Guest Post- Twitter- To Converse or to Broadcast-THAT is the Question

October 28, 2008 · Comments

Keith BurtisThe following is a guest post from Mr. Keith Burtis, woodworker, media maker, and PodCamp veteran.

Do you Blurt messages on twitter? Do you look at Twitter as your personal soapbox to spew forth your marketing and advertising messages? If so and I see you in my twitter stream, you will quickly find yourself in the trash bin right next to the other spammers, blurters, product pushers and shouters. My name is Keith Burtis, I am a woodturner and artist from just outside the Buffalo NY area. I’m also a web 2.0 enthusiast blogger, podcaster and twitter user. I am not what you would call a traditional marketer, or brand specialist but like many others in business I am creating an online presence that requires both branding and marketing.

For the past year and a half I have been using a service many of you use called Twitter. Twitter is a Micro-blogging platform that folks like Leo Laporte have been calling a micro-messaging service. I think micro-messaging is a better term, but for all intensive purposes Twitter is a great place to not only provide information about your brand, but for networking, creating connections, brand monitoring, research, and crowd sourcing. As many of you know Chris Brogan has turned crowd sourcing and networking on twitter into a fine art.

Yesterday, as I perused my twitter feed I noticed a timely tweet that Chris had made talking about how he was going to write a blog post about twitter accounts that merely “blurted” their message. Many of these account holders which are often tied to popular brands use twitter as a broadcast medium rather than engaging in any real value adding conversation. At the time of seeing this tweet I was trying to contact a popular online company that prides itself in it’s use of web 2.0 technologies. At the writing of this post I have still not heard back from them and may cancel my account there. Email hadn’t worked, I couldn’t find a phone number, and their twitter account was actively blurting, but not engaging with any of their followers.

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What is Blurting?

Well, the way to answer this is easy really. When you post to your twitter feed is it all about YOU? Is your reason for being on twitter solely to generate traffic to your website or Blog? Do you just post links to YOUR content? If you have answered yes to any of these questions you “Blurt!” However, chances are pretty good that if you are reading this and you are a regular reader of this blog, that you are not one who blurts.

So what is the difference between sharing, promoting, and blurting?

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I was once asked by a twitter newbie if she was allowed to post links to her blog using twitter or if she would be banned and blacklisted by the community. My answer to her was simple. Add value, join the conversation and you will gain the respect of other twitter users. Furthermore, people looking for information on the topics that you are writing about will be glad that they have direct and easy access to the author of the content. Lesson being, if you have content that is valuable to a community of people, even if you perceive that community to be miniscule, share it on Twitter. Twitter is networking on steroids and one of the easiest ways to find like-minded individuals. Sharing and promoting your passion as well as linking to other relevant content is not blurting.

The Power of a network can be abused and Ultimately Lost!

Are you a popular brand like Nike, or Apple, or Barack Obama? You should be on twitter! Right? Well this is widely debated among the twitter community and it seems that if you are popular enough that the answer is YES you should be on twitter. A built in community of raving fans will follow your every move and hang on your every tweet and probably check out every link you post. Unfortunately for these brands, especially the individuals it is almost impossible to scale. If Barack Obama was truly engaging in community conversation via twitter he would have time for nothing else. Will Barack continue to use twitter after the election? That remains to be seen.

But what about the average user? If I were to create a twitter account and just sent post after post of my offerings would you follow me? Well, if you are a fan of woodturned art maybe you would, but I’m betting my self centered blurting would wear thin after a while and you would inevitably hit the un-follow button. So I try to add value to the community by engaging in conversation and by answering any questions that I can.

Don’t be a Blurter!

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Have you ever gone to a party and stood in a circle of people having a discussion and just randomly threw in plugs about your business or yourself? How about going to a wedding and leaving your business cards at every assigned seat? I would hope not. You would find yourself alone really fast. Well Twitter works the same way! Spend all day throwing in messages about yourself with no value add to the community and you’ll find the only other people following you are other blurters! Blurting at each other all day in a digital microcosm where neither party is listening to the other.

So what is your definition of Blurting? Do you follow those that blurt? Let us know!

