Posts tagged ‘Twitter’

December 29th, 2008

The Trouble with Twitter

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We’re big fans of Twitter here at the 60 Second Marketer. It’s one of the great, new social media tools that help people stay connected with each other.

But there’s a problem with Twitter: It can be a big, huge waste of time.

This isn’t a criticism of Twitter. On the contrary, we believe Twitter is a valuable tool for people interested in staying connected with their customers and their customer prospects. But we also feel that Twitter can gobble up inordinate amounts of valuable time.

The bottom line is this — if you let Twitter get a hold of you, it’ll suck up a lot of energy that can and should be used elsewhere. It’s surprisingly easy to get caught up in the back-and-forth that’s part of the Twitter environment.

The challenge is figuring out how to stay engaged with Twitter without getting sucked into the meaningless (and time-consuming) Tweets that make up about 30% to 50% of all the chatter that happens on Twitter.

Any suggestions or thoughts? Anybody see paralells between Twitter and Blackberry?

Do tell.

October 18th, 2008

Twitter Influence Spreads Around the Globe

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Make no mistake about it — Twitter is a global phenomenon and it’s spreading fast.

This chart highlights the global spread of Twitter. The U.S. is the most Twitter-ific (sorry, very corny) nation on the planet followed closely by Japan, Spain (Spain? Really?), and the U.K.

What makes Twitter such a hot application? It’s the next step in the democratization of the web. By leveraging the power of social communities everywhere, Twitter has grown in influence and authority.

Will it become the next YouTube or Facebook success story? Well, yeah, it kind of already is.

Will it be monetizable? That remains to be seen. YouTube, Facebook and MySpace continue to struggle with the monetization of their sites. That’s not to say they aren’t hugely successful, it’s just to say that they’re still in that early growth curve (just like Amazon was) where they haven’t started generating all of the profits they have the potential of generating.

September 22nd, 2008

Twitter Reports News Faster than CNN, MSN, NYTimes and MSNBC.

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It’s early Monday morning and the Social Media world is hard at work with updates on a luggage scare at JFK. One of our 60SecondTwitter followers sent a Tweet alerting everyone to a suspicious-looking package at JFK airport. She’s checked CNN and MSN for the story, but so far there’s been no mention. (According to another 60SecondTwitter follower out of Richmond, the Twitter community is also ahead of the online versions of the New York Times and MSNBC.)

If you’re into Twitter, this is just one more example of the power of social media. That’s not to say that Twitter is going to usurp CNN, the New York Times, MSNBC or MSN any time soon, far from it. It’s simply to say that social media tools like Twitter, Facebook, Del.icio.us and others are evolving quickly and that’s something we should all be aware of.

Right now, in some garage in San Fransisco, Boston, Austin or Atlanta, there are a couple of people hard at work on some evolution of Twitter or any number of other social media tools. Someday, if you’re a marketer, you’ll be using one of these tools to create a dialogue with your existing customers or your customer prospects.

It’s an exciting time in marketing and we’re glad to be on board for the ride. The key right now, if you’re a CMO, an Advertising Director or just an entrepreneur trying to get the hang of marketing, is to stay on top of these evolving tools and to try to use them to generate buzz and prospects for your business.

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September 9th, 2008

Is Twitter a Big, Fat Waste of Time?

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Okay, let’s get this straight — Twitter is the new “hot thing.” That’s no surprise to anyone reading this blog.

But is Twitter a complete waste of time?

A few days ago, BusinessWeek.com wrote an article called “How Companies Use Twitter to Bolster Their Brands.” The article highlights many of the companies that are using Twitter to track customer “chatter” about their brand.

Companies like Dell, GM, Kodak and Whole Foods Market follow Twitter in an effort to keep track of what people on the micro-blogosphere are saying about them.

Getting this kind of “we care about our customers” PR is great for Dell, GM and others. But is Twitter really just a big, fat waste of time for the gazillions of people who use it?

At The 60 Second Marketer, we’ve used it to connect with people in the Social Media world, and that’s been a very, very positive thing. It’s also been a great way to interact with people on the cutting-edge of new and emerging media. But the vast majority of employees who use it spend a good portion of their day writing self-centered Tweets like “Sitting here on a rainy day wishing I was somewhere else.”

Is that a productive use of company time? I dunno, but it sure doesn’t look like it to me.

Views contrary to mine are welcome. Have at it.

August 14th, 2008

Which Web Start-Ups Are Getting all the Buzz?

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Hey, guess what? 2008 is a repeat of 1998.

I’m serious. The web is hot again and marketers and venture capitalists  are trying to figure out which web properties will be the Next Big Thing.

An article in this week’s Fortune Magazine outlines some of the Web 2.0 start-ups that are getting a lot of the buzz. The article does a great job of highlighting Twitter and pointing out what all the fuss is about.

Fortune is one of those publications that should be sitting on every executive’s desk. Plus, just one or two articles are worth what you’d pay for a year’s subscription, so I’d encourage you to subscribe. (And no, they’re not paying me to say that.)

Here’s an excerpt from the Fortune article outlining some of the hottest web properties marketers and businesspeople should know about:

Dig
Online-content-sharing site.  Rumors persist that Google is interested in buying it.

FriendFeed
Customized content feed for your social-network page.  Started by Google alumni.

iLike
Music recommendations and playlists on social-networking sites.  Partnered with RealNetworks’ music service Rhapsody.

Mint
Free personal finance site.  Think of it as a no-frills Quicken.

Ning
Do-it-yourself social network—kind of like your own custom Facebook.  Co-founded by serial entrepreneur Marc Andreessen.

MyYearbook
“Safe” social networking site for high schoolers.

Yelp
User-generated reviews and recommendations of restaurants, bars, and other local businesses.  Now an iPhone application.

Zynga
Free games—poker, blackjack, Sudoku, and such—for Facebook, MySpace, and other social-networking sites.

August 14th, 2008

5% of Americans Use Twitter. So do Amazon, Apple, Dell and Southwest Airlines

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If you’re not using Twitter as a marketing tool, you may be missing out on one of America’s fastest-growing marketing vehicles. According to a recent survey, 5% of all Americans are using Twitter to stay in touch with their friends and family.

Since you’re a marketing guru, you already know that Twitter is a micro-blogging tool that allows you to effectively instant message people from a variety of devices. The 60 Second Marketer Twitters at www.Twitter.com/60SecondTwitter. Other companies that use it include Amazon, Apple, Dell and Southwest Airlines

Will it be around for good? Probably.

Is it the “next big thing?” Maybe.

Is it peach pie? Nope.

August 11th, 2008

Newspapers That Twitter

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Here’s a great website that is tracking the newspapers that use Twitter to connect with their readers:

GraphicDesignr.net

The site highlights which newspapers are Tweeting as well as which ones are seeing increases and decreases.

Great stuff. Enjoy!


The 60 Second Marketer is a free online magazine brought to you by BKV Interactive and Direct Response. We try to provide quick updates on the newest tools, tips and techniques in marketing. We also try to accomplish that with a dose of humor or levity. As it turns out, we're pretty good at providing tools, tips and techniques, but we're not actually all that funny. Which would explain why people don't call us "funny" as much as they call us "laughable." Bummer. Our offices, for those of you who are interested, are located in Atlanta (404-233-0332) and Kansas City (913-648-8333). We also have offices on Bora Bora, but they don't have the phones installed yet.

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