I don’t get Twitter.
This morning there was an article by Erick Schonfeld called Biz Stone Plays It Cool On Colbert and I have to admit, I feel a little foolish professing this on a technology blog but I don’t really ‘get’ Twitter.
I think my problem ‘getting’ Twitter is that to me it’s a bunch of noise distracting me from my daily objectives. I already have an Instant Message client running as well as Skype, Facebook, an iPhone, iChat and my office phones. Not including my email, RSS subscriptions and usernet group updates … I guess in truth I just don’t understand the need for another source of chatter.
Please don’t get me wrong, I’m sure there’s got to be a purpose to it … I just don’t get it. I don’t think I’m alone either.
Biz Stone (Twitter) was on The Colbert Report last night and even he seemed unable to truly explain what the purpose of the popular social networking tool is. Jeremy Lichtman Lichtman has a point where he states there’s a high ‘noise to signal’ ratio, so maybe my issue with Twitter is the same issue I had as a kid when my uncle tried to get me to listen to the old Ham radio … maybe Twitter users are the modern, Internet version of dorky middle aged men talking to each other in closets?
Hi Christopher. My last name is spelled “Lichtman”. :)
Jeremy Lichtman’s last blog post..A Twittery Update
I didn’t understand Twitter either, not at first. Twitter takes a certain amount of effort. It requires building up enough of a Twitter stream to suit your personal tastes. If you step into Twitter thinking that you’re there just for technology info, example, you may not find it worthwhile because you already get plenty of that.
But if you’re also into surfing and spy novels and you connect with people who are into those things or write about those things, then you make connections you might not make otherwise. And those connections lead you to other connections, connections with people you might not ever connect with otherwise. And those people may lead to other people who are hysterically funny or always informative or a mix of those things.
And those people lead to others, and so on.
Different people use Twitter for different reasons. To some, it’s just a selling tool or a way to gauge their faux popularity by their number of follows, but those people are missing the point and can be disregarded.
Being on Twitter has led to many interesting offline connections with people I would never have met otherwise. Twitter has helped me find out about a lot of events and given me information I would have not uncovered on my own.
Yes, there is a lot of self-important twaddle going on about Twitter right now, but well used, it is far more than 140 character diary entries.
It is a wonderful way to communicate with people.
Marie Angell’s last blog post..Snakecharmers: Don’t often RT @chrisbrogan ’cause, let’s face it, everybody does, but this is exceptional advice: Pass the mic http://is.gd/qz46
@Jeremy My bad, I’ve corrected the spelling :)
@Marie – that’s an interesting way to look at it. I suppose much like Jeremy’s friend however I currently find the background static significant without hearing a lot of quality content. Perhaps the best way for me to make the most of Twitter is to start getting rid of people who I’m following that ‘pollute the stream’?
Maybe trimming the stream for a while would help (you’re likely to build it back up again over time though).
I also think there is a certain element of personality. My husband (a hardcore engineer) doesn’t get Twitter and never will. He doesn’t want all that stuff coming at him.
So it ain’t for everybody, that’s true.
Marie Angell’s last blog post..Snakecharmers: Don’t often RT @chrisbrogan ’cause, let’s face it, everybody does, but this is exceptional advice: Pass the mic http://is.gd/qz46
I think one thing to note is that many of the really serious Twitter users do not use it by logging into Twitter – they use third party apps, as well as plugins to their blogs etc.
I tend to view Twitter as being one out of a large number of things that I automatically tie into social media campaigns. It can be a good way to let people know when you’ve posted a new blog entry etc.
Niche-wise, its a more than a little like SMS. I didn’t initially get SMS either, until my wife started sending me short messages to let me know what was going on; its a useful and quick way of informing somebody about something. And just like there are occasionally SMS spammers, there are people who use Twitter in that manner as well.
Jeremy Lichtman’s last blog post..A Twittery Update
I love the fact that I can follow people who are great writers, or share the same interests and somehow I kind of like it. You should use a twitter client such as twhirl which enables you to presort messages. Twitter is not necessary, it’s just something that evolves naturally and can be used to tell things that are too short and useless for a blog post.
I just posted a good guide on MSB about using Twitter…it’s the contents of a full ebook which you do NOT have to download. You just scroll through to read ;)
Also, this morning I found a neat little app that gets you more Twitter followers…check these things out and let me know what you think!
