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Is it just me, or is Twitter everywhere these days? I wasn't familiar with this social networking tool at all until I read this marvelous post on Inklit comparing Twitter to, well...me. Of course I was thrilled to come out looking good in comparison to a popular social networking tool, but I didn't know much about Twitter at all until that point... and then all of a sudden Twitter exploded all over my screen.
Over at Brazen Careerist, they've completely redone their design to incorporate Twitter posts. Penelope Trunk is completely obsessed with Twitter. There's a Twitter writing contest at Copyblogger. And that only scrapes the surface of all the social networking sites out there that people believe will bring them fame, notoriety, and business. Meanwhile Lori Widmer is doubting the value of all these social networks, and frankly so am I. Here's why.
Because social networking takes time. It takes time to build a profile. It takes time to connect to other people. It takes time to build a presence big enough to draw significant traffic. It takes time to be active in these communities--often a must if you want to get noticed. Why spend all that time on something that offers a very shaky ROI, when you could spend it on proven marketing strategies to clients who buy? And if you're not doing it to boost your business, why are you doing it? What's the point of all that time spent?
Because fame on a social networking site is like fame everywhere else. Many people half-believe that social networking sites will bring them some sort of notice. And some people actually do get that--look at Tila Tequila, a girl who got a Playboy spread, an MTV show, and a record deal from her activities on MySpace. But if you think you personally are going to wind up in Hugh Hefner's mansion--or on TV--just because you made a MySpace profile, well...I've got a bridge in Brooklyn you might be interested in. Maybe it does happen, but to one in a million.
Because many people on these sites aren't looking to buy. An interesting point John makes on Inklit is that people on Twitter are looking to be heard--not necessarily to hear others. And in my experience on social networking sites, I've found this to be true: most people there are interested in themselves. They're interested in making themselves heard. In connecting to their friends. In getting attention. In expanding their business networks. Most people are not interested in you, and most aren't looking to hire you--I would say the chances of that are probably best on a site geared towards professionals, like LinkedIn, but even so I've been on LinkedIn for a while and I can't say I've gotten business from it.
Because established markets don't go trolling for writers on social networking sites. Maybe those $5-an-article people do. But high-paying, established companies and markets don't--they don't need to. Writers come to them. If you really want to make progress with your career, maybe you should put yourself in front of them through marketing materials, direct contact, and so on instead of expecting them to come to you on a social networking site.
I'm on FaceBook and LinkedIn. I originally joined FaceBook thinking I'd find clients there, but so many of my friends from college are on FaceBook that my profile has degenerated into something that's mostly social now. As for LinkedIn, I've connected to a small number of previous clients there, but I can't say it's given me a discernible boost in business. What's worked for me is doing a good job for my clients, getting referrals, and getting in touch directly with companies I want to work for. And this blog. I believe blogging and a great website can do wonders for your business--but social networks are generally not much more than a time sink.
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12 RESPONSES TO "TWITTER IS COMPLETELY OVERRATED"
Thanks for the insightful comments! My problem with Twitter and other social networking sites is not when people use them to have fun; my problem comes in when people use them to get business or to get "noticed." It seems to me like there are much more effective ways to promote a business or even a blog than using social networking sites. I do know people who claim that they've brought a bunch of traffic in, but after trying several myself I realized that to get any type of traffic it would take me quite a while to bulid up a profile--much longer than it would take me to use more traditional marketing methods. Thanks for showing me, though, that there are practical purposes for these tools--especially about Comcast and an example of someone landing a job from their Twittering.
It looks like this has already gotten a fair amount of comments, but I have to go against the notion that Twitter is overrated. I agree that much like Facebook (or any social networking site), you have to find the fine line between using it as a personal or social tool versus using these sites for professional purposes. I do believe it is possible to use networking sites for dual uses, and it can often be a large benefit. A friend of mine actually networked with a PR firm in San Fransisco through Twitter and now has a job set up in July when she graduates. I think most people who are on Twitter will agree it's a great networking opportunity if you utilize it.
Jennifer - have you even tried Twitter? It's sorta fun...
I think it depends on what you think Twitter will do for you. I don't think Twitter is as valuable as say a corporate blogs for your clients, simply because there is a lack of space. But monitoring Twitter and people who may write about your client in passing could leave to some very noticeable results. Mike Arrington wrote a complaint about Comcast not returning his service on Twitter, and received a personal phone call from the company, and then he wrote about it on TechCrunch. Was Twitter overrated then? I don't think so. And apparently, according to Mike's post, Comcast regularly searches for mentions of Comcast on Twitter in order to see what the conversation is and if there are any problems.
Facebook has almost entirely been about friend finding friends, and sometimes about colleagues connecting with colleagues. Twitter has often been described as a very complicated chatroom, where you can listen to the people you want to listen to, but you can choose to not listen to others. Sometimes those people communicate with each other, but sometimes you just want to know what other people are doing or finding on the Internet. I've read a lot of interesting things that are linked from Twitter, so I feel that it is worth my time.
