Today I am going to attempt to tackle a thorny subject in the world of social media: Twitter. More specifically, I'm going to rant a bit (consider yourselves forewarned) about the tragic misuse and abuse of this fantastic social media tool.
I have to admit, when Twitter first debuted, I was skeptical. Why in God's name would I want to track the minutiae of other people's lives, often people I don't even personally know? But, as a social media consultant, I thought I should practice what I preached, so I sucked it up and joined the Twitterverse as crazysavvy (you can follow us here!).
Slowly, slowly, my opinions changed. I grew to not only tolerate Twitter but actually, well, like it. In addition to being an incredibly useful marketing and PR tool, it was kind of .... fun .... to read the non sequitur comments and daily happenings of everyone from our clients to long-lost friends to industry colleagues to celebrities. It provided the perfect platform for my often-random mode of thinking. It gave Erin and I the giggles, as we'd race each other to update the latest C/S news or insight or snippet of hilarious banter.
But although Twitter is undeniably a great business tool and vehicle for disseminating information (when used correctly), I frequently find the postings of professionals to be, well, awfully dull. One of the things we tell clients when they're wading into the Twittersphere is to consider the line between personal and professional, and I certainly can't overstate that advice. Clients and consumers aren't going to want to know if you're having your period, just got dumped, or (not so secretly) hate your current project at the office .... trust me. At the same time, though, those who let no personality shine through on their Twitter accounts risk becoming nothing more than a databot bore. Relevant links to news and articles are great — in moderation. But endless retweets of pure content with no editorializing whatsoever clutters my Twitter feed and makes me not only annoyed but (far worse) bored to tears.
The dichotomy between function and fun is something we try to stay on top of on our C/S Twitter account. (I guess y'all can be the judges ...) Of course we'll tweet salient articles, engage in industry discourse, and post key links to content. But we also try to let our personalities come through as authentically as possible (although given my colorful vocabulary, a bit of censorship is frequently called for!) Whether it's snippets from an amusing conversation, thoughts on what's for lunch, or simply something too hilariously non sequitur to ignore, we do our best to pepper in personal commentary along with professional insight.
Of course, we're uniquely positioned to have this kind of latitude. We are our brand, so highlighting our (quirky) personalities is as much a business decision as a matter of personal preference. Running our own company gives us the freedom to say what we want without having to worry about what the higher-ups would think .... God forbid. Plus, we work in advertising, notoriously a more free-wheeling, unbuttoned industry than, say, insurance sales or the clergy.
But I think the takeaway, regardless of industry, is that Twitter is only as useful as how you choose to portray yourself on it. In the tech-saturated 21st century, most users these days are savvy enough to search out pure content if that's all they're looking for. The real value-added of Twitter (in my oh-so-humble opinion) is that you can disseminate information, but in a way that also allows you to be engaging and witty and, well, you. (At least as 'you' as one can be in 140 characters .... )
Case in point? Well, I'm almost embarrassed to admit this .... but, fortunately, I have no shame. Of all the myriad tweeps we follow, I think I most look forward to the ramblings of OGOchoCinco. (Erin is going to kill me for writing this .... oh well.) I mean, yeah, he could use his Twitter to post links to the latest NFL news and results ... but instead his followers (659,722 and counting) get to see the ins and outs of pro football from a decidedly .... unique .... perspective. (For the unaware, Chad Ochocinco is a wide receiver for the Cincinnati Bengals, known as much for his colorful personality as his football skills.)
Now I'm by no means advocating that most people should follow his example and post updates about cheating girlfriends, lame parties, and other drawbacks to lifestyles of the rich and famous. But I do feel there's a lesson here, somewhere beneath all the hilarious insanity. Ochocinco's ramblings — unmistakably his own and not the work of some publicist or agent — have attracted nearly 700,000 followers and the attention of the media ... while 2009 league MVP Peyton Manning's Twitter account boasts a measly 6,442 followers, a tiny number for a much bigger football star. I think this example, silly though it may be, underscores a basic fact: people want authenticity as well as content from those they follow on Twitter ... fun as well as function.
OK, diatribe over. On a more traditional media note, we received our first postcard of 2010! It arrives from Phoenix, AZ, where I have no doubt the weather is considerably more tolerable than ours here in Minneapolis.