Keith Burtis is a professional Woodturner and Artist, his work and Ideas can be found at his Magic Woodworks Blog. Keith is also a speaker who teaches other artists and arts organizations effective ways to communicate through the web and interactive media. Feel free to contact keith@magicwoodworks.com

Photo credit, Keith Burtis

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  • Twitter at a meta/broad level is the collective conscious of the web. It is the melding of our thoughts, insights and ideas into a singularly unique experience - unique to each of our dynamics based on how we take in the information as well as who we are following - and unique to the web in the instantaneous "blurting" aspect to which Twitter largely holds true.

    Judging by most ppl's tweets, I would guess that less thought goes into the avg Tweet than into the ave blog post.

    Twitter is many things to many people. There is little "right" or "wrong", but to use Twitter properly is to cooperate, coordinate, to learn and to discover, to share and observe. It's OK to inject occasional personal tidbits as a means of illustrating your humanity, much as one would speak with a good friend at work about a funny anecdote about their child. However, savvy users will maintain a degree of discrepancy, as not all conversations are meant for all ears.

    Thanks for posting, always great to get rethinking!
  • Very easy to follow explanation, Keith. Well said, and it needed to be said. Thank you very much for bringing this to light for all of us. I must be following the right people, as I don't get many blurts (thankfully!).
  • Great guest post, Keith, and very topical (always the sign of a good post!).

    I think it can be a fine line to tread at times - obviously you want to share your blog with as many people/readers as possible, so sharing a link to your latest post is the logical step.

    Yet at the same time you don't want to solely be promoting your brand - as you rightly say, that's the quickest way to hit anybody's trash bin. And as great as a brand may be, I don't recall any hugely successful branding or marketing campaigns happening from the garbage bin.

    So yes, interact with the community - offer help, advice or just plain old encouragement. Read something good? Share it. One of your followers/followees write Tweet something worth sharing? Re-Tweet it.

    Becoming known as a supporter as opposed to a plant will soon get you the respect and following that will automatically lead to interest in your own work.

    That, and getting a guest slot on Chris's blog... ;-)

    Thanks for an enjoyable read.
  • This is a great point of view on Twitter usage. And an issue I've tried to be more cognizant of. It's far too easy to send blurts (senseless tweets), without constantly asking yourself of whether or not you're adding value. @jowyang's strategy on Twitter usage is what has helped me. He describes his Tweeting policy in great detail here (http://www.web-strategist.com/blog/2007/11/29/h...) much in the same way as you have Keith.

    The 2 points that stick out are to avoid using Twitter for personal minutia, and excessive personal discussion. I've begun using direct messages for many things I would have Tweeted in the past. Great post, thx for the reminders on how we can all be more effective in how we utilize social media tools for the benefit of ourself and others.
  • Where I'm still trying to get a sense of etiquette on Twitter with regards to blurting/going overboard is around @ replies.

    At what point do you take it off Twitter? How rapid a conversation is too rapid? How many exchanges is too many? All this keeping in mind others who are following and having their feed filled up.

    It's not the same issue as shameless self-promotion, but it can come across as self-centered somehow, at least how I've seen some people carry on like it's a personal phone call.

    Suggestions? I'm @cwestbrook on Twitter; advice would be welcomed.
  • Keith-

    I think the beauty of Twitter is that everyone has an opinion for how it should be used. While some people are the "blurters, spammers, and super followers" that most of us on Twitter dislike, they are all a part of the Twitter community. We can criticize all we want, but we also make the choice on how to use Twitter ourselves. If you want to block someone, do it. If you want to follow someone, do it. If you want to DM someone to death, do it. If you want to talk politics, do it. Follow 25 people or follow 1000+. Keep your account private or make it public.

    While there are "popular" methods of using Twitter, who are we to criticize the others. It's a public forum, and the strongest survive or maximize its use. I don't know how many blog posts I've read on how to use Twitter or how to not use Twitter. It seems like someone writes something daily, and it seems like everyone has a different perspective.

    I don't know what these guys had in mind when they 1st created Twitter, but I would guess the original concept was for people to answer the question "What are you doing?" If that's the case then "blurting" is the answer to that question. It's all about you, your company, or whatever. Twitter has evolved, but I don't think we can criticize the people that are just answering the question. That's their choice. Just don't follow them.
  • Good post and good insight. One caveat I might toss out there is knowing one's audience and being clear and consistent in how you use the tool.

