question the point is on the ’trivial’ posts…the ‘just landed at the airport’.  Unless that Tweet is from someone that i am tasked to pick up at the airport, I really see no point.  That isn’t a trivial post - that is an oblitatory Tweet so you have a post.  I don’t mind trivial posts, don’t get me wrong - it is when the apparent trivial posts outnumber the meaningful ones.

Off to build a persona…but it’s hard to find the time! ;)    

I enjoyed reading this post, as many people have many different ideas about the power of Twitter.  Three people I started following over the last month researched me and my company, then commented directly to me, and a short “discussion” followed.  These tweeple had never heard of Intelecare before, and were keen on our services.  That is power.  I have @ to a few tweets, and gotten direct responses from media types that I would never be in contact with without Twitter.  I have learned so much about social media and technology over the last few months on Twitter, that it has become another feed for news - ie. today all the tweets about Cuil.  I try to write tweets that have merit and value to those following me - not just “eating a sandwich”, “walking the dog” - although those were my tweets for the first few weeks when no one followed me.  I think Twitter can be as important to you as you make it.  
@knightsicre
ps.  I am following you.

@Melissa if you laughed then obviously you have a superior sense of humor. 

For me, the time finds me.    Oddly during agency presentations where the presenter if a bit of a talker… can’t help but multi-task and get a tweet off.

Next time I land at an airport I’ll try to remember to keep it relevant; perhaps a critique of restrooms

@Alex Sicre.  Great points!  “Twitter can be as important as you make it.”  That sums it up for me.  Also your point on direct tweets is a good one.  I have a number of productive projects and tasks that were initiated from direct tweets.

I’ll have to agree that “Twitter is as important as you make it.” At times it is challenging to sift through the “noise” but ultimately I find great value in being able to “follow” my like-minded peers and stay up to date on what matters most to them and vice versa.  I’ve also found great value in being able to network and meet people I may not have otherwise… The “trival” tweets are the ones that allow your followers to see a more personal and human side to you … at the end of day, we’re all connected through a piece of hardware, right? so it’s kinda nice to see the more personal side. It becomes an issue though when the tweets get out of control and there is not enough valuable information being shared… If you are brushing your teeth, that’s great but I probably don’t need to know about it

Some people are willfully ignorant. If they don’t see why they’d want to use something, you’ll never convince them otherwise. It’s easier to give up and instead pay attention and effort into people who WANT to learn new things, and make themselves smarter.

Oh, and make people watch this video if they still don’t understand how or why Twitter could possibly be useful:

http://www.commoncraft.com/Twitter

@Deanna Belle.  Agreed, and how does someone get a tweet off when brushing thier teeth anyway?  A feat of multi-tasking that I have yet to master.

@Josh Bancroft some willfully ignorant, some blissfully ignorant.  I still think there are those who want to learn new things and try new tools who just haven’t gotten the full message yet.  Perhaps my ignorance.

You my friend are one of those way ahead of the curve.  And Common Craft is awesome.  Thanks for including!

The funny thing about the “where do they find the time” part is that Twitter is so the best mini-break there is.

Unlike anything else you can do to distract yourself, procrastinate, goof off or otherwise not be working on “the thing” (you know, the THING), it only takes a few seconds to type one semi-clever sentence.

Or if you want to check in and catch up with people it’s still a quickie five minute break. I totally see Twitter as an efficiency trick (shorter breaks!) rather than a time suck.

The trick is, like with any party, avoid the boring people and find the ones who will make you laugh, think and reflect.

Great blog Bob.  I was at first one of those people who had trouble figuring out what value can come from updating others about my life, and also feared the online stalker scenarios.  Luckily both of those fears so far have been ok, and my embrace of twitter and similar tech I believe is helping my greater goals of getting my voice to be of interest. 
-Jason
http://twitter.com/ecmf http://intel.com/go/emerge

@Havi Brooks (and duck).  I like your party analogy.  That is totally the case you learn to follow the right people. 

I do have to remember to do that at parties however, I tend to get cornered into conversations where I really wish I could get that time back. 

I almost responded to you (notice I didn’t say, “this post”) in Twitter. WONDERFUL explanation! Do you find more people responding to you in Twitter after you post? I do. I think, “and why aren’t you commenting on my damn blog?” It’s because they want to talk to ME, not my blog.

Oh, man. I know. I mean, Twitter = party? Best analogy ever. But then I have to stop and remember that — for a mad Twitter fan — I actually don’t like parties.

Maybe it’s more like a giant cafe. Point is: you don’t want to be the person sitting alone in the corner saying that you don’t get why anyone would go to a cafe when you could just have coffee at home and it would be cheaper. Or something.

@Gia Lyons, my base followers seem to be commenting on Twitter. 

Interesting point that a reply to a Tweet is talking to you.  That makes sense.

Bob, I just wanted to thank you for writing this article. I forwarded it on to my colleagues in the marketing department because despite my efforts to educate them on how to use twitter, they still have trouble understanding why twitter is so important — and consistently ask the question about “time”.

I do have to note despite being an early adopter, that it takes time and practice to begin to grasp how one will make use of twitter. Everyone has to hone their own style and personality and I tend to emphasize that people not simply copy what others do but develop their own “online identity” so to speak.

Cheers.

@Ehren Cheung Glad you found the post helpful.  You have a good point on developing your own identity online.  It does take time but I find after awhile it becomes easier because in the end you are just being yourself.

