By now, it’s well known that the public (e.g. the mainstream media, or pretty much any of your real life friends & family) has absolutely no idea what Twitter is or how to use it. The fact that most of my friends still answer the question “What are you doing?” rather than “What are you thinking?” is a dead giveaway.

So, what do we tell them? “We” being the Twitter power users that is (or maybe abusers is more appropriate?), and “them” being everyone else that’s still catching up. Do we inform them that Twitter is not a broadcast medium (which is how most people use it) but instead is a conversation enhancer?

Actually, back up a step: should we tell them anything in the first place? I don’t see this so much as a matter of if they deserve to be told, but rather a matter of if they need to be told.

There is a fine line people in the service industry must walk along these same lines. For example, if you take your computer to Geek Squad, they’ll surely fix it. But how much do they tell you regarding what they fixed, and how they fixed it? A savvy Geek Squad “Agent” would try to gauge your knowledge of computers as they ask you background questions (i.e. “Tell me what went wrong, and be as explicit as possible including times, dates, and your involvement.”). He would scan your response for quotes like “the AOL,” “I opened my Google,” and “that’s when I dropped the mouse in the toilet.”

So how do they know how much to tell you? Truthfully, they don’t. This is, in my experience at least, where a lot of the crucial customer service relationship breaks down. Tech-savvy people get angry when you don’t tell them enough, and lay people get angry when you tell them too much and they feel stupid.

We come full circle. How do you know what to tell people about Twitter? You don’t. And you never will. Geek Squad Agents wait until they know it’s worth it to inform the customer how their computer was fixed, rather than just saying “It’s fixed, here you go!”

In turn, if you feel like explaining to your friends how they should be using Twitter – based on the latest Robert Scoble article, of course! – first consider whether or not it’s worth your time, and more importantly, their time. Then, once you’ve decided to go for it, make sure they’re with you each step of the way. Once you lose them, stop. Acknowledge that they can’t handle anymore. Accept the fact that they will continue “misusing” Twitter and just understand that, eventually, they’ll either A) educate themselves, B) turn to you for peer advice, or C) give up Twitter, thereby justifying the fact that you didn’t waste more of everyone’s time than was necessary.

Twitter is not for everyone. Rather than being an evangelist, be a humble user with wise advice.

Just for fun:

• What people are saying about Robert Scoble on Twitter
• What people are saying about Geek Squad on Twitter