    Examples include knowing that people with you at a conference might want updates-frequently-about sessions they aren't in. And that F2F events/gatherings among more than a handful of people can be organized efficiently via tweets.

    I'm guilty of sharing my blog entries and podcasts here, but the people in my followers met me via social media. It's not blurting, it's alerting.

    I try to mention this stuff once a day. The rest of the time I'm interacting or sharing situations, answers, events and feelings.

    Ultimately, Twitter began as a broadcast tool that has morphed into a communicasting tool. It's still like shouting through the form wall to your neighbors. But now people understand that they've got to listen for the responses in order to keep the conversation alive.
  • Great article Keith. I believe Twitter is quite the phenomenon and a real force for good in building communities. Blurting is a great word to describe the inevitable broadcasting that occurs within Twitter. Fortunately the medium lets you control the conversation, and ultimately the Blurters out there will see people "vote with their feet" and Unfollow them.

    My advice to new people to Twitter would be to Follow respected "Tweeple" like Chris Brogan ( http://twitter.com/chrisbrogan ) and others who have a high Followers ratio (more people Following them than people they Follow) After all, they are the ones who lead by example.

    Cheers
    Tony Hollingsworth
    http://tonyhollingsworth.blogspot.com
  • That should say Dorm not Form wall.
  • I was looking forward to this post after reading Chris' tweet yesterday about 'blurting' and evaluating that I would probably be a blurter.

    I enjoy the way I use Twitter; maybe as some kind of outlet. But I also want to be follow proper 'twittequette' in the community.

    I think that I'm definitely going to think twice about tweets that I send from now on. Does this mean it's not going to be fun anymore? Is Twitter all about business now?

    Darn. I guess I have a lot to learn.

    @bhans
  • I agree with almost all of the comments so far and I also agree that social media in general is used in many ways and is very personal. Remember that I said sharing is totally cool with me. I would be upset if you didn't share your blog post or recent success. This is why I love twitter. easy access to great information and the ability to share the things I am doing. I guess Chris said it best when he said look at someones twitter page, if all 20 posts are just shouted messages are they really part of the community?

    Keith
  • Brian, I think twitter can be super fun! Sharing is always fun. Just don't only share your content. Engage and Enlighten!
  • Hi,

    Thanks for the post. I blurt out messages all the time on Twitter.
    I do that so people in the public timeline can be aware of my book
    and the website, various resources and so on. It's also for the
    people who have recently followed me.

    That's only one part of branding and adding value. The the other
    piece is creating interactive content, asking questions of users,
    bringing people into a conversation, quoting interesting works,
    offering incentives, creating short meditations, provocative debates
    and otherwise informing followers as well as future followers what the
    concept of being a 12-Step Buddhist is all about.

    There are more dimensions to Twitter, at least in the way I see it.
    And who gets to define it but the people who use it.

    -d

    Darren Littlejohn
    the 12-Step Buddhist
    http://the12stepbuddhist.com
  • I agree to an extent, but I think you're over-generalizing. Any Joe Shmo is not going to make many friends blurting, but for big brands it makes a lot of sense. Many of us are on the email list for our favorite stores, we receive blurts when they have a special sale or promotion. I would have no problem receiving this content on twitter as well.

    I personally expect my twitter friends to post about their latest blog post or podcast, it's how I keep up with them. I've found myself spending less and less time in netvibes and more and more reading tweeted links.
  • My favorite part of Twitter is the communication with others; so, I admit, if a new follower has no "@" messages to anyone else and just "blurts," I'd be disinclined to follow back. It would feel kinda lonely. :-)

    The exception would be if it were a big brand or news source that interested me. In that case, I look at following like subscribing to a newsletter.

    A side note on the conversation vs. DM thought--if the chat is a lively discussion about an issue or an idea, I'm glad it's in my stream. I've learned more information and formed more friendships just because of eavesdropping. (Tweavesdropping?)

    Great post, Keith!
  • Wow. This really gave me a lot to think about. I'm a passionate guy who is very heartfelt in my beliefs. I sometimes have the tendency to rant on Twitter, though usually within the context of trying to get an active discussion going.

