A lot of the SEM industry is twitting away…. tweet tweet tweet, but not ShoeMoney… I tried it … I just do not get it. I read the other day Darren Rowse’s post about twitter and how much it has increased his blog readership. I think its a good post and I made note to maybe look into twitter again… but I still don’t get it.
Do you use twitter? What do you use it for?
I get it, its for people to dumb to use IRC
no it’s for people who need to be hyperconnected and those that market to them
mmmm…. hyperconnected
2 more buzzwords and I’ll have a bingo
I think the purpose of it is to make a more “community” feel to the site. Don’t really care much for it personally.
It’s basically a journal, where you provide updates as far as your blog is concerned and, why not, the occasional short rant
Amen.
Seconded. I just don’t care what people are doing every second of the day. Give me meaningful content-rich information, and I’m there. “Just got back from the bakery, got a chocolate chip muffin, SO GOOD” — WHO CARES??
Haha, that’s how I see it too.
I can’t go online without Twittering LOL.
I use it. I’ve managed to get a few more readers from it, and it’s a great way for posting posts that probably don’t justify a whole blog post (rather like this one :P)
Mobile blogging UFC event results
I completely agree with you. The idea of Twitter is that it sends your “friend’s” latest updates to your phone.
#1 I don’t have time to be notified every time somebody wants to announce that “they’re going to the bathroom, right now!” And I’m not sure I want people knowing every move that I make.
#2 Let’s say that you just use it to announce updates to your blog/site. If most people are getting these notifications on their phone, how is that going to help me get more site traffic. Can we really expect people to remember to check out our websites when they get home (or to the nearest computer) just because we announced that we have a new update. Everyone is already so bombarded with “come visit this site” all day, so I would imagine that it would just get lost in the electronic clutter.
#3 How is posting updates on Twitter any more beneficial than posting updates to your blog and simply forwarding the feed to blog communities profiles?
So many people swear by it, but I don’t get it. I’m starting to feel like I’m missing something.
It’s important to note that you don’t have to receive the “tweets” on your phone. You can choose to simply get it by email, rss, or just check the site for updates…
I agree. It’s just hype and will die down after awhile. I know someone that is utilizing twitter and nothing has happened of any benefit towards traffic. Plus most people don’t want to be bogged down with extra messages. That’s why sticking with blogging and getting emailed the update still makes the most sense to me because then I read it when I want to.
It maybe useful for sites where people need to react quickly to the content.
All these Web2.0 companies popping up just sound silly… I could never see myself using something dubbed: Twitter. I’m not a Twit, nor do I plan on Twittering…
and yet there’s people that are “proud to be twits…” Once again…I just don’t get it.
I barely have time to keep up with the social networks let alone type in updates of what I’m doing throughout the day. meh…….
So you excitedly announce that you’ve signed up for pwnce but yet you don’t get twitter?
its all about staking your claim…
There’s a reason why he has a photo, holding a check. You can insert any company’s name in there.
I am starting to use it, mainly to just post snippets to the blog of things I find interesting. I can see it being useful for really short thoughts.
Hey Jeremy… I am the one who squatted your twitter name a long time ago… I’m such a nice guy, aren’t I? I think once you use it a bit you will “see the light”. I think it is only good for people like you, Leo Laportes, Darren Rowse’s…etc…. anyone with a large audience/readers. Keep twittering and the light bulb will go off.
If the light bulb does go off and you want to buy some of the twitter names I have squatted, let me know. I have ones such as “football”, “horoscopes”, etc.
Try twittering from your cell phone, too
hey dude thanks for that!
Yep you’re awesome alright. So awesome in fact, I want to stay far far away.
I guess it IS about staking your claim.. lol.
I had signed up, but never used it, but have started again a few weeks back. I guess it takes a while to get going, especially if you are not following anyone, and have no tweets to read, other than your own.
I tried it for one of my very successful blogs and literally no one signed up to follow me. No one understood the widget that showed my tweets and no one complained when I eventually removed it. I keep spouting at Sphinn that this thing is just nothing special. It’s nice to here I’m not the only one.
