A Twitter Convert (or, Sometimes the Boss is a Dope)

Back in 2009, I posted an article for an online Marketing publication, iMediaConnection, in which I boldly state that Twitter will be out of business in a year.

Boy, was that a dumb prediction or what?

Some of my assertions on the article were completely off-base, and kind of funny 3 years later:

• Twitter will be obsolete by 2010
• It will be hard to increase Twitter’s user base
• Twitter will see a lot of competition soon
• Google Wave could be a hit (hardy har har)

A Convert

Today, I think I’m the biggest fan of Twitter in the office. I enjoy it much more than the Facebooks, though not as much as Google Plus. Twitter has earned a place in my busy life. Why, do you ask?

Facebook’s mostly 1-1 relationship
I interact on a more personal level with friends and family on Facebook. It’s almost like a never-ending chat room for blather. It can be fun, but I tend to get bored with all the politics and seeing what people are eating for lunch. On Twitter I can follow people I either find interesting, or business associates that may not necessarily be my “friend”. I enjoy interacting with these types of people, and for the most part, they are much less apt to be irrelevant.

Twitter is a 24/7 Conference
I get a lot of inspiration from Twitter. People in my industry are sharing their inspiration and their work all the time. I can either observe or have a meaningful, albeit short, interaction with someone that I can’t on other media. Similar to going to a conference, you can stay energized about your industry and interact with other interested people.

Twitter is to the point
140 character limits really force people to focus their writing to emphasize their point. No rants allowed. It’s great. And you only have to look at pictures if you choose to.

Some of my assertions from 2009 I still stand by:

“Social media marketing is a viable and necessary industry.”

“Test different media, but let’s not get caught up in just one. Twitter is not the final answer to social media marketing. Staying aware, good writing, and good communication will always be more important. Think “writing” instead of “blogging” or “tweeting.”

“…as soon as a social media marketing tool becomes spammy, it immediately becomes irrelevant.”

Debate is good!

I think I received emails from that article for at least a year after it was written. It’s a little embarrassing that I made such a naive claim, but it did stir the pot. I interacted with a lot of interesting people and no one emailed me a virus. The debates were fun and enlightening. Eventually I also learned that I’m not always right. What a shame. I think it’s also a good example of not putting too much stock into “the future”. Technology moves so fast, it’s hard to predict. I’m sure the explosion of mobile devices since 2009 has helped keep Twitter relevant to a great extent.

Good thing I still like to learn.

You can follow me on Twitter for more ridiculous predictions. :P