My Twitter Odyssey…
January 19th, 2009 | Posted by Ryan La Rosa
Admittedly, I have been mostly absent from the Twitter conversation to this point. But with its ever-growing popularity, I figured I’d give it another shot, fully engage and see if I can find the real value. Turns out what I’ve really found after a couple weeks of participation is that a conversation between good and evil seems to be taking place on my shoulders.
On one side is the angel, happy with the fact that I’ve made a few connections, talked with people that I otherwise wouldn’t have and shared some information. Mostly, these connections have been an exchange of pleasantries, but I get the idea. Having someone acknowledge you (and you them) is fulfilling.
On the other side though is the devil. And I have to admit, he’s talking a whole lot louder than the angel. What I honestly see on Twitter is a bunch of people calling themselves experts who post links from various sites that usually have little to no connection with themselves. To put it bluntly, many seem to have an RSS feed set up to provide them information on a given topic that they then post to Twitter. Does posting a link make you an expert?
I’m a marketing guy. I get why people are doing this, especially marketing people (who seem to occupy much of the Twitter conversation). Positioning yourself as an expert is akin to finding the holy grail of marketing. It’s what we’re all after. But for me, the ultimate benefit of Twitter is that it has shown me just how few experts are truly out there.
Anyone can set up an RSS to capture links, then race to post them on Twitter in an effort to get out ahead of the countless others undoubtedly posting the same material. My problem with Twitter is that no one has really figured out how to use it. How do you really use Twitter to position yourself as an expert? More disturbing is the fact that there are a lot of real experts out there engaging with Twitter whose insights I really do value. But their information is being devalued by the many who are saturating the medium with useless or repetitive information. It’s a race to take credit and, unfortunately, I think we’re all losing. I know what you’re saying, “Then don’t follow all the link posters.” The trouble is, Twitter has made it almost impossible to distinguish expert from “poster.”
I’m going to continue my Twitter odyssey in hopes that I’ll stumble onto its benefits any day now. But I’m even more hopeful that the real experts show their expertise by navigating through the Twitter landscape and finding a way to truly maximize the benefits of a potentially revolutionary tool.
But until then, I could use your help. Am I right? Totally wrong? Does Twitter work for you? What are the main benefits to you? How do you use it?
Help me! Thanks,
@ryanlarosa
Tags: online marketing, Park&Co, social media, Twitter
This entry was posted on Monday, January 19th, 2009 at 6:07 pm by Ryan La Rosa and is filed under | Internet Marketing. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
January 20th, 2009 at 9:24 am
Nail on the head, i think Ryan. I work in promotional marketing…a niche that most on twitter only know as “schwag”…i’ve tried to provide interesting info on what i do combined with personal conversation but it often turns out to be a one-way conversation. I equate it to one of those “Networking for Professionals” mixers where everyone turns out to be a mortgage broker or insurance agent and there aren’t any real opportunities or decision makers there.
I think Twitter’s best feature is following clients you already have in order to gain knowledge about their company, products or the issues facing both…that way you can be informed when providing marketing solutions to them.
Thanks for the post.
January 21st, 2009 at 8:30 am
When I first started, I searched for keywords, then engaged friends of those friends. I was never afraid to unfollow/follow multiple people a day. I never passed up the chance to meet people in person.
I think the biggest problem that people have with Twitter is when they expect Twitter to actually do something for them or to connect them to someone like facebook. Twitter is simply a communication medium that connects you to many, many people at once. Think of it like a conference call…if one or two of the 10 people on the call weren’t helpful, would you give up on conference calls altogether?
January 21st, 2009 at 8:35 am
Twitter is still a relatively new thing for me, but I have made some interesting connections and had a chance to talk with people that I otherwise would not have met. That, alone, has shown me the benefit enough to continue to use it.
January 21st, 2009 at 8:35 am
Ryan, Tyler has it right. You have to engage. Use twitter, have a conversation, meet people. It’ll quickly allow you to overlook the ridiculous and bring new people into your life.
January 21st, 2009 at 9:45 am
Ryan,
I agree and share your frustration. I’m appalled at the wasted energy and the mindless commentary. I’m a novice still, but it hasn’t resulted yet in any real conversations with people I want to connect with.
I run a marketing agency and I’m hard pressed to demonstrate to any of my clients how resources devoted to Twitter will result in any measurable business impact (whether it’s awareness, positioning, trial), which ultimately must be the determining factor.
January 22nd, 2009 at 7:22 am
I disagree. I see it as a way to provide value for the people that follow me. If I see something interesting and great I want to share it with my followers because they might not have seen it. It’s good to share interesting finds with friends on Twitter.
One of the reasons why I love Twitter is because I have learned so much from other people who have shared quick facts and tidbits that they find interesting. It is a place where people share and help each other find information and value.
