Even if Twitter is Just a Geek Haven, It's Still Very Influential

There's been an interesting discussion over the last few days about Twitter's reach. WSJ reporter Kara Swisher surveyed her dinner party and found out that no one there uses the micro-blogging site. Meanwhile Gina Trapani on Lifehacker is running a survey asking if Web 2.0 benefits only the tech elite.

Now let's look at the data. According to figures just out from Hitwise, Twitter is the 439th largest social networking site and 4309 overall. To be sure, growth is booming. But the site is still niche.

So all of the signs generally point the same way. Most of the social networking and online communities are definitely geek havens. MySpace, Facebook and YoutTube are three that have gone mainstream. So does that mean these smaller sites, like Twitter, are not worthy of a brand's time? Hardly.

Geeks are by far more influential than any other online contingency, except the big media. Geeks pass the puck from Twitter to blogs back to Twitter. Eventually it hits Techmeme, Saul Hansell at the Times takes notice and then the whole world knows.

That's why smart companies like JetBlue and Zappos are legitimately engaging on Twitter. It's becoming a front line for customer service. At a minimum, every consumer facing company should be monitoring the chatter. Even better, participating can cut problems off at the pass or even better foster evangelists. The numbers may never tell this story. For more, see Chris WInfield's mini case study.

Comments

[Rodney Rumford]

Steve.
Nice blog post. The real news here is the trend upward in adoption.

When a services is used by teens, bloggers, pr people, execs, tech types and 20 somethings there is value there. The growth is all organic which says a lot. We could not find a single ad anywhere promoting twitter (and we looked).

I have blogged about this earlier as well as some additional insights and charts from compete and alexa. Cheers!

http://facereviews.com/2008/04/29/twitter-ready-to-tip

Rodney Rumford
Editor: FaceReviews

[Tyson Goodridge]

Yep, I joined Twitter after SXSW too, so am fairly new to the game and enjoying the ride. The info above gives me a bit more data to convince my work colleagues to listen,learn and engage on twitter (especially since we're relaunching our site-an online community of people sharing the good life-in 3 weeks..)

We've also started our own company twitter(@goodlifeshared)and are
learning some best practices from from @jetblue and @zappos.(thanks to @bryanperson too for giving mea bit of advice as well.)

Our challenge? We're still small and niche and don't have brand recognition...yet.

Still learning as we go here (and welcome any feedback/tips/advice)

[anon]

Rodney, what teens are using Twitter and what for? All I see are silicon valley folk. The only reason Twitter took off, in my opinion, was because both Scoble and Leo Laporate made a big deal out it SXSW.

Teens have been using IM for years, they've been aware of this idea of a status is for years. And obviously, they're aware of it on Facebook.

Other than to folk in Silicon Valley, Twitter is basically a component any system can add, not a product in itself.

[MouthyGirl]

I interviewed the CEO of Zappos.com this week. Great guy and company, they run contests like crazy on Twitter and are really extending their customer base. They have no intention of placing ads, they prefer word of mouth endorsement. My kinda business!

I think Twitter is fantastic as a resource, contact point and for interesting conversation.

[baldeagle]

While I like to think of myself as a technology early adopter, I feel like I'm late to the party with Twitter. I'll admit there are some fascinating people and posts on Twitter. I'm almost glad it hasn't made mainstream (especially if Myspace is the future).

[Wayan]

Twitter? Ah. Can't get excited about something that devalues communication online that much. If its worthy the effort of a "twit", shouldn't you add an image and make it a real blog post? Or just leave it as an SMS among friends? Either way, there isn't anyone I want to track that closely, not even my wife.

[@CoachDeb]

Gee... I never thought I was a "geek" before...
But - I'll take that title if it means I'm an
early adopter who found a secret tool 4 connecting
with my clients, and marketplace before others.

I would also argue the statement:

"Geeks are by far more influential than any other online contingency, except the big media."

Let's not forget that it was bloggers who took down "big media"

Need I say, "Rather-Gate"?

[CSSteve]

I have looked at, conidered, pondered and even used twitter. And while I am able to imagine some potential uses for twitter, I am left thinking that twitter is nothing more than a place for mindless babble. A place for bored teens with no life to tell other boring teens what they not doing. Most of the people who become fans seem to have absolutely nothing in common with me and appear to be half of my age. This only reinforces my opinion of who twitter's true audience is. The other part of the equation is how abstract people's explanaitions are of why twitter matters and what it is for. Anytime someone has to try that hard to explain something, that tells you a lot.

