(from Twitter.com)
I make it a point to be as much of a late-adopter as possible. One reason is contempt for the self-serving American high schooler, who prance about with blue tooths deep in their ears and smart phones jammed equally far up their backdoor. “There’s no rush!” I want to yell at them, “You still have seven to 10 years before you grow up, become a yuppie, and hate yourself forever! Don’t squander your youth!!!”
The other reason is I personally see little need for most of the new technology that allows instant communication and information retrieval. This is in spite of the fact I’m creating a freelance writing career that requires a great deal of online time. Most entrepreneurs seem to try to stay on the cutting edge of technology – the mentality is: faster, more mobile, and more information.
Meanwhile, I don’t use instant messenger, I don’t believe in text messaging, and the preferred state of my phone is off or dead.
No surprise, then, that I’ve only recently heard about Twitter – “the free social networking and micro-blogging service that allows users to send “updates” (or “tweets”; text-based posts, up to 140 characters long) to the Twitter website,” according to wikipedia.org.
The idea of constant and instantaneous communication gives me a serious case of the runs. But after removing my sweaty cheeks off the toilet seat, I have to ask: is it as viable of a marketing tool as many people proclaim it to be? In theory, sure: instant communication to your target audience is an advertising maven’s wet dream – on E. Small business owners and entrepreneurs don’t need a GED, much less an MBA, to see it’s value.
Of course, anytime money’s involved, you’ll see more abuse than a Catholic priest at a playground. Media giants and million dollar corporations find plenty of ways to tattoo their corporate dream (cash $) onto anything their focus group tells them is “hip.” Once this happens, it taints any value derived from authentic communication.
Technosailor brings up a good point on why Twitter can be effective, if used correctly:
“Twitter’s power is in authenticity and transparency. I’ve often said that brand is not something that can be controlled by companies. Brand is controlled by customers. Trust is controlled by companies. If customers don’t trust a company, their brand is useless. If they do trust a company, that company has secured a marketer for life. Trust is built by authenticity, by transparency. It is the thing that allows companies to function in the 21st century.”
If I keep avoiding Twitter, will I pass up on networking opportunities afforded by constant connectivity? Maybe – but until I can afford better, the burning sensation from repeated use of 1-ply toilet paper on my baby bottom won’t be worth it.
More information on:
What is Twitter?
7 Ways Marketers Can Use Twitter
Why Twitter Is Asinine
April 18, 2008 at 2:44 pm |
Nice post.
I’ve been thinking a lot about Twitter lately… but I’m really not having that “uh-huh!” moment. As a result, I’m thinking maybe I should just start using it, everyone else seems to be adopting it, I don’t want to be left behind. But it really seems no different than Facebook updates to me and I basically despise those for similar reasons to those you described above.
April 23, 2008 at 12:38 pm |
Most entrepreneurs seem to try to stay on the cutting edge of technology – the mentality is: faster, more mobile, and more information.
There’s certainly a learning curve with many careers, and with the ever-growing presence of technology across various industries, even seasoned professionals might have to learn a whole new application or at the very least continually keep up with updates.