I don’t get it either. Not knocking those who do it, but my friends stay my friends because they aren’t telling me about every second of their day.
Let me first say that I never tried it, but I just don’t get it either. Way back when i first heard of it, I wrote a post about it , but it never really sounded like something I wanted to try. So, it kept getting pushed further and further down on my list of things to try. There are people that swear by it, and make me think I should try it at least once.
It still seems like a stalker thing to me, I don’t need to know which song my peers are listening to or if they’re bored. (Note: i know that’s not all its used for)
It really depends, it can indeed be useful as far as networking is concerned but simply registering and posting updates will not have that much of an impact.
The point of it is microblogging, with 140 characters tops right? So pretty much everyone and their brother types something like “I am eating pie”. Everyone once in a while you’ll get a gem though, like the latest news. The Bhutto assassination rumors were first heard on Twitter and spread throughout the blogosphere. But for something like that, you have to watch carefully and you still can’t follow many people otherwise it is quite tiresome.
As for webmasters, it’s good to get followers at the beginning, then after you have a few hundred announce link bait campaigns there and get people to talk about it.
IMO Twitter is annoying though. Horrible layout and it’s hard to follow a lot of people at once. I tried it out when it first lauched and that didn’t last long. I’ve been using it for a few weeks on my second time around, but it isn’t going too well.
I don’t use twitter. I have an account in twitter… but don’t bother about it.
I love much of Twitter. The Brazilian elite of the blogosphere is all in Twitter
No.
I just don’t really get it either. Sure its kinda cool. But with a blog as young as mine, I need to be careful how much time I spend messing around with the “next big thing” versus devoting quality time towards building decent content on my site.
I agree, even if there are benefits when using Twitter, taking the time to create quality content for your website should always be on top of your priority list.
Jeremy…just try it and be yourself…it’s like being in a virutal bar with people who you are interested in and are interested in you. I also think that you’d think of some most excellent viral marketing ideas that use Twitter once you’ve been there for a while.
i have an account but have been half-assing my usage of it. Perhaps i’ll use my whole-ass for a while before writing it off.
I have the same problem. I tried twitter after i read the ProBlogger post. But WTF, i don’t get it. How do u use that thing?
Nope… not for me.
I see the new Prologue Wordpress theme as being much better for this sort of thing. At least for me…
You mean, only wordpress twitter is for you?
i’m torn by twitter…it’s a tough one. could be a complete waste of everyone’s time. then again, it definitely allows one to share. don’t give up completely just yet shoe…hang around and see what happens.
I twitter about once every 3 months. I dont have time to read everyone else’s twitter, let alone add my own twitter
Seems like a waste of time. Think about all the time spent reading about others peoples lives and also writing about your own. All time could be spent building content, links, etc. to make real money. Kind of like when I cut back on forum time, other than solving problems, my earnings went up.
Is for retarded people who don’t have friends, and like the idea that they have friends to talk with via Twitter.
I found Twitter useful when I attended Blog Orlando last year. The attendees were able to communicate with each other quickly and effectively. People would Tweet what class they were in and if it was good. They would Tweet where everyone was going at night. Josh Hallett set up a community for us on Twitter. During the opening session he sent out a Tweet saying, “The first person to show me this wins an ipod.” It was very useful that day because I didn’t bring my laptop and I could stay in the loop with my Blackberry.
http://twitter.com/MarketLeverage
This is a great use for twitter. Something like a chat room for people at the same event…except on your phone?
Jeremy, I also read the article of Darren, tried it out and left it after a week. No point unless you have a major readership maybe?
for me Twitter is a logical space to ‘play’ in. It’s the type of medium that a lot of my readers (bloggers) use and use in great numbers. I’ve always said that bloggers should find where their potential readers are already gathering and participate in those spaces - so that’s what I’m doing.
I don’t think it’d work for everyone as well as me - guess it depends upon the niche.
Twitter is a great networking tool. Ive heard ALOT of things through twitter that I wouldnt normally get exposed to. There are only so many blogs I can read in a morning, so I log onto twitter and see what people are talking about that I missed.
Love it.