    I am definitely going to think about posting though and while I talk about some very controversial subjects (my entire existence in this world is controversial - I can't help it), I don't want to appear as though I'm just broadcasting my thoughts or myself.

    I do know some who just broadcast and don't even correspond. I try to be actively corresponding with everyone. I hope that doesn't make me a blurter. I don't think it does, but I am a really nice guy or try to be, even if I vehemently disagree with someone.

    Thanks for giving me a lot to think about Keith! I enjoyed reading this post.
  • Phew! Just checked my last 20 tweets. Luckily only 2 were blurts.
  • I've actually done side by side tests of Twitter accounts for brands, one automated, and one staffed by a real, live human who attempted to engage in conversations.

    You can probably guess which one was more popular!
  • Paul Moss
    Ok, but where does that leave BBC or CNN etc?
    Twitter works just fine in an 'alert' sense for them, so why not for others.
    I get your point, but perhaps that view is a little narrow?
  • Interesting thought! Maybe it depends on what a company wants to promote--a product/service, or a brand? BBC and CNN are in the information business, so we expect newsfeeds and follow specifically for that. But Comcast, for instance, is doing more towards developing positive brand loyalty with their person-to-person interaction. Heck, *I* follow @comcastcares, and I have Charter cable! ;-)
  • Thanks so much, Keith, for clarifying what you mean by "blurting." I was looking forward to this post because I wondered whether it would be defined as excessive messaging in general, or in particular (e.g., about daily doings, products, services).

    Looks like it's defined as a bit of everything "too much," although mostly having to do with promotion. As ever, the comments are as helpful and illuminating as the posts. Hopefully, mine will be too.

    As a relative newbie, I've opted for an immersion-experiential model of engagement for this highly interactive medium. I follow "stars" and I follow tweeps I found by searching key words relative to my interests. I was -- and become more and more -- fascinated by Twitter for:

    * community building (because of my interest in church communications);

    * good laughs & mini-rants (because I work primarily from a home office);

    * creative and technical ideas (because I'm smitten with new media);

    * pharma/healthcare trends/info.(because I write for that industry); and

    * sociological good fun (because I'm a sociologist by training and my published writing is about popular culture).

    My TweetDeck groups reflect these categories and the boundaries are soft because the church communications folks I follow use new media in ways my church does not [yet]; creative types (writers, designers) tend to be hilarious, I want to know what my friends are up to, and I like meeting new people from the comfortable convenience of my home office.

    From my admittedly short time on Twitter, I've noticed how communications in this medium seem to map the way they do in others: by sex, age, socio-economic status (i.e., education & income & occupation). While there are always exceptions, for the most part:

    * women tweet about more personal events and details than men;

    * younger (e.g. Millenials) women AND men tweet more often (and about more personal details) than Boomers or GenXers.

    * tweeps working in communications and interested in biz apps. tweet/blurt/alert more frequently...and would make the "alert" v. "blurt" distinction offered by Jeff Cutler in the comments above.

    * tweeps working solo (e.g., freelancers) tweet more often, for any number of reasons too extensive to review here.

    And the broad social groupings (i.e., cliques) that form remind me somewhat of high school: popular kids, brainiacs, weirdos, and class clowns. And like just like I did in high school, I'm interested in folks from all those categories.

    So what's too much? Other than the length of this comment...

    In addition to being highly interactive, Twitter strikes me as highly self-regulating. Mark Juleen's comment above captures that ethos. I'll be curious to see if it remains that way or something/someone steps in to regulate what is and isn't acceptable (LinkedIn is an example of this).

    I realize that the WSJ has reported Twitter is mainstream, but in fact it's still evolving...and wonderfully so. Tweet/Blurt/Alert on!

    Meredith
  • Great post, and one that pushed me to think about how I am using Twitter. I am hoping my followers don't consider me as someone who blurts. My main reason for using Twitter is to get to know people, to hear from folks who have interesting things to say about the topics I am interested in. And I try to add value to the conversations, and I do announce new blog posts (albeit not as frequently as I would like), but I do plan to start sharing more! Cheers, Marc
  • Thanks for this very enlightening post! I have found myself being followed recently by "marketing" blurters -- those that promise AWESOME WEB SEARCH RESULTS, etc., etc., and I don't bother following them back for exactly the reasons you state here. Their tweets are clearly all about generating business for their own (fly-by-night, IMHO) enterprise. Has SEO gone MLM, I wonder? It sure has that feel to it...