I think with social media in general it's important to set time limits and to understand when you need to step away from the website and do your job. But that doesn't mean it's completely worthless. I have always considered social networks to simply be places where I get to know people. I get to find out what they are interested in and who they are as people through a combination of different networks - Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and their blog... Then, when I actually meet people in person, they aren't completely strangers. We can skip over the pleasantries and I can say, "I found your opinion on X interesting. What do you think about Y?" That's just one way of finding value in social networks. Hopefully you will find yours.
You know, when I first started Twitter I thought it was really dumb. But since I've used it to talk to a lot of people on the Brazen Careerist network and gotten to know many of the bloggers outside of their blogs. This is great for me, since I don't normally have time to read 150 blogs every day.
People have found me too - career coaches, authors, publicists - and these are great connections to make.
It's also a great way to keep up with the news. The actual news, not the micro-news of what your friends are doing. Because people share links to interesting news items and news spreads like wildfire on Twitter.
I think if you put a little time into Twitter you can grow a profile pretty easily. After a month of using the tool seriously I'm connected to nearly 100 people, most of whom I wouldn't normally be able to converse with on a daily basis. It's been a good investment of my time (about 15-20 mins daily).
Amen Greg,
I think that you shouldn't engage in something like Twitter with that sort of a narrow focus (i.e. finding clients). Twitter is only a tool, the value of it comes from the people using it - you need to contribute to the community and interact (which is something Penelope has not really done - it's just been a cutesy megaphone).
Spending "time" on twitter is like spending time on almost any other venture when you are starting out. In a startup, you don't get paychecks right after you make your pitch (unless you are an A-lister) but you have to start putting time into the system and building it up.
Just jump into it, and start playing with it, don't expect to make money on the first day. You can follow me at @davidgiesberg
Jennifer - I agree with you that social networking can be a huge time drain with very little immediate (traffic) results for any but the very highest profile people.
If blog traffic were the arbiter of success, I'd surmise that only blogs with huge traffic immediately have huge followings on Twitter. These followers may already subscribe or regularly read the blogs in question, so Twitter doesn't necessarily increase their blog traffic. It can, however, help solidify a more personal connection between the reader and blogger. If followers are interested enough in a blogger on Twitter to "vote" about the blogger's lunch choice (I've seen it happen!), I would guess the feeling of being intimately involved in the blogger's daily life builds positive feelings.
Honestly, I'm still not sure of the value of learning about the most uninteresting elements of someone's day (how long the grocery line is, etc.), but I do like to know if someone is reading an interesting article, has posted a blog and is seeking comments, or needs quick feedback about something they are doing.
I think there is some value to Twitter for people who can follow and be followed by people who are interested in relationship building. I've noticed that several in my Twitter group really seem to connect and share information that is useful for others in our circle.
Twitter is less personal than email, so it is possible to really connect with a mentor who may otherwise be a bit out of reach.
For those who don't follow or have followings in the thousands, Twitter makes it possible to learn where circles of influence exist. (If someone I respect follows someone else, that person may be someone who has information I'd like to learn as well.)
I think there can be value in Twitter if used with a goal in mind...The good thing is that there is a lot about social networking that we can control (how much time we spend, whom we follow, etc.) Targeted tweeting can't hurt :-)
Miriam Salpeter
Keppie Careers
I disagree, its not about "me." Its about the people you are connected to. I'll stand by my arguement 100% of the time. If you follow losers and people who say nothing, then yes Twitter has no value. If you listen to the conversation, you can learn and share some awesome things.
Penelope didn't use Twitter right. She only put out messages but never listened or responded. It's another way to have a conversation with people, real people.
If you are not listening, then yes, Twitter will not be for you. If you are a company and not monitoring Buzz words with TweetScan, then people are talking about you in a WOM fashion and you aren't talking back. That's not good.
Stop knocking Twitter if you don't understand it. Just don't use it.
Twitter has provided me with a few opportunities to develop our business plan, and enhance our marketing strategy. It is an innovative concept that has already returned on the investment of $0, and not much time!
Like so many other things, you only get as much as you give. With Twitter, you set the tone. If you want to reach out to other people and make serious connections, then you can make it happen. If you just wait for others to reach out to you, your success most likely won't be as great. Personally I'm a big fan of Twitter because it's a great way to connect with people in an informal way on a daily basis. If you show them you care about what's going on with them, they do notice.
A friend and I came up with a way to use Twitter that doesn't seem quite so narcissistic: Use Twitter to create "asides."
With a quick and simple Tweak to your wordpress theme, and the Twitter-Tools plugin, you can feed your tweets straight into your posts, but not have it look like a full-blown post, like normally happens when using that plugin.
This isn't meant to be a shameless plug response, but check out my site (http://www.challengeandsupport.com) to see what I'm talking about.
Check out his site, too (http://www.downtowncartel.com). He's done a better job of incorporating it, I think. I'm still tweaking.
Actually, you'll notice that Penelope backpedaled from her Twitter love, taking her feed off her blog and off the main Brazen Careerist page. I guess she figured out airing her personal dirty laundry on her business homepage was not a good idea. I didn't really mind but some people certainly bristled at her incredibly candid tweets.
As far as Twitter goes, just like most other social networking sites, it is about "me"--you change your interest, update pictures, change your status on Facebook because you want people to notice and comment on you. It's the same with Twitter. But that doesn't mean that it can't be a useful source of communication with a wide network of people.
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