Social media. Neither social nor media. Discuss.
November 30th, 2008 |
Twitter is all abuzz with discussions about followers, following, Qwitter, vanity, paranoia and etiquette. What are the rules for adding and dropping followers on Twitter? Is it wrong to want a large followers list? It all depends on why you use Twitter, and therein lies the problem with most analysis: When I tell you how I prefer to use Twitter, I am telling you just that, how I use Twitter. That doesn’t mean it is how you should use it. If you use Twitter as a social network, one set of “rules” will apply. If you use it as a microblogging environment, another set will apply and if you use it as a broadcast feed, yet another. None of these is wrong, just different.
Outside of ethical and legal considerations, and standards of respectful conduct toward others, there is no single correct way to use Twitter. Problems arise when one of two things happens. The first of these is when someone expects others to intuitively know their Twitter code of behavior and to follow it as well. The second of these is similar, and takes place when someone defines Twitter in a monolithic way as, say, a social network and then says, ergo, “anyone who does not follow the etiquette of social networking is misusing Twitter,” or the simpler version, “they/he/she don’t/doesn’t get it.”
It is this quality of flexibility, that one can make of Twitter what one wants, that is its key strength, but leads to these contentious discussions of what behavior is right or wrong on Twitter. Twitter is part of what we call social media, a relatively new set of online sites and tools that are both social and media, but not purely either, and hence cannot be seen as falling strictly into one category or the other.
I’ve written about this in greater detail in my December Talent Zoo column. I hope you’ll share your thoughts on the topic.
Tags: social media, twitter, qwitter, followers, unfollow, unfollowing, etiquette, social network
| Sphere This |
As with most of these discussions, in the end it comes down to how names and definitions are interpreted.
For me, social just means there is the opportunity to connect with other people, and media just means content (text/images/video/audio).
Twitter is a social network, in the same way that Facebook is, but also in the same ways forums have been for years, or meeting up with people in real life - and you’re correct in saying it’s down to individuals how they use it.
I think most people are advising others because they want to help, but also because they want to shape users that they interact with to use the service in the same manner so they don’t have to deal with anyone doing anything they don’t agree with!
Comment by Dan Thornton — November 30, 2008 @ 12:43 pm
Agreed! I have four different twitter accounts with unique objectives and use each in a different way. There isn’t one right way to use twitter. If you use it inappropriately, people who follow you will let you know in a variety of ways.
When I first started using twitter in early 2007 as @Bargainista, it was almost strictly for broadcasting information about sales (I have a shopping blog, it seemed to make a lot of sense).
Some bloggers liked what I did and blogged about it as an example of a good way to use twitter. Now there are lots of people who say if you’re not using twitter for conversations you’re using it wrong. Guess what? Lots of new people still follow @Bargainista every day and other shopping bloggers are doing the same thing.
I set up shared accounts for @PodcampToronto and @CommunityDivas. Both of them are a bit of a hybrid between broadcasting, microblogging and social networking.
I’m most active as @EdenSpodek. I started this account for conversations/social networking and to expand my focus beyond shopping. I don’t get hung up on the whole follow-unfollow thing. I keep doing my thing - conversing, sharing and learning from others - and it works.
Comment by Eden Spodek — November 30, 2008 @ 12:54 pm
I agree with all your thoughts here. Twitter is a fast growing community and there are many ways to use it and the ways it gets used will continue to grow. I like that it can be used in a variety of ways. I think it a key value of Twitter.
Comment by Mark — November 30, 2008 @ 5:55 pm
To be 100% honest…i wanted to find testers for our startup at twitter. Now, its just fun and i feel in touch with the world.
We still want beta testers though
T.Rex
Comment by www.loudhive.com — November 30, 2008 @ 6:49 pm
Joel, I think you should read this essay as well: http://omgomgomfg.com/2008/11/11/twittah-plz-harnessing-the-power-of-the-twitter-community/ It’s the best twitter primer I’ve read, and explains many of the pitfalls you mention.
Christopher L. Jorgensen
Comment by Christopher L. Jorgensen — November 30, 2008 @ 9:39 pm