I am fairly new to it but so far it’s been great for live blogging and breaking a story or posting a link before you can get to actually writing the blog post. Being able to just text message in your thoughts is a great feature.
I use it. It’s fun. Found a few nice people, a few good blogs through it.
But, to be honest, it won’t save the world, or my blog or anything. Nice, but not worth the hype it gets.
It is good for I sending a short message about an idea, and get some quick responses.
Honestly shoemoney, it would be a great way to keep up on your posts. I am visiting nearly every URL submitted by people I’m following. It’s also a quick way to message each other. Seems like the place most people I communicate with daily are at, which makes it a useful tool.
I LOVE Twitter because it keeps me in sync with the latest news from my friends or colleagues in the SEM realm. At this time all of them are actually posting themselves - not using a doppelganger and that is a value in itself because I can actually interact with them one on one. In addition I find it a great place to share my own articles that I think would be of value to my Twitter followers. It has done wonders for my network!!
I enjoy using Twitter for the groupthink aspect, if I have a question on something or if I’m teetering on the edge of making a decision, sometimes I get a collective answer to help out. Sometimes the responses can be a quick “research” point for future blog posts.
The networking aspect of it is also amazing, I have met and connected with SUCH a great group of people (and I absolutely love doing that) that I wouldn’t trade it for the world.
Twitter is useful only if you have a group of people that you are coordinating stumbles and digg votes as you see evident daily by the top diggers. They twitter with each other to coordinate mass votes.
Other than that though I don’t get it either. The last thing I want is to be in contact with everyone I know constantly. As it is I try to avoid people as much as possible in my downtime. There’s something to be said to not being on contact with everyone at all times.
Darren said he likes it ( above from Problogger) and I believe him regarding the community building aspect. It’s just that I work 12-14 hrs a day as it is and to be twittering before during and after work as many do seems insane to me. Reminds me of all of the people on MyBlogLog who actually have the time to constantly thank every single visitor to their site. Not the commenting visitors, just people who pass by.
As you know for some of us this is near impossible or highly improbable as a huge time waster.
What I find most amusing is when you see fake people twittering with others in the hopes of making them believe they are real. That can make you laugh hysterically and I wrote a whole post on how there are so many fake people, especially in the SEO field ( in my link).
I think I agree with Jake Mathews in that It’s worth a try if you have the time. Let’s wait and see. For not it seems way too time consuming to me.
Michael, the fact that a lot of people just smash things with a hammer does not mean that the hammer is a stupid idea, does it?
True Roland. I agree completely with you and think maybe you took my answer the wrong way. Like anything, Twitter can be fun for some and an annoyance to others.
One of my linkbait people had me join and Twitter with one of the ‘in crowds’ of Digg and Reddit. It gave me flashbacks of breaking my cell phone after everyone and their mothers were calling me using the contact info on my site. I think for some, it is better to NOT Twitter as it gets way too much attention. At least that is the case for me. Everyone wants me to hire them just because they know I have money and the Twitter brigade passes that around like crazy.
That makes me want to do the opposite and keep to myself more - which according to the blogging experts is not a good idea for a blog.
Aye, I can hear you there. For me, it’s sort of safe - I don’t have money, and everyone knows that
And yes, it can be abused, can be addictive, and so on.
All I was refering to that it’s like a tool, you have to use it well. I am not too good with metal working machines, so I avoid them, however I think they are cool.
Also, limiting twitter for only after work time helps. I simply don’t open it ’till I am at home, and ready for it.
I have been using twitter for only a few days now but I feel it lets me post a little more casual and it also lets me just blurt my commentary on things that don’t really fit my blog or aren’t worth a whole post. I would never fire off my opinion on politics on my blog but I would tweet about it.
It’s IM 2.0! http://www.webmaster-source.com/2008/01/30/what-is-twitter/
I don’t get it either, but here’s a good post on how Twitter can be used effectively: http://www.doshdosh.com/ways-you-can-use-twitter/
I wouldn’t have known about this post if not for Twitter. I also wouldn’t have known about Danny coming on your show. I’ve subscribed to the feed, but frankly too many feeds result in noise over-kill and I turn to Twitter as a source for instant industry gratification.