    If I blurt (and I do, I admit), it's often on behalf of my clients, whose products I believe in. For the marketing community at large, Twitter is indeed a great way to share ideas and help evolve the 21st century methods of communication and marketing.

    Thanks for the great post!
  • OK. Now that I'm awake and poised at a full-size keyboard instead of the tiny touchscreen on the iPhone, I think I can add a thought or two with fewer misspellings and more clarity.

    First, there should be a study done on the correlation between blurts and the portal/tool/venue used to tweet. I find that if I'm on the iPhone I am more inclined to tweet in a carefree, I'm-out-in-the-world-doing-stuff mode. I share my location and my interactions freely. And it is mostly blurting about my progress going through what might seem mundane if it weren't chronicled on a tech gadget.

    People probably don't care that I'm having Roobios tea at a coffee shop in Central Square, Cambridge...UNLESS they also drink Roobios, or have been to that coffee shop, or have memories of Cambridge.

    In that way the blurting serves as a connection point for people. As mentioned above, many tweeple search for terms that attract them (Unltimate Frisbee, Scooters, Comcast, Root Beer for Breakfast, whatever. To make those searches successful, there must be some blurting detritus in the stream.

    I am not advocating a Tourette Syndrome-esque rain of randomness on the twitterverse. I am fully in favor of some degree of overshare.

    Twisting this back to the blurting with a motive. That's not the same. When people blurt with a motive, they're selling your something and the distinction is clear. That might have a place here if you subscribe to @dealco or @woot or even some of the PR pros who are almost heavy-handed about their pimping.

    A further distinction was made above by Dan Thornton. He talks about how clear it is when a person versus a automated stream is 'participating'. Perhaps that's the defining piece for me.

    I want the stream in my hand (NO PUN INTENDED) to be light, fun, informative and often pointing to richer content. The tweets that are dead-ends can meet some of these criteria some of the time, but where they miss is where they lean toward blurting.

    There are going to continue to be entire communities that don't understand the 'rules' and some will annoy and be dropped, others will only err infrequently and still have more good to balance out their blurts.

    Finally, the thought about perusing your last 20 tweets is genius. Until we each take a look at how others perceive us, even Qwitter won't be able to really tell us why someone left.

    Thanks for the post!
  • I joined Twitter to meet others--hear opinions, become involved in conversation. Along the way, I've gained valuable insight from fellow Tweeters.
    Quite inadvertantly I also received prospective business as well. I just posted about the fine line between business and personal use on Twitter: http://tinyurl.com/684zva please note I want people to read a posted comment by "Virginia" who put it rather well about Tweeting for business and for personal reasons and not just the post itself.
    It is people like Virginia who I am glad are a part of the Twitter community. I understand Twitter has to cover its operational costs, hence the 'premier' services it will be charging for in the future--I just hope the concept itself isn't ruined by commercialization.

    All the best,

    Alma Gray
  • I am a Twitter and Social Media newbie and web strategist for large companies. These tools are definitely NOT mainstream for companies that I work with - mainly financial services. I think about how and when SM will be incorporated into the way these large companies do business, but that's for another time.

    Twitter is a communications tool and it can be a broadcast tool as well. I follow Barack Obama and find it interesting to see an occasional Tweet about where he is. It is only annoying to me when a company or individual over-Tweets. I also find it annoying when someone is blatantly trying to accumulate as many followers as possible. I don't mind the blurt because it is up to me to decide if I want to follow or not. To me success is defined by meeting your objectives. Why are you on Twitter?

    I joined Twitter with only one objective: to experience it. The most surprising thing I discovered about Twitter is that I LOVE IT! I use it a lot. It is quick. I can blurt if I want. I can link to my personal blog. I can engage and meet people anywhere in the world (as long as they type in English). I can just randomly follow links to all sorts of stuff that I would never have found otherwise that is fun and valuable... including this site.
  • Preach on Keith!

