Image by luc legay via FlickrTwitter is the Wild West of social media. Everybody is using Twitter for everything. I think that’s why so many users find Twitter a trifle baffling – myself included. One characteristic of Twitter is emerging, though. Twitter is a one-stop shop for social media activity. Eventually it might compliment or even replace most other types of social media. Everyone knows Twitter is siphoning off blog comments, but that’s just the beginning. For instance …
- Why Stumble a post when you can Tweet it?
- Why join a LinkedIn Group or a Yahoo Group or a Google Group when you can use TweetDeck to form your own groups?
- Why chat on Facebook when you can chat on Twitter? It’s faster, easier, and works one on one or in groups.
- Why have a customer care blog when you can provide immediate customer response on Twitter?
Do you see other social media applications that Twitter can replace? Do you think folks are overwhelmed by the number of groups and websites they belong to and are looking for a one stop social media shop?
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Brad,
I am with you as regards the importance of Twitter. Today I was looking for Photoshop tutorials, and I used twitter search and immediately found some. But I think there is quite a difference between Twitter and Facebook: It is rather difficult to have 1:1 talks in Twitter – there is always somebody tweeting between. It is much easier in Facebook to have communications going on which go beyond throwing in the one or the other sentence. So I am using both. But I admit that might be a very subjective opinion.
Ulla Hennigs last blog post..The Lord of the Dance
Hi Ulla, Yes, I find Facebook fun for wall-to-wall conversations. But, you can do the same thing with Twitter “direct messages”. I’ll bet most people use both, but I tend to prefer Twitter just because people seem to be on it more regularly. Facebook has other things, like photos, that keep me coming back.
Brad Shorrs last blog post..Twitter – The One Stop Social Media Shop
Brad, as you know I love Twitter, and I go there as my main one stop shop. Esp as so many people are there now.
I don’t think it’ll replace blog content – or conversations actually. Sometimes I tweet a mention rather than commenting, but often I comment on new blogs because I’m in the mood to be chatty.
I still spend some time on Flickr – where you need the pics to have the conversations – but not LinkedIn (which I’ve never got) or FB (which I’ve never enjoyed).
Joanna Youngs last blog post..Audacious Faith in the Future
Hi Joanna, Yep – you got me going on Twitter and it was a great piece of advice. I’m thinking of summarizing my blog posts in a Tweet using all 140 characters … if people want the long version, they can have it. With regard to LI, my experience is that Twitter is more useful as a business connector/communication tool. Go figure.
Brad Shorrs last blog post..Twitter – The One Stop Social Media Shop
Brad,
I guess I am not really in a position to make a great deal of informed comment in this regard, considering that I am not personally registered for Twitter and hardly ever participate in any other form of social media.
That said, I’ll put forward my uninformed viewpoint. I would have thought that Joanna was right on about Twitter not replacing blog content or conversations in the near future.
I would have thought (though I could be wrong in my ignorance) that Twitter would have been more appropriate for short announcements or very brief forms of communication. Blogs, on the other hand, allow for a significantly greater level of depth and allow the author to express himself or herself with more freedom and in greater detail, without feeling such a significant level of constraint in terms of the brevity of his or her communication.
Andrews last blog post..How healthy is Apple’s disclosure?
I keep hearing everyone say how beneficial Twitter is, but I’m not seeing it. What am I doing wrong? I know part of the problem is I don’t visit often enough, but when I do try to block out some time for Twitter I don’t seem to be able to get involved in any conversations. I respond to someone and there it sits. Am I supposed to follow everyone they follow? That seems so cumbersome to me. I’m slowly trying to read blog posts on how to effectively use Twitter so thanks for this post. I really need someone to come to my house and hold my hand and walk me through it!
Debbie Yosts last blog post..Articles, Parties, and Giveaways
Hi Andrew and Joanna, I did not mean to imply that Twitter would replace blogging. What I meant by “siphoning off comments” is that many of the shorter, more superficial blog commenting that used to go on has now shifted over to Twitter (and other media as well). Before Twitter caught on, blog comments was one of the few places where folks could exchange pleasantries, pass along links, etc. This development is a good thing for blogging in my opinion, because it tends to encourage blog commenters to more relevant and in depth conversation.
Brad Shorrs last blog post..Twitter – The One Stop Social Media Shop
Hi Debbie, About 4-5 months ago, I was exactly where you are at now. It took me awhile to figure out how to use Twitter, and I’m still far from an expert. One thing that really helped was using TweetDeck. That allows you to set up user-defined subgroups. Out of my 500+ followers, there are certain ones I really want to keep close tabs on, so I set them up as a separate group. I have another subgroup for “World News” and another one for “Packaging”. That helps to keep Tweets from going unnoticed, but it’s not perfect. There are all sorts of tracking and monitoring tools available for Twitter – perhaps some other commenters can help you out with ideas. Hope it works out for you!