Through Twitter I get immediate responses to questions like… does anyone have a LinkedIn contact? Has anyone worked with Red Dot? Why does Oilman keep shouting boobies?
The responses took less than 2 mins!! For anyone with ADD or just a lot on their plate, that kind of instant response is invaluable.
Of course there’s a ton of noise, but it’s easy enough to ignore the topics that don’t pertain to you. Keep your followers down and you won’t be bombarded with obnoxious chit-chat. Keep those you follow down to a trusted resources and you’re golden.
Bottom line - Twitter is fun and distracting. When someone has a little self-control it can be a powerful tool.
I use it to ask quick questions. Especially since my site is still new, I can get feedback on the changes I am making. For instance this morning I added a section of books I recommend then on Twitter asked if people thought it was a good addition or in the way. Got some great private feedback on that.
also a great way to utilize the technology. I guess you have to find the ways it can be most effectively used instead of blindly jumping in and telling everyone you’re listening to “Car Wash.”
Yes, I Twitter. Some Twittee’s are fun to read, some take themselves way to serious, just like life in general. I have read though that most Twittee’s are under thirty and they don’t take to well with the over-thirty crowd joining the Twit.
But, it is in good fun overall. Twit On!
I use it to let people know what I am doing, exactly what it was created for.
I am a new blogger and twitter has really helped getting more readers. I use twitterfeed to post from my blog onto twitter. It also helps meet me other bloggers.
Bud
http://www.budcalabrese.com
ps - For anyone that’s saying they tried it and no one followed them… “if you build it they will come” doesn’t apply to business! Get off your butt and make connections with valuable resources and consider that if you have nothing to offer them why should they give a crap about your lonely little Twitter profile?
For those that say Twitter is only useful for social media gaming, you’re right, but that’s a small piece of the puzzle. Ahh! Get out of your self-inflated bubble and realize traditional marketing can and does still apply.
It’s a mood, I work and from time to time let people who I know for most are working too what comes to my mind. I use it also to let my followers know about new features, bug fixes of the projects I’m working on and that interest them. Easy and simple, doesn’t take much time as IRC.
I gave it a shot, but I just didn’t like the feel of the site and don’t have the time between work, wife, family, and my site to try and build a tweet community area.
I am sure Darren can get a big group going using his sites as leverage, but I just don’t know if it is worth the time for my site.
I usually check it daily though not obsessively. The mundane stuff like- “wow! this pizza is great” - just clutters the space but I’ve definitely been compelled to click on a link or two from those I admire - and have found good content that I otherwise would have missed.
I signed up for it a while back, but found it boring. Tried it again a few weeks ago…still bored. If I need updates on things, I check feeds, if I want to talk to people, I chat on IM. I guess Twitter is an acquired taste. I just don’t have time to waste on little apps like it.
J - there are so many sites like that out there and most are a wasite of your time.
Ok now we know all your thoughts about Twitter.
So lets move on to the important topic: Can you earn money via Twitter? Will your twitterposts turn up inside Google? What pagerank does the Twitter-URL have? If I twit some valuable keywords, will they be place high up in the search results?
And when talking about Twitter, did you know that in Europe there is another “Twitter” that is more popular? It is called Jaiku. Check it out.
It just feels like random acts of communicating…
I don’t know why people are wasting their time with twitting. I don’t get the message of it like you Jeremey Shoemaker, maybe they do it for the traffic or it is such a hype.
I use it mainly as a way of microblogging about what I do throughout the day. Then a Wordpress plugin on my blog compiles all my daily tweets and posts them to my blog as a consolidated entry. This not only gives me the ability to allow those following me on Twitter to see my tweets but those who simply visit my blog as well.
I think RacerX is right - Just random acts of communication, just for the sake of communicating.
Same for me. Twitter is not working, in my case. I guess that I need to add a lot of contacts in order to take advantage, but I don’t have much time right now.
I’m inclined to just forget about it at this point. And it’s interesting you posted about Twitter… it has been down several times in the past few days. And I kind of just don’t get it either…. and still considering staying with Jaiku.com, though. you can Jaiku also display photos uploaded to flickr, show your blog posts,etc….
