About social networking, I’m not all a’ Twitter
A self-described “data geek” analyzed 10 million web users to determine their online surfing habits. He came to the conclusion that social networking sites have dethroned pornography for the top searches on the web.
This messes up my whole world. Not only does it negate the beautiful lyrics from the musical “Avenue Q” where Trekkie reveals “The Internet is for Porn,” but it also puts me further behind in my attempts to keep up with social networking.
According to Wikipedia, “A social network service focuses on building online communities of people who share interests and activities, or who are interested in exploring the interests and activities of others. Most social network services are web based and provide a variety of ways for users to interact, such as e-mail and instant messaging services.” You can belong to hundreds, if not thousands of social networking sites.
I keep reading articles about how businesses need to create a presence on Facebook and MySpace. I tried, but I really don’t see the point. And that’s the problem. For the first time in my life, I’m letting new technologies pass by (not counting that whole electronic gaming phenomenon, which I never embraced either). I used to be the first kid on the block to download the MP3 or to figure out how to spam customers with Microsoft Word mail merge capabilities. I figured out applications over a weekend and came into an office with ideas for customization of our software to make us work faster and better.
But I just can’t figure out how writing 140 characters in Twitter (they call it micro-blogging) will help me find customers.
Twitter is really the biggest mystery for me. The concept is that you write little bitty updates via the web or your phone. And people who follow you see your updates and maybe respond. People keep signing up to follow me on Twitter. I have no idea why. One of my recent updates was about the fact that I misplaced my deodorant for three days and didn’t know it. Who gives a crap? I thought I wrote riveting Twitters about my approach to the San Diego airport days after D.J. and I broke up in April. Will he be there? Won’t he? What will I do? Only one person Twittered back. She said my Twitters were kind of sad, as in pathetic, I think.
And it’s not like the people I’m following are saying profound things. When we had the conference here in town a couple of weeks ago, I kept getting Twitters like, “Having breakfast” and “It’s so pretty here.” Why do I need messages like that going to my cell phone as texts? Even the semi-serious Twitters seem ridiculous, such as “Wow — just had a great meeting on social responsibility. Made me think.” Is that a full thought? I think not.
Twitter was a big communication conduit during the Los Angeles area earthquake this summer. The government has started Twittering, and Twitter is fast becoming a very rapid way to get instant news.
See if you can figure it out…
- Follow avenuez on Twitter
- Corporations take note: Twitter is here
- Everything you need to know about Twitter
- The 7 different kinds of Twitter users
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D.J. on 16 Sep 2008 at 7:19 am #
I am not all a’ twitter either. In fact, if anyone sent me little half statements on my phone, I would hunt them down and throw their phone in the ocean.
It is a craze that I choose to do without, as it is certainly not needed and a complete waste of time.
Should I tell you how I really feel about this?
D.J.
steph on 16 Sep 2008 at 8:32 am #
I thought this was hilarious!! “Who gives a crap?” HAHAHAHA!!
Indeed. I totally agree. I blog and that’s it. I couldn’t care less about the other stuff. Hard enough to keep track of myself let alone the blogs and whatever else, and yeah, I’m not one for little tidbits of useless info or small talk.
chris uschan - Omnipress on 16 Sep 2008 at 11:11 am #
Beth - I’ve been hearing the buzz at ASAE on twitter for two years now. So I signed up to twitter and with the help of Lindy Dreyer and twitter in plain english, I kind of got it.
RIGHT?
Well, let’s say it was a less than fun experience. I started following association bloggers, then viola, I have 30 people following me (why?). I thought I’d set up my phone to get tweets… big mistake! I have this cool door bell (ding dong) sound for new messages — you guessed it. My phone was ding donging every 5 to 10 minutes. I disabled that for almost everyone (except you Beth) since most messages were categorized in two ways: (1) meaningless such as “These lines are long and I’m hungry” and (2) Linked tweeks … For the cell phone guy, this does my little good. For my downloaded Twirl application, I can at least follow it.
However, let’s talk about that. At work, on average, I get about 30 internal messages and 45 emails a day. That’s about 20 and 30 too many messages already. Then add in the blogs I should be reading and top that off with 30 tweets. Whoa!
I guess if I followed a close group of friends and colleagues who twittered appropriately and with a purpose, it would make sense.
That’s me…
Check out Lindy’s post on Twitter and associations… it may be helpful.
http://associationmarketing.blogspot.com/2008/08/associations-using-twitter.html
BTW — this comment would have taken up 13 tweets.
Lindy Dreyer on 16 Sep 2008 at 11:45 am #
Great post! I have to say…until about five months ago, I was in your camp. But consider this—who are the people most likely to become addicted to Twitter? People who socialize online. They’re likely introverted in person, but get them in front of a computer and they have quite a lot of influence over their circle of followers. And, by the way, it’s not so difficult to end up with hundreds and hundreds of Twitter followers. Much easier than building a blog audience, for example.
That said, it’s not for everyone…especially considering all the “noise” it creates. What got me hooked? Following a couple of key thought leaders who make it their mission to tweet web links that are relevant to their expertise. I think there’s an opportunity for some associations to be that thought leader for their Twitter audience.
Thanks for continuing the conversation!
Koka Sexton on 16 Sep 2008 at 1:35 pm #
Thanks for adding me to your list of Twitter resources. Twitter has a slight learning curve but once you get connected to some friends, it becomes addicting.
Rebecca Eberle on 16 Sep 2008 at 7:28 pm #
How funny! I am at this very moment attending a women’s networking event that had a guest lecture on social media. I’ve never heard of twitter before twenty minutes ago.
bc on 16 Sep 2008 at 8:46 pm #
Beth, I used to be the same way, and then I accidentally (thank you @matthewbaldwin - of http://www.defectiveyeti.com fame) started following some of the brightest, quirkiest, funniest, and most influential techie people on the planet. And now … I get at least 100 twitters a day on my phone that never got any use before — and I like it. A LOT. I can’t believe I’m even writing this because 6 months ago I thought twitter was even lamer than Facebook. (I still think Facebook is lame, BTW). And, true story, I still don’t use don’t use IM, either.
I’m afraid that makes ME the introverted eccentric techie.
Like that’s news at all.
Rebecca Smith on 17 Sep 2008 at 4:35 am #
Beth,
I’m totally with you. Running a writing business and blog (as well as a home, family, dog, etc.) is enough responsibility for me. To Twitter I say, No Twank you.
Lynn Morton on 17 Sep 2008 at 10:47 am #
I have a Twitter. Do I use it much? No. I don’t tweet that often, but I do read what other people Tweet about. Though in some cases I could find that on Facebook. (I used think Facebook was lame too, but now I’ve found what purpose it serves in my life)
I think for Twitter it depends on what kind of tweet you want to write. It is great for sharing quick links, letting people know where you are (like at a conference), general updates or quick opinions. They are very similar to me as status updates on Myspace or Facebook. It all depends on whether or not you want to be personal or professional with your tweets.
I also think that you can use Twitter for updates on what is happening with the association. It’s a great service that you can incorporate a widget onto the association’s website to keep up-to-date on events or legislative happenings. It doesn’t have to happen on Twitter, but quick updates make people feel like they are involved.
Inter-office communication can also benefit from a product like StatusHQ, which is basically Twitter for your office. I would love to know when my co-workers are working on certain projects and what I can do to facilitate that. I had heard of this product before (though I forget where), but Maddie Grant wrote a quick little blog on it.
I hope you find you voice in the Twitter world, but if not there is always Plurkistan. (which i use for more personal musings)