January 22nd, 2009 at 3:17 pm
Thanks for your comments everyone. They’re really helpful and I’ve definitely taken all of them into account. If there’s one thing I can say about Twitter, it definitely has the potential to start conversations. I posted a blog on my personal thoughts and the next thing I knew I was fielding comments from all over the nation, and “tweeting” back and forth like mad.
As a word of mouth marketing professional nothing is more exciting to me than conversation and I understand the thought that Twitter facilitates conversation. Clearly that is correct in some cases. In others however, the conversation is so saturated, frivolous and overwhelming that even weeding out the supposed roots leaves you with questions. My worry is that as the conversation and competition continue to grow on Twitter, we’ll spend time trying to keep up with everyone else instead of searching for way’s to break through the clutter.
Bottom line: I’m looking for ways to break through the clutter, not add to it.
January 24th, 2009 at 3:10 pm
Hi Ryan,
I enjoyed your post. An educator, Angela Maiers wrote an article on her blog that was a big help to me when I first started using Twitter. She calls it the 70-20-10 Formula. http://www.angelamaiers.com/2008/09/my-twitter-enga.html
I hope this is as helpful to you as it has been for me. Twitter is now the leading traffic generator to my blog but it is time intensive. So far the time has been worth the effort.
Please say hello for me to everyone at Park&Co!
January 28th, 2009 at 9:59 am
Ryan-
I understand your confusion with Twitter. On the surface it looks a lot like conversation chaos. There are two things to keep in mind when making sense of this community:
1.What is your purpose for engagement- What is it that you want to gain? resources, connections, latest breaking news, general conversation?
2. What is your value add-or in other words, what makes your audience want to continue a conversation with you? What can you provide, share, represent that would bring value to another’s life?
When you can answer these- you will see Twitter in a whole different light. Sharing links, would look very different if your goal was to position yourself as “expert” or provide valuable resources that your followers may not have access to or know about.
Success with Twitter is not about the tool itself- it is using the tool to reach your goals and fulfill your purposes. Without that in mind- Twitter will remain a mystery and a mess!
Thanks Michael for carrying on the conversation here!
February 4th, 2009 at 10:56 am
As I read everyone’s different reactions I see that we’re all different in how we manage our time, how we learn, what we expect from the activities we do. While I’m totally engrossed in the internet, I am at heart an artist. While I know the value of focus, I also learn tremendously in the unfocused realm of curiosity and exploration; looking to learn from what I don’t know.
Just as Myers Briggs shows how different we are in our preferences, I think people’s conclusions about Twitter might have a lot to do with how we process information.
Personally, I resisted forever.. not another social media app! Then when I finally gave in, I found a fascinating world where I could connect with thought leaders and fellow explorers around the world literally - China, Germany, Brazil…
Not only that, I get to see all the different ways that people are using Twitter for business - indirectly, just as a participant, and directly by: posting discount offers, VPG_Printing; following me, NASE (so I look to see who they are and learn about their existence); posting regularly about topics related to their business, Whole Foods; asking questions for answers that add value to people, martinbrossman; to show dimensions of their services, MrTweet; to follow people who are writing about their company, Ambercadabra for Radian6… and much much more.
But we’re all different in how we’re wired, how much chaos we can tolerate as we explore, whether or not we even believe in exploring. It’s all good. There’s room for all of us, in or out, for or against, whatever is happening.
And yes, I spend a lot of time on Twitter learning, but less, the more I understand how to look for things via Search, and Look for People; how to get help through the muddle by using different related applications and videos.
There are great posts explaining the ways people are productively using twitter. A lot is happening in this medium…like overhearing conversations on the subway in NYC, or in the cafe line at a big company.
Thanks for the discussion all, whichever view point you share.
February 24th, 2009 at 12:55 pm
My take on twitter is that it is an iceberg. The tip is the relationship potential and direct marketing or business partnership potential. The underside of the iceberg is the SEO effect you can create with posting links and gaining clicks and impressions to you or your clients’ websites. With a little bit of work you have drastically increased your SEO and Search Engine Ranking, by twittering.
March 12th, 2009 at 5:50 pm
There is no right or wrong… The folks racing to post links are acting as reporters not experts. There is a discernible difference. Reporters report the news, experts are the news.
Why the reporters are winning, however, is that they are providing value to people who follow.
My thought is, that expert or not, your aim online is to create relationships by delivering value.
At the end of the day, if what you are selling doesn’t measure up, your value drops - you have broken a trust…
That is what separates the two groups - delivering the end game.
Personally, I love Twitter. I deliver value, insights and my own expertise. What I get in return is information that otherwise I may not receive, introductions and valuable relationships.
Please make your Twitter link live…
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