This is an edgy post. Maybe a bit dark, too.
I’ve been Twittering for a few months and here is the smaller of the two elephants that quickly sprawled themselves across my living room. I quote an article from Helen Popkin, in her article Twitter Nation, way back in 2007:
“Why do we think we’re so important that we believe other people want to know about what we’re having for lunch, how bored we are at work or the state of inebriation we happen to be at this very moment in time? How did society get to the point that we are constantly improving technology so that this non-news can reach others even faster than a cell phone, a text message, a blog, our Facebook profiles? ”
She’s right, of course, and I’ll add this to the sour soup: Worse than annoying are the endless, seamy platitudes/quotes about how I should live. They add insult to the injury of wasting my time.
But this irrelevant waterfall of crap is just the small elephant. Here’s the coup-de-gras, enormous elephant: If someone is following 7,000 people, how in God’s name is that someone hearing more than 1% of what the 7,000 are saying?
So much being said. So little being heard. Echoes of Harry Nilsson
So, for most, Twitter success is measured by sheer numbers, not by content. The old Hollywood vision of an insane asylum comes to mind. Another: An interminable drunken bar-stool conversation that a sober observer could only describe as stupid.
Thanks to the two elephants, maybe Twitter is the best hard example of why we need to get out of our heads and stop assuming everyone cares about our personal inanities, or if they do care, that they even hear them. We westerners are too caught up with ourselves.
Notwithstanding the above diatribe, from whatever source, people want “great content” in order to improve their lives, and so there is hope for Twitter in my life. I currently follow 25 people and look forward to their posts as there is often something useful in their third-party url recommendations. For example, as an author, I benefit from @wordygal (Kaya Hardin) and @bookgal (Penny Sansevieri).
I don’t auto-follow or play any of the other sordid tricks designed to beef up followers/following. It’s my guess that of the 170 people who have elected to follow me, maybe 20 care about what I post. The rest are playing the numbers game.
Is Twitter a system I will continue to employ? Maybe. And if I do, I will never follow 7,000 and I will always assume that the few who follow me don’t give a damn what I had for lunch.
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{ 11 comments… read them below or add one }
Well put. Where I do find Twitter useful is for being led to new sources of content; indeed, I think I may have heard about Work the System through a Twitter link.
I choose who I follow (there are less than 10) based upon how useful I find the information they link to – inane status updates are definitely a turn-off.
Content IS king. Thanks Peter.
Sam,
You describe well some of the downside of Twitter today, and I agree. It will be interesting to see if it evolves in the future. One of its best uses now is to share content. Following trusted contributors (like yourself) who post a shortened URL to compelling content is productive for me.
Very well put. Being new to blogging, I often wonder about how much personal trivia to share. Honestly, I doubt anyone cares if I had pizza for dinner or if I’m sorting laundry. (both are true by the way.) I’ve been resistant to Twitter and will probably remain so because I have my own pizza and laundry to worry about. And thanks so much for the Nilsson link. That added to my day in a good way!
Thank you for the mention, Sam. You said it so well – a “numbers game” doesn’t create real community. As someone who develops and maintains online communities for others, I find myself fighting to keep my personal presence genuine. While those who are signing the checks are looking for high numbers to validate the cost, I am struggling to find a balance between what they want to see and what I believe actually works: genuine interaction and keeping connections below the overwhelm limit.
As you say in your book, “it’s all about perfecting systems and then maintaining that perfection”. But the online community is still enduring a struggle between traditional marketers and those who realize what it really means to create “honest” connections online. The systems aren’t clear to most, and so those who are working to define them and maintain them often seem to get caught up in the chaos – myself included.
Hopefully people will eventually realize that listening and responding has more value than merely compiling…
This is an important article — but I wonder if those on the bandwagon would ever read it with an open mind. I’ve played around with it a bit, and increasingly wonder how in the world Twitter can contribute to greater productivity, at least in its current state.
Funny how that phrase “content is king” applies to just about everything. Thanks Gary.
Good point. We get so involved with things that we don’t even think about whether they’re worthwhile or not. I see Twitter as useful but only if managed sensibly. The hype around Twitter is thick as stew and that carries over into even studying a few posts about it.
Well put, Kaya. Thanks. The responses to my Twitter posting have been positive. I just got back from a mini vacation and, as usual, am amazed at the overview I get on things. Getting away is a good thing. I sent you a friend request (at least I hope it’s you. There’s a couple of Kaya Hardins…)
Mike: Thanks. Twitter is OK but it has to be managed properly. There are a lot of tricks out there to get followers but who cares if the followers never pay attention. You got it right re the pizza and laundry. Even a family member doesn’t care about those things.
In the final analysis, or maybe the only analysis, content is everything. Even a little humor makes for some good content. But, what I had for lunch or my state of mind? C’mon! Thanks Peter.