Brad Shorrs last blog post..Twitter – The One Stop Social Media Shop
Brad, I have been on Twitter for a year now and I have watched it evolve immensely. It is a useful tool and I think our challenge is harnessing all of these mobile conversations. FriendFeed is actually more conducive to relationship building and conversations but more people use Twitter. I still like reading blogs and having conversations there but many tweet comments rather than posting. I don’t spend any time on any of the Ning groups because having my own blog and being part of “real time” social media platforms like Twitter and Facebook is much more efficient and gratifying. In terms of tracking, tweetlater will email you when your keywords are tweeted. You set up alerts and it emails you allowing you to track your name, company name and your desired keywords – very handy.
Karen Swims last blog post..And the Theme is Love
Hi Karen, Tweetlater sounds like a fantastic tool – you sure know how to spot them. It’s really hard to spread yourself across so many social media platforms. Do you think we’re going through a winnowing process right now, or do you see more and more sites becoming popular?
Brad Shorrs last blog post..Twitter – The One Stop Social Media Shop
Brad,I think new users are still jumping into everything while experienced users have seemed to winnow down to the top tools (Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and FriendFeed) with each serving a different purpose. While apps exist that bring many of those together there is still not app that allows you to have multi-platform conversations and track and manage all contacts from a single destination.
Karen Swims last blog post..And the Theme is Love
I’d heard of tweet deck and really didn’t understand it. I’ll have to check it out and see if I can figure out how to set it up. Thanks for the suggestion. I’m wondering if there is a way to set up notifications of tweets that I am somehow missing. I’ve looked around a little but again, I’m somewhat lost.
(Plus, I just needed to leave another comment because I forgot to check follow last time!)
Hi Deb, Karen Swim’s comment above about Tweetlater might be what you’re looking for … I haven’t had time to check it out yet, but there are a number of Twitter add ons out there for every purpose you could think of.
Brad Shorrs last blog post..Twitter – The One Stop Social Media Shop
Debbie, tweetlater is wonderful. You don’t have to download anything to your computer, and you will get an email with all the @ replies to you. For example, I just got an email and it shows every @karenswim reply I received. So if I missed someone responding to me or starting a conversation I can view and respond to the tweet. Very handy for keeping up without being on Twitter all day.
Karen Swims last blog post..And the Theme is Love
Debbie, I wish I could transport myself to your house and sit with you for a while to help you get it… it’s hard to explain in words. It does require some patience though.
Do look out for folk who’ll chat back and see if they’re around when you are – just like you did with me earlier. @karenswim @bradshorr and @roberthruzek are all most conversational too.
Andrew – blogging and twitter are so different. I love twitter and I’d miss it if it wasn’t there, but if I had to chose, I’d hold on to my blog to the end. I hope I don’t ever have to chose though!
Joanna Youngs last blog post..Introducing the Theme for February: Tenacity
Ahhh … now I know why I have avoided Twitter. Joanna’s comment “It does require some patience though” explains my resistance. I have NO patience, and the thought of having lots of conversations/tweets going on at once makes me nervous.
I’m used to working alone in my office in a small portable building and having contact with other people only at church on Sundays and Wednesdays. My husband says I’ll do anything to avoid talking on the telephone.
Not anything, but I prefer to e-mail to phone any time.
Guess I’m just anti-social … but I love blogging and chatting with my blogging friends on their blogs and mine.
Lillie Ammanns last blog post..500 Posts … Now What?
Hi Lillie, If you don’t like talking on the phone, you might find Twitter to your liking. It’s a lot like chatting on a blog, only a bit faster. And if you’re looking for a way to practice your writing skills, boiling it down to 140 characters is a fabulous exercise. End of sales pitch.
Brad Shorrs last blog post..Twitter – The One Stop Social Media Shop
Ah, sharing the Twitter-love… so much can be said… I love it too, and as that combination of micro-blogging, conversation, and recommended link-sharing.
In addition to that love of concept though, I do ping-pong back and forth between
a) wishing the whole world used it as ubiquitously as email, for the two things complement each other wonderfully, and I wish many of my verbose emailers were on it!
b) frustration as a businesswoman who would *kill* to be in @ev’s place: The number of related apps there are is huge testament to how much better it can be, and how much opportunity is being lost.
Rosa Says last blog post..Set your price, charge it, and stand behind it
Hi Rosa, Good observation about the related apps. In a year or so I wonder if the best of those apps will be integrated into the original Twitter platform.
Brad Shorrs last blog post..Twitter – The One Stop Social Media Shop
Brad,
I hope you’re earning a commission from Twitter. You give an excellent sales pitch.
Lillie Ammanns last blog post..500 Posts … Now What?