@Bob Duffy - Yeah, I haven’t quite mastered that yet myself but I’m working on it

I realize it took me awhile to jump into the fray here, but I really wanted to make a considered response to this post. I am someone who makes his living in new media/social media both as a consultant and producer of content. It is in my DNA to try and stay abreast of just about everything ever, and I try and keep an open mind about new technologies, etc. The biggest eye-opener lately for me has been how little traction things like Twitter have in the “real world.” All of us who blog, comment on blogs, evangelize about blogs and other forms of SM communication can sometimes get stuck in our echo chamber and think that everyone is where we are. The reality is no one (comparatively) is where we are. 20% of the US population does not even use e-mail and never has. Traction is tough to get and even tougher to maintain as every week brings a new Twitter-type thing-y. My personal experience with Twitter has been neither positive nor negative. I find that for me, it provides me virtually no value (I say “virtually,” not “completely”) but I am hanging in there in the hopes that the worm turns. 99% of the people I know or are related to are neither interested nor directly affected by all the things that readers of this blog (I suspect) are so passionate about. iPhones, Drobos, AppleTvs, FriendFeed, RSS readers…I mean, we may as well be speaking German to them. I don’t mean to get too far afield with this comment, but I remain incredibly skeptical about the penetration of Twitter into the mainstream. Comcast uses it? So what? Way too little, too late. My friend is having a latte? Yawn. Helpful links to valuable content are always welcome and, I believe, Twitter’s chief benefit, as you point out, Bob. But a certain amount of fatigue sets in after awhile and can we really follow, or care to follow, 100+ people? I COMPLETELY agree that, as a marketer, you can build trust by tweeting. But to whom? To a geek niche (like me and all of you, probably) who love this stuff and seek it out. But effective marketing cannot be hidden. It has to be out in the open and easily accessible. There is nothing easy about Twitter to your mom. It’s confusing and weird and too much trouble. I wanna believe. I really do. But so far I have not found a compelling argument that leads me to believe that it will ever be more than a small club of true believers. Not that their money doesn’t spend like everyone else’s or that their opinions don’t count. But in an increasingly fragmented world, Twitter is and probably will forever be a tiny shard of glass in a Chartres-size stained glass window.

@Matthew Chamberlin thanks for the thoughtful post.  I think you offer a fair perspective.  I think your point can be applied to conversational marketing overall as well.  We do need a better understanding of how to measure the business impact of Twitter and other social networking tools.   Dion Hinchcliffe has some good data on how social networks can create a network effect and far exceed the influence of traditional media.  I believe Twitter plays in this space.

I see conversational marketing is an evolution of the phone call, the conversation during a golf game, and a the buzz that happens from hosting a business event.  This all relates to the network effect Dion discusses.  And much of the effect is extended offline.   It’s the message, website, and information that gets forwarded through more traditional means but is brokered on Twitter.  I’ve followed tweet links to blog sites that have had to shut down comments and plead with visitors to slow down the conversation all spurred by conversations started on Twitter. (I found the link in my post via Twitter from a key influencer and you can how the chatter overwhelmed the author). 

It’s not the end all and be all.  It’s another tool to consider and I would say the business value is experimental at this stage.  I can tell you that I have had created relationships with folks that are impacting business decisions via Twitter.   I have also sustained relationships with folks because of Twitter.  Twitter seems to have a stickiness to it. 

Like many social media tools.  The impact is hard to measure because much of the effect is outside the tool itself.  So more than just shard of glass, or reaching a small fragmented audience, I believe you are not seeing the forrest through the trees.  Twitter can have a significant viral effect, and reach the long tail to get to that one client, vendor, etc that can be a difference.

Adoption and feeling your connected to this fabric of conversation often the missing piece for many people.  The change for me was when I installed a Twitter client (Twhirl) on my desktop and enabled phone access.  The tweets came to me and keep me engaged in the dialogue in real time.  With that it becomes a stream of information that is much more accessible, valuable and palatable. 

I do think you bring a pragmatic view to this discussion, and I believe one worth consideration and one many folks are struggling with.  If you don’t have a Twitter client like Twhirl, perhaps that will get you more connected.

However I stand by my assertion that there is valuable information being exchanged on Twitter. which is largely not understood and as a marketer I believe it an effective way to personalize your brand to key influencers. 

Bob-

Thanks for your response. I actually use Twitterific from my iPhone (which is WAY better than the old crappy iPhone interface) and from the desktop I just post from Twitter’s home page, which is fine.

True story: not 10 minutes after making my post here, I followed a pretty hysterical series of tweets made by Merlin Mann mimicking a typical day’s programming on NPR. Actually laughed out loud.

But, of course you’re correct. Twitter isn’t the end of the discussion. What makes the whole 2.0 thing interesting and viable and (gasp! I’m gonna say it…) SCALABLE is that there are myriad tools for all of us. Different strokes for different folks, as it were. You don’t like blogs? OK, here’s Twitter. Don’t like Twitter, OK here’s FriendFeed, etc. And there is the constant thrill of discovery that is accelerated among people like us, but equally exciting for our moms when they realize that they can do stuff online they never even considered.

I have posted about a topic on my own blog many times before that I think is a part of this thread, and that is the sometimes “winner take all” mentality of new apps. I am a firm believer that most 2.0 apps are additive. Just like TV did not kill radio and the internet did not kill books (although it might be giving a fair dose of hemlock to newspapers), the success of one medium does not NECESSARILY imply the death of another one. It’s a simple minded narrative that the press likes to pick up on, but it is a total straw man.

Anyhow, thanks for the post, and I will keep tweeting and hope to get more value out of it.  @mchamberlin if you’re so inclined.