What the Heck is Twitter, Besides an Ego Distillery?
December 28, 2007 – 6:02 pmIn the book, we only dedicate a couple of pages to micro-blogging, and specifically Twitter. That’s because it’s a new service, only hip among geeks, and, well, we had a lot to cover. Here’s a bit of what we said:
As of November 2007, Twitter and its competitors are just beginning to see mainstream adoption. Frankly, it’s too early to say how commonplace these services will become in marketing efforts. Unless you’re marketing to geeks—or your customers ask for it—we’d recommend caution in expending too many resources on micro-blogging.
We discuss a couple of media-related case studies as well. I may have to change our tune in three to six months, but much like Second Life, I don’t think there’s enough value in spending time on Twitter for the average, non-technology marketer. It’s just a little early in the adoption curve to spend serious time on micro-blogging. If you’ve got the resources, great, but I think you’re going to probably enjoy better return on your invested time elsewhere.
Regardless, Vanessa Fox (who we quote in the book on another topic) has written up a lengthy, insightful post (and associated podcast) covering all the basics. I’ve already bookmarked this as a reference when we expand the micro-blogging section in version 2.0. Here’s part of Vanessa’s answer to a question about how brands can use Twitter:
If nothing else, you can use it to track conversations about you. Natala, for instance, mentioned that she often Twitters about Alaska Airlines, as she flies a lot (I have no idea what that’s like; heh). Alaska could track mentions of them to see what people are saying - if they’re having good or bad experiences and how discussions about those experiences are impacting brand perception.
On a personal note, I have very mixed feelings about Twitter. I’ve found that it’s kind of an Ego Distillery. Blog posts, obviously, tend to be pretty self-centered. But because Twitter is restricted to 140-characters per post, it really seems to bring out the self-importance in everyone.
Twitter asks the question “what are you doing?” I find that the answer is too often “something really important”.
That’s why I only post quotations from songs and poems in my own Twitter account. It ensures that I don’t add to my already burgeoning self-centered online presence, and my Twitter followers probably enjoy a break from the banalities of their friends and colleagues lives.
Tags: alaska airlines, Microblogging, twitter, vanessa fox
5 Responses to “What the Heck is Twitter, Besides an Ego Distillery?”
Good points, but like every new technology it takes a little while for people to figure out how to make it usefull for others. I think that it will come. We are getting used to the fact that our attention spans are becoming smaller and Twitter fall into that mode. I don’t use Twitter, but I’ve been contemplating it. Maybe I’ll give it a go in a couple months, but for now I agree - there are better ways to use my time.
By Karl Staib I Your Happiness is Important on Dec 31, 2007
All promotion involves the ego to some extent, perhaps the best self-publicists are the most egotistical among us. And whilst none of us want to be labelled egotistical, social media marketing is fundamentally a promotional activity and necessarily involves self-belief/self-importance.
Moreover, identity and ego are tightly bound and one of the bedrocks of social media is the formation and expression of identity.
Therefore whilst I agree with almost everything in this post, I have a different attitude to the phenomenon you articulate.
What I love about micro-blogging is that I get to connect with my peers in an easy and informal way. I enjoy the insight into what Tantek Çelik is doing, thinking, reading or feeling and I benefit from the mildly intimate connection that micro-blogging offers.
I also consider you guys to be peers but I’m not at all sure I care to follow the “quotations from songs and poems in [your] own Twitter account”. I can find that stuff anywhere. I would much rather receive daily micro-posts that tell me more of who you are - egotistical or otherwise.
And now for a bit of self-promotion … follow me if you care to at http://twitter.com/madhavaji
By madhavaji on Jan 5, 2008
i think you might be following boys. or egomaniacs. try again. lots of nice information flow/education AND good watercooler chitchat for those of us who call the internet our office.
By jen lemen on Jan 26, 2008