[TechTownNC]

Twitter is certainly useful for bloggers, journalists, PR firms or anyone else who wants to drive people to content, but that leaves out most people outside of NY or Silicon Valley. Twitter really is a utility for people in those spheres, and could become that in other similar environments (e.g. London, Tokyo), but I doubt it will become relevant for the rest of the world.

[Justin Thorp]

I'd recommend listening to the latest episode of this This Week in Tech (http://twit.tv). They talk about (and I agree) that all it will take is for a Paris Hilton to start using Twitter and it will blow up in a way that no one ever imagined.

[PepperDigital]

The fact is, being a "geek" is the new cool.

Learning how to apply Twitter to our everyday lives is the challenge, and once brands learn to use it to their advantage, it might make the move to the mainstream.

As TechTownNC said above, Twitter is commonplace in the blogging, PR, and journalist circles, but has yet to migrate to others as an alternative to IMing and blogging.

The reference to Twitter being used as a customer service tool for JetBlue and Zappos shows how companies are taking advantage of the digital resources available to them.

[Hans de Kraker]

Twitter appears to be already very successful at a still embryonic stage.

Focusing on what the person looks like who uses the tool, (shade of green, demographic, social graph, geek, millenial or babyboomer etc) is limiting it seems.

The most successful innovations started niche and small. That is how Coke started, Amnesty International, Google and many other landslide changes started with one individual or a few - not the large crowd.

Successful corporations are those that understand that innovation is likely to come from outside - and open to that innovation from outside.

What mostly differentiates a company - is the experience they create. And this is where I have to give it to Forrester, J Bernoff and Bruce Temkin and Harley Manning - who have adhered to this one single thing - customer experience and experience based differentiation.

I noticed an earlier post from Steve about new roles etc. But really - Chief Experience Officer is nothing new. It is a new term. New suit - same character. Customer experience and service was important in the markets in Rome 2000 years ago, it was 100 years ago at the Cornerstore butcher in Brooklyn or Istanbul.

At the end of the day - all the innovators or trendspotters do, is usting tools to discover new differentiated experiences. Do things with that tool that you cannot do anywhere else. And Twitter is one of those. Of course - if you have not been there - and you did not sit down and had the 'plate of pasta' - you would not know.

Same way for Google Docs or others that create differentiated experiences. Really, only the experience counts.

Twitter shows all the signs

[giota]

Interesting poiny there!!

The key measure of Twitter usage is total users, total active users and total messages sent. And according to a source close to the company, these are the current Twitter usage stats(http://www.techcrunch.com/2008/04/29/end-of-speculation-the-real-twitter-usage-numbers/):

March 2008
Total Users: 1+ million
Total Active Users: 200,000 per week
Total Twitter Messages: 3 million/day

Twitter gives the opportunity of exchanging opinions, events, news, ideas and feedback largely because its structured to accommodate non-contextual usability. You can talk and listen to a range of users on the same time.Additionally twitter is a way of people pushing out their messages and their ideas and be adopted by thousands of users.So let give it a try and see how it will be used in the practice of PR.

[Rich]

I am a senior in college preparing to graduate. I will be moving into an internship in Washington in a month and have no experience blogging. This is actually my first time searching the vast bloggosphere for appealing topics to indulge in. Call me old school, and I am only 22, but I have always lagged behind the curve to adopt internet communities.
Growing up playing golf all the time, I became apt in speaking and using communication skills simply by practicing. I've made many friends, received job offers, and occasionally hustled unsuspecting business type golfers. I have plenty of people I would call friends and even more acquaintances over the US.
My problem with the communities online is how many bloggers don't necessarily like them (online communities), but accept that they are one of the best tools to use for a public relations practitioner. I don't like them and here is why.
Having always had face-to-face contact with people, I don't think a relationship is formed until one can use their human senses to judge on a persons character. In a relationship, I find intimacy and contact a must for interpersonal communication.
As for internet relationships, the anonymity of web relationships leaves doubt and uncertainty in the relationship itself. Who is someone in Oregon that reads my blog? It is not a relationship in my mind, it is an awareness of a stranger's ideas.
Life for humans is short and immensely complex. I find it hard to compare a relationship online to one of face-to-face contact, and more-so think that relationships, even in the PR field, should be more than for a contact. My memories of life will be comprised of my closest relationships. Internet based contacts are important in the current era, but from 'geeks' on tweeter to professional communicators, people should always relish the opportunity to have quality contact more than quantity contacts.