Thoughts on Twitter……
For me, 2008 has been the year I have really got in to Twitter. I started around May, when I was at a conference in Lausanne. It was such a hot topic of conversation that I felt uncomfortable that I wasn’t using it. Other people were incredulous at my lack of knowledge about this microblogging site (micro what?) and what really shocked me - yes ’shocked’ is not too strong a word - was how conference delegates were greeting each other like they were greeting their bestest friends ever, and yet later it transpired that it was the first time they had met. But they had formed a friendship via Twitter. Over a drink in the bar at the conference, I did meet a guy who speculated that really it is Americans who love Twitter as their culture means that they can talk endlessly and unselfconsciously about themselves, whereas Europeans are far more reserved. I wasn’t too sure about his theory, but we agreed to persevere. Anyway, I signed up in May and then ….. had no idea what to say, and so was still just as sceptical as ever. . Now, seven months later, I am a Twitter convert. But I have to say it has been a really long process, and its only recently that I have become comfortable with it. I mean, isn’t following people a bit like stalking? Yes, I guess so but in a good way. What do I like about Twitter? Firstly - its fun! It’s a good way to just take a minute out of the day, like saying a quick hello to friends, in a ‘how are you, what’s new’ kind of way. Secondly, you can eavesdrop and find out what people are up to even if you dont ‘know’ them. How good is that? Thirdly, I find it’s a great way to link to new information - great blogs, reviews, announcement etc that are recommended to you by the people you follow. The chances that these are relevant are pretty high as you are choosing to follow people because there is something about them that you find interesting. Its like reading over someones shoulder, without being really annoying. Lastly, is it just me, but Twitterers seem really friendly, nice, supportive, and fun? That’s my selling job on all the warm and cosy stuff. There’s also some real tangible commercial benefits that are happening. Coworkers here at Old Broadcasting House have made contacts which have led to real contracts for work. You can get to hear about opportunities as soon as they come up. A quick Google search will throw up many articles on how to use Twitter for marketing, to build your brand, etc etc. But before you get carried away with that, you really should just try it for yourself. Why not make a New Year Resolution to try Twitter? It’s definitely more fun than the gym. By the way, Twitter and more will be covered in our new Going Social course running in the New year.
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2008 was the year that I too suddenly ‘got’ Twitter. I first ventured onto Twitter mid-way through 2007 but just couldn’t see its value. A lot of pointless noise, I thought, and left it alone.
But the buzz that started building up around the platform this year persuaded me to give it another go. I was reading so many articles from people whose opinion I respect all raving about Twitter that I thought there *must* be something in it. But I was still a skeptic.
Then I attended an event at OBH that not only lead to me joining the coworking space (great move) but also start following a bunch of interesting people, most of whom are freelancers (like me). Suddenly it all started to make sense. I had a stream of tweets coming in which were genuinely useful and I was starting to participate in discussions on topics that are interesting and useful to me.
Since then, the number of people that I follow – and who follow me – has grown. It now stands at around 160, most of whom I have never met and would be unlikely to meet in real life. But the relationships I have with these people are just as valid and worthwhile as any of my business contacts. Almost all of the contacts I have on Twitter are of interest to me professionally rather than personally – it is definitely a business network for me.
And I think this is a key point. Until you connect with the people who are interesting to you, whatever field you are in, you’ll think it a noisy waste of time. Twitter itself has no intrinsic value; it’s the connections you make with people that matter.
Twitter seems to really polarise opinion. People tend either to dismiss it as a waste of time or evangelise about how great it is. But most evangelists I know started as skeptics.
Just a follow-up to my previous comment…
This graph of my tweetstats reveals how my usage of Twitter has grown since I’ve started to realise its value.
Take a look at last year’s use. I just didn’t engage and consequently didn’t understand.
http://tweetstats.com/graphs/jrward