    As Chris mentioned, checking the last 20 tweets of someone really tells the story if they're a broadcaster or someone who actually participates and engages in the conversation. This reasoning alone will give me the cue of whether I follow a new person or not.

    Will they bring value to me? Can I bring value to them? I see it as a two-way relationship that you have to build and nurture before you can spit out your own links. Show your value to the community and you will reap the benefits of like-minded followers.
  • I've only been on twitter a couple of months, but I can see that people have vastly different reasons for using it and their own perceptions of what constitutes "appropriate tweeting."

    I see people with big egos only announcing book deals and contest wins and speaking engagements and nothing else. I see other people ranting about politics and their personal lives. And then there the ones who actually share resources (even their own, when appropriate), help people solve problems, support other people. This last group, these people make twitter a useful tool.

    I also have come to the conclusion that some people love twitter because they can "micro-babble" anything that comes into their mind, click and send it off, without having to think about whether it makes sense or adds value to a conversation.
  • Great post. The other thing that really irritates me which no one has mentioned, is people using it to replace email, texting, etc. for personal messages between two people.

    "Do you want to have lunch?"

    "Sure. Where?"

    "That Mexican place was good last time."

    "Yeah, day and time".

    Blah, blah, blah.

    There are several precious seconds of my life I will never get back.

    Thanks Keith for the words of wisdom!
  • Keith,
    Twitter is a public forum. This attribute alone creates an environment for communication which is dominated by blurting. Your comparison to leaving your business card at tables at a wedding is good, but in reality that has happened. It doesn't make it right of course. My point is that if you are in a public forum such as Twitter, expect to find a lot of blurters. Twitter etiquette is still being developed.

    I believe the popularity of micro messaging is exploding as reflected in enterprise level services such as Yammer where blurting is probably the exception (if at all).

    Regards,
    Bernie Borges
    @berniebay
  • Keith,
    Good post--thanks for shining the light on the broadcast problem. The broadcast problem is threefold. First, we Digital Immigrants, are still getting our sea legs when it comes to participatory media. Collaboration is not our comfort zone. We want try out the latest social networking tool, but find it uncomfortable to put ourselves out there, trust "strangers," and give away our ideas for free. It's a cultural issue.

    The second issue is the adoption continuum. Remember 1994 when email was still fairly new? Little by little friends and family members were "getting on email," as we said back in the day. The user habit was to write an email letter--yep, these were long messages--to your friend. Then once you'd gone back and forth a few times and had nothing else to say, the "forwards" would start. From jokes, to consumer warnings, to limericks, you were one recipient on your friend's mass distribution list. At first this was funny and you, too, would forward these inane messages along to your friends who were "on email." But "funny" quickly soured and turned into annoying. You moved on. You started using email as a productive communication tool rather than as a toy. It became a seamless part of your daily communications.

    The same adoption continuum exists for social media. First we sign up for a service and then probably forget about it for awhile. Then we passively observe the landscape. Next we dip our toes in and blurt and broadcast, "I had pizza for lunch!" Then we settle in and start sharing useful and mildly interesting information with our followers...but we're still operating in a 1.0 broadcast paradigm. As we build our follower networks, we begin to see the value of social media. Suddenly we "get it": we have this mindshift that it's not about us, it's about them. Broadcast is about increasing value for the creator; social media is about increasing value for everyone else.

    The third and final piece of the broadcast problem is that the blog and microblog platform infrastructures are, too, still evolving and are not yet truly conducive to the collaboration that their content is trying to encourage. I'd be interested in hearing if anyone knows of a blogging platform that truly facilitates collaborative discussions.
  • @Dominick, as long a your engaging and creating more than a one way stream, In my opinion your all good.

    @Paul Moss, that's why I gave the Barack Obama analogy, because it seems that as long as you have enough enduring fans and your creating value with your blurted tweets people will still follow. However, if you or I do that, people will close the book on us!

    @Meridith, great comment and great study on your part. I am also a tweet deck user and i use it to follow certain groups. With almost 1,000 followers on twitter it would be impossible to catch anything. Tweet Deck Helps me sort these feeds of interest. I think Twitter is self regulating. The Unfollow Button is powerful.

    @Marc - Awesome! Your doing geat. It's all about intentions.