Caleb (Market Secrets Blogger)’s last blog post..Your Twitter Starter Kit
While we’re on the topic, a couple of useful tools (especially if you also use the Wordpress plugins for them) for social media: ping.fm and dandyid.
When building a marketing campaign on behalf of clients, I tend to start with a blog, tie it into ping.fm, and from ping.fm I build a network of inter-related social media sites. Then I use dandyid to track it all.
Jeremy Lichtman’s last blog post..A Twittery Update
I also don’t get Twitter at all! Reading a bunch of mundane shoutouts like “I’ve had a hearty breakfast” – who cares about that? LOL!
But from a marketing perspective, Twitter has a great purpose. You can link your site to your profile and of course, you’ll get hits from that.
Twitter works when you use it to interact, post a question on Twitter and the respinses are amazing.
Finding people in twitter is not so easy. As the geographic, business, etc is not available at all.
Atniz’s last blog post..Page Rank Ying Yang
Hi Atniz,
There are many places on the web where you can find groups of people to subscribe to on Twitter. One example: http://twittgroups.com/directory.php
I don’t think I’ll ever use Twitter… I don’t have the time and nobody cares what I had for lunch or that I’m giving my dog a bath, though that might make for a good YouTube video :P
I have already used Twitter to network drastically, let alone how addictive it is, thats why I recommend it.
you can also argue it helps you learn how lame you are sometimes because you catch yourself posting really lame and useless info haha
Dylan’s last blog post..Poke Her Face
Hi Christopher, twitter ain’t so bad anymore for me. I don’t have many followers, but I’m still trying to get the hang of it.
I don’t get Twitter either! I think Twitter is a blogging alternative gone bad. I guess we will see.
Joe’s last blog post..Innovative Golf Lifestyle at Horn Rapids, Richland, WA
A few celebrities seem to use it on an hourly basis but I can’t see what they get out of it. Most people I know use Facebook and previously MySpace. Maybe they will all migrate to Twitter in the coming months.
Finally, I’m not alone! I don’t get it either. Like you said, it must have a purpose, since it’s wildly popular. But I just don’t see the need to use it. So I don’t.
Jim @ Best Teeth Whitener’s last blog post..Best Teeth Whitening – An Overview
Twitter is a good tool to be in touch with people you know in real life and to find new friends. With it its more easy to do than with original IM tools.
Webkinz’s last blog post..Surprise Saturday at the Ganz eStore, April 4th
I have been observing the general atmosphere on Twitter for some time now and have come to the following conclusions:
1. It is probably the easiest and fastest way to gain exposure for a business
2. It is highly addictive
3. The ones who have the largest following are not only making regular tweets, but are continually offering creative, engaging, and informative posts.
Accident Injury Claim’s last blog post..About us
To be honest, I still don’t get Twitter either. I mean, who really cares what you’re eating or if you’re dog just right?
I guess people just feel that others might be interested in these “important” things that happen in their lives…
Phil – Facts About Ants’s last blog post..How to Get Rid of Sugar Ants
I should add an update to my previous comment. I am trying Twitter now for one site and, so far, the results aren’t great. Looks like I have more research to do…
FoxNewsBoycott’s last blog post..Bill O’Reilly’s Math
I really do not get what this Twitter is about either. I tried go to the homepage, but not very informative. Think I’ll skip Twitter for now and concentrate on more important things :)
casper’s last blog post..A Couple Of Basics For Good Advertisements
My only concern about twitter is… getting users from twitter to your website. I’d imagine a fair share of them would just stay on twitter as opposed to actually going out to your website. In my opinion… the goal from twitter is to get the user base to your website.
Till then,
Jean
twitter drives me mad, i dont care that your cat looks depressed today lol!
Brett’s last blog post..Threat Level raised to 5
I use twitter very successfully for research.
I use tweetdeck and have set up a panel for searches. I have a regular search going on my keywords. For example photography.
When I have a few minutes I may browse through the tweets under photography and follow through on any links that sound interesting.
I have found many interesting sites I probably would not have otherwise run into AND have found a few people I have invited to be guest experts on my blog.
Freelance Biz’s last blog post..Moo Cards
@ Freelance biz. It is nice to hear someone is actually using twitter to obtain info also, instead of just promoting his/hers own site or products. Twiiter is useful for many things if used properly
Casper @mymoneyblog.info’s last blog post..Twitter Traffic Machine – Working or Scam?
Twitter is good for socialising and getting to know business minded people however some people overused it and they got blocked. :(