I’m pretty new to it and only follow a couple of people. I do find myself looking at thei blogs and site more.
I use it to find inspiration for writing - social networking and increasing readership. I’ve seen a large increase in the couple of weeks I’ve been using Twitter. It’s a great program. I’m sorry I didn’t jump on the wagon sooner.
First time I started twitter I was bored quickly too but gave it a second try and now I am hooked.I try to find cool people to follow. Pretty interesting to see what they are doing, well most of the time that is.If its shite oh well, how much crap do you read on the net anyways,you`ll get over it. If you dont like it dont use it, man it is so easy.
Shoe,
I use it to track specific phrases. For me, this is its best purpose. Usually someone will tweet about a breaking news story in my area of interest before I will see it in a feed.
I’m a very new user, so using it to see what the fuss is about. So far I find the following value, all of which surprises me as I have been dubious about it:
whiteraven13: blogger/personal ID:
(1) Less distracting than IMs: there is not the same need to keep conversations going.
(2) Allows me to keep in touch/feel connected (work from home can be isolating)
(3) Get news/gossip/etc. quickly–plugged into community
(4) Able to disseminate links to my blog posts to a wider group.
(5) Ask questions/get feedback.
Additionally, I have a second site/twitter (www.markeroni.com; ID markeroni):
(1) A way to apprise its membership of what’s going on at the site
(2) Work list/record
(3) Keeping in touch in a more direct fashion.
Whether I will still be using it in another month is anyone’s guess. So far, I’m enjoying it.
What I don’t get? The scorn with which non-users denigrate others. Seems to me like the worst kind of idiocy. Disagree agreeably, folks: I have no problem with a dissenting viewpoint, only with stupid name-calling and cluelessness. I don’t use MySpace etc. but you won’t catch me denigrating any MySpace users in this way.
At first, I didn’t get it either. The day before yesterday, I created an account and added some people. It’s more intimate. It’s easier to communicate with people you would not otherwise be able to network with.
In your case, it may not be as helpful. You probably have most of those people on speed dial, your im list or email contacts. I’m sure it’s another way to get Stumbles, diggs and sphinns. I’ve followed a few links that I stumbled and dugg.
It may increase your readership.
BTW, I followed Darren’s tweet to this entry. Look at the stats and see if it’s worth your time. On Twiiter, a tweet can only be 140 characters anyway. How long could that take to type?
Something to think about…
I tried it a while back and gave up very quickly. I just really couldn’t see the attraction. I might take another look at it though. It certainly seems to have picked up some momentum lately.
For my personal and business blog, it just doesn’t work. But I have seen some good ideas using twitter as marketing media. Someone named TwitterLit is using her profile to send the first line of a novel (like a game for bibliophiles) and an affiliate link to Amazon for the book.
I’ve also seen a restaurant use it to send the main course of the day out to patrons right before lunch to spark interest.
I’ve been fooling around with it a bit and I think it can be used as a good marketing tool.
I twitter…mainly just to get Diggs…I send the Digg link and say something simple like…
Hey, can I get a Digg?”
Personallly, never used it, but have heard some good things about it. Love the blog ShoeMoney!
I use twitter to have a lot of readerships.. It can be weapon in digging and sphinning
I can see how it might help get some readership, but I don’t use it enough to get that out of it. I mainly just use it to show readers what I am up to on my blog, so they know I am actually around and update the site. Some people also find it entertaining to see what others are up to!
I signed up but that’s as far as I went. I haven’t mastered the cellular world yet.
I have a twitter account but don’t twit that much. I don’t know how it’s affecting people..I’m not ready to give up on it. It seems like a good “short attention span” tool. I only see twits on facebook and if I go to the twitter site itself, which I don’t do that much.
I use Twitter and like it, but fully recognize that it’s not for everyone. My worst social media experience ever was accidentally spamming a Twitter invite to anyone who had ever emailed me — if you’re not continually looking to connect with a crowd there’s no point to it.
I also had a really positive experience with it — Hugh MacLeod Tweeted (Twitted?) about a post I wrot