    @Rebekkah - Thats exactly why those marketers will never gain traction. They are coming at it from the standpoint of "Whats in it for me, rather than how can I serve"

    @Jeff, I think people do care about the tea your drinking! More so, as this thing grows it will be great way for people to meet you in a certain place.Keep up your tweets man! I'd be surprised if you haven't already used twitter to generate meet-up or lunch.

    @Alma, Twitter is FULL of Professionals of all kinds and to leave out your professional life or your blog posts would be a sin. However, if the only thing you do is post your links to yourself, people just wont follow. Your doing great!

    @Theresa, way to engage! Keep having fun!

    @Sonny, Awesome - Thank you.

    @Judy, I am in full agreement.

    @Bob, many times I find people replace it to comment on a blog post, i also find that people don't subscribe to blogs as much because they get their feeds from Twitter.

    @Bernie, Thanks for the feedback
  • This post really made me think about how I use Twitter. I have to admit that I'm turned off by so much of the "I just updated...." whatever it happens to be. I actually just keep scrolling down the page. Will not be doing that to my "followers", in the future. Thanks for the nudge.

    I hate to stop following, tho. Wish there was an option to filter our the blurts and leave everything else!
  • As many have said, people who use twitter use them for varied reasons. However, my personal standard is 1)if I receive an auto follow message that includes a "here's my link" message in it, instead of a "hi! thanks for the follow" type message, I un-follow. 2)If their time line has nothing but links and no personal interaction, I don't follow.

    I enjoy some blurts from people promoting what they do, it's because of who they are and what they do that I follow, however if that's all twitter is, another advertising outlet (popup banners anyone??) then they'll quickly find themselves un-followed.

    The only blurts I want are from the news agencies and the like that I follow!

    Great post!
  • If...I see you in my twitter stream, you will quickly find yourself in the trash bin ... No offence but so what? Sorry if I'm not in the rah rah crowd but I think the medium belongs to the community and no one person can dictate how we can use it!

    I have been guilty of most of those "sins" you enumerated. I often Tweet my new blog pieces and self promote at times. I also post inpirational quotes, link to interesting sites I come across (with no affiliation to myself) that I think the community might benefit from. I sometimes ask sincere questions when I need help. If I had a book out, I would probably let people know. I also tweet about mundane stuff from my life just to share with my friends (my Twitter stream feeds into my Facebook status).

    The beauty of Twitter is that there are so many apps that you can use that you need never actually go on Twitter and see the spam if you don't want to.

    And you can check out my blog for more Twitter hints and... Oups! I did it again! Sorry ;-)
  • The cream rises to the top, like in all media. People and companies that share useful information, as opposed to just asinine, self-centered junk, gain respect and more followers. But even the top Twitterers send a lot of pointless Tweets. Sometimes they just wanna vent, or say something silly for the heck of it. That's what makes Twitter so interesting and unpredictable.
  • Thanks for the interesting post, which has sparked a good conversation.

    I think your points about adding value to the community and making sure it's not all about you are important. My main concern, though (and it echoes many others who have already commented)is that there seems to be an almost elitist attitude out there regarding The True Purpose of Twitter (and I'm not saying this comes from your post, Keith). While I have no time for people who are focused on blatant selling and constant promoting, I think there are many good uses for Twitter. I agree with those who have said they're all valid, and people should just follow the people who share their approach.

    I, for instance, starting using Twitter as a writing exercise, and I like reading tweets that entertain, make me laugh, stir up nostalgia, and generally make me feel like I'm not alone--that there are people out there who experience some of the world like I do. I also appreciate tweets that offer new and different perspectives on the world. If I notice that the bulk of a person's last 20 tweets have some sort of link--even if they're sharing and it's not all about them--I tend not to follow them. But that's just me, and it should all be OK.

    @kt_writes
  • Alain, you didn't read the post. I never said there was anything wrong with self promotion. Not once. I merly said that if ALL you do is self promote without adding value that people wont follow you. You say so what? I say you do care if people follow you. If you didn't you'd just keep a journal. The idea is to collaborate and share. I am not telling anyone how to use the tool, merely sharing my suggestions on sharing with the community. BTW, I love the inspirational quotes!
  • There are no rules. That's why I love social media, put me in a box and I will surely break out.
  • Ok, then. I'll twitter. And I won't be a blurter.

