Is Twitter a Waste of Time? [infographic] by Dona Collins
via problogger.net
An interesting set of information from Dona Collins of CreditLoan.com via Problogger.net
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2010 Facebook vs Twitter Infographic
We've been searching for some "meaningful" user behaviour comparison information between Facebook and Twitter. We came across this infographic produced by some very clever people at http://digitalsurgeons.com and thought we'd share it. We appreciate these are two entirely different social platforms and that many people use both, but the information provided is interesting.
New Twitter Analytics by...err...Twitter
"All we need now is for Twitter to offer the same for their new Tweet button, especially having stomped all over Tweetmeme's business!! "
Well, Twitter announced yesterday that they are about to do just that. New analytics and more stomping. Now, even though we'd like to think we had some form of influence, we're realistic enough to know we didn't. But it will be very interesting to see what the Tweet button analytics look like. For further info, please visit the Twitter Real Time Analytics post on Mashable, as they seem to know what they're talking about, so it's pointless us repeating everything.
All Twittered Out!
Anyway, wasn't it refreshing to hear how the "younger generation" is not that interested in all this social media hype. Facebook is the preferred choice (and we thought it was Bebo!) and Twitter is "boring" full of celebrities and old people trying to be cool . Simplicity of communication, cool viral with involvement and free stuff is what they like.
It would appear us "new media types" and marketers are getting too hung up on all this stuff. Can anyone remember when email was a novelty? It didn't matter who the email was from, it was cool to get one and then reply to it...how quickly that changed. Are we witnessing the same thing in Twitter? Spammers following you with promises of making thousands of dollars (yes, they are typically US centric...not seen a "pounds" or "Euros" one as yet) and offering sexual favours from bored women (Or is that just us?). Anyone invented a Twitter Spam Filter yet?
The other interesting concept is how to get loads more followers. Why? Why would you want to be followed by thousands of people and follow thousands of people, creating yourself a bigger reading and filtering nightmare? The answers probably go back to being unpopular as a child. If, as a brand, the perception is more followers means more sales, then we'd actually disagree (especially looking at the way the majority of brand Twitter accounts are being currently managed). More followers means a brand needs to be more careful and the chances of creating a brand reputation issue can be enhanced. One wrong word or interaction and you could be in trouble. As the Bishop said to the Actress, it's all about quality and not quantity.
Our belief is to ensure we follow and are followed by people who are a bit like us...we have something in common. We don't want to scan through thousands of pointless tweets and we wouldn't expect others to do the same. Our rule of thumb is to engage online with the same types of people and brands we would engage with offline. The main thing social media allows us to do is to do it with a lot more people across the globe...that's all.
Twitter: The web pages you won't have seen!
Anyone fed up with Maggie yet? Everytime you go to the Twitter home page, there she is with her superior smile and school teacher ways...we know her type! Anyway, Maggie is always on view, but have you ever taken the time to look at the other pages about why and how? Have you ever watched the video? We'd bet a very small amount of money that you haven't. It's a bit like the "I'm feeling lucky" button in Google...no one clicks it.
Anyway, we recommend you take a look at the "why", "how" and the video; it's very apparent that they explain what twitter was supposed to be about when it was first introduced. Answering the question "What are you doing?" and sharing this between family and friends is certainly different to amassing thousands and thousands of followers. Anyway, here are some screen shots with our observations...
So Twitter puts you in control does it?! And a modern "antidote" to information overload!! In the early days maybe, but it has, in our humble opinion, achieved the exact opposite. Anyone else lost a couple of hours a day to Twitter, Tweetdeck etc?
Here's another one
Eating Soup!! (Don't you drink it?)...we'll give them the other two, but for us tweets which are updates along the lines of "eating soup" "scratching my nose" and "me me me" add intensity to the noise factor. Especially as it is no longer about friends and family. And then there is Carla.
Not sure why she is wearing an England shirt from the 80's or why she has a shaven head; maybe it's an interpretation of "plain English"? Anyway, she blows that by uncovering her love of Van Halen later in the video.
We'd recommend taking a look, we found it quite amusing. The guys a Twitter when making this stuff at the outset, could never have envisaged the scale Twitter would grow to in their wildest of wild dreams. hats off to them. Our interpretation is below.