    But that doesn't mean I have to like it.

    Cheers!

    George
  • "Will Barack use twitter after the election?" Good question!
  • What an outstanding dialogue. I'm following 4 more people now and subscribing to 3 more blogs.

    I'm finding my own balance is tipping rapidly toward more following & less blog subscribing, as someone else mentioned.

    The personal recommendations--and even the quasi-mystery of the tinyurl and the unknown content that lies beyond--are just more fun than opening my Google Reader & seeing how many hundreds of things I haven't read yet. So I don't mind an occasional reminder that there's longer content to be had outside the magic 140 characters.

    @BarbChamberlain
    (Follow me & you get a mix of Spokane civic life, PR/social media, news from Washington State University Spokane where I work, my kids, & my caffeine habit)
  • I think this should be a case of if you don't like what you're watching use the remote.

    Twitter like a lot of other social media sites has and will evolve according to the flavour of the month of it's users.

    Over the last year that evolution has moved towards it becoming an announcing medium. Blurting if you like. But hey in the end users will decide.

    So let Twitter evolve baby!
  • Really enjoyed what you had to say here. I notice that lots of 'famous' bloggers etc who are more than happy to have 'no-bodies' follow them, mostly do blurting as their form of twittering. In fact you can gain just as much from them by having their blog in your RSS feed. The people to follow are the ones who are prepared to engage with the hoi poloi.
  • I personally don't see anything wrong with putting a link to my blog or my company, on Twitter occasionally. I certainly don't think it's bad "twittequette" to do so. HOWEVER...

    There is a fine line between what I like to call "the art of shameless self promotion" and "blurting". I post on my blog a few times a week. When I post, am I going to throw a link up on Twitter? Absolutely. Am I going to throw a link in Facebook? Why not? But, one has to strike a balance.

    In addition to those links, I'm also throwing up all kinds of other information and links to other stuff I find interesting. I'm also having conversations with people on Twitter about many topics, I'm commenting on blogs, I'm collaborating on posts with other people, and occasionally doing a guest post like you.

    The secret is, don't try too hard. I don't do this solely because I'm trying to promote my business or my blog or anything else. I do this because I enjoy the process of connecting with other people. I enjoy sharing ideas. And I think the Internet is an amazing place. If I'm making a contribution that others appreciate, that's a side effect - it's certainly not the entire point.

    Excellent post - I enjoy your tweets too!
  • I use tweetdeck to keep my tweets organized.
    I have a column for tweets from people who follow your idea of twitterquette. They are mostly real people whom I want to have conversations with. They are experts in a field of interest to me.
    I have a column for news twits. I can keep up with breaking news.
    I have a column for businesses so I can find out what is going on with them.
    I have a column for experts on using social media. I like to see what is new and ways people are using it.
    I even have a column for famous personalities.

    Some of these columns I read as a possible part of a conversation or to ease drop on other conversations, or good links to follow.

    Some I just follow.

    Some are idea generators.

    All are different.

    All add vlaue to my tweetdeck is some way shape or form, but not all will be used for conversation.
  • "intents and purposes", dear.
  • Really insightful article - and great comments! I once checked out a profile of a new follower and clicked onto his blog. His philosophy on Twitter was that if a person had very many @replies on their profile page, he WOULDN'T follow that person - "because they're missing the whole point of Twitter".

    I left there scratching my head and wondering how the hell this gentleman could think that @replying to people is missing the whole point of Twitter. I must admit, he was a little bit older, and clearly formulated his Twitter philosophy around the "what are you doing?" text box.

    But I wholeheartedly agree with the wonderful ability to converse on Twitter - but there are times to broadcast too. I live in a small up-and-coming city, and have rounded up a great group of Twitter users who come to Tweetups I organize by both broadcasting things of value and @replying.

    Its a fun tool. Just using some common sense (business sense- and personal), having respect for your followers, and having fun makes Twitter such an awesome app. Thanks for your take on this subject!
  • excellent post. The comments are just as helpful. A funny thing happened within a few days of using twitter. I found myself "staging" events that were worth twittering, now it's a habbit, and I'm A WHOLE LOT LESS likely to whine about a bad day
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