Flawed But Interesting Harvard Study on Twitter
Harvard Business Review just released a fascinating study on Twitter. The only problem is, it’s completely unreflective of my own experience. This is the comment I left:
“Is Twitter a communications service for friends and groups, a means of expressing yourself freely, or simply a marketing tool?”
It is all of the above and much, much more. And it lends itself much more to qualitative than quantitative research–because each individual user’s experience of Twitter is entirely different depending on who they follow, what times of day they log on, and how much time they spend.
Thus, while this aggregate study offers some very interesting data, it’s hard to know what subset of Twitter users the data applies to.
To me, this very idiosyncratic experience is actually part of Twitter’s charm. I’m following over 800 people, and that means I see little snatches of conversations and threads, different each time I log on (typically, a few times a day for just a few minutes each time). While some prolific Tweeters (Guy Kawasaki among them) show up regularly, the randomness of who’s in my window leads me in all sorts of wonderful new directions. I often say I became a writer because I’m interested in practically everything, and in 140 character-bytes (and their associated links), I get to satisfy those interests in little bits and pieces.
In fact, I must have incorporated research from 20 different articles I first found on Twitter into my next book.
A lifelong activist, profitability and marketing specialist Shel Horowitz’s mission is to fix crises like hunger, poverty, racism, war, and catastrophic climate change—by showing the business world how fixing them can make a profit. An author, international speaker, and TEDx Talker, his award-winning 10th book, Guerrilla Marketing to Heal the World, lays out a blueprint for creating and MARKETING those profitable change-making products and services. He is happy to help you craft your messaging and develop profit strategies. Learn more (and download excerpts from the book) at http://goingbeyondsustainability.com
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Flawed But Interesting #Harvard #Study on #Twitter https://tinyurl.com/okwpbs RT @GuyKawasaki
Flawed But Interesting #Harvard #Study on #Twitter https://tinyurl.com/okwpbs RT @GuyKawasaki
Yes, Tracy, I agree with all your points. There is so much useful out there in Twitterland that the biggest problem for me is that I can only sip from the edge of the overflowing cup. Can’t begin to keep up. If people are boring, I don’t follow them.
Good points about DMs, about gurus and gender bias, and about the horrid twitterbots.
Yes, Tracy, I agree with all your points. There is so much useful out there in Twitterland that the biggest problem for me is that I can only sip from the edge of the overflowing cup. Can’t begin to keep up. If people are boring, I don’t follow them.
Good points about DMs, about gurus and gender bias, and about the horrid twitterbots.
Flawed But Interesting Harvard Study on Twitter https://tinyurl.com/okwpbs
Flawed But Interesting Harvard Study on Twitter https://tinyurl.com/okwpbs
Flawed But Interesting Harvard Study on Twitter https://tinyurl.com/okwpbs
Flawed But Interesting Harvard Study on Twitter https://tinyurl.com/okwpbs
Flawed But Interesting Harvard Study on Twitter https://tinyurl.com/okwpbs
Flawed But Interesting Harvard Study on Twitter https://tinyurl.com/okwpbs
Flawed But Interesting Harvard Study on Twitter https://tinyurl.com/okwpbs
Flawed But Interesting Harvard Study on Twitter https://tinyurl.com/okwpbs
Flawed But Interesting Harvard Study on Twitter https://tinyurl.com/okwpbs
Flawed But Interesting Harvard Study on Twitter https://tinyurl.com/okwpbs
Flawed But Interesting Harvard Study on Twitter https://tinyurl.com/okwpbs
Flawed But Interesting Harvard Study on Twitter https://tinyurl.com/okwpbs
Flawed But Interesting Harvard Study on Twitter https://tinyurl.com/okwpbs
Flawed But Interesting Harvard Study on Twitter https://tinyurl.com/okwpbs
Hi Shel,
Thanks for pointing this out. I commented on their page too because I think they’re missing some obvious “culture” points that could have affected their data.
For one, there are more male social media and internet marketing gurus. So of course, they’re going to have more followers.
Two, auto following and those viral Twitter follower builders. My guess is both of those are used more often by men and I would bet my Prius that’s true of the latter.
I also suspect they didn’t track DM’s which may or may not have made a difference.
I didn’t say but I think it’s flawed to call someone a “user” if they only have one Tweet. They’re more likely someone who signed up, didn’t get it and didn’t return.
I’ve been on Twitter for more than a year and it still irks me to see and hear comments (like a few responding to their post) that all people do is talk about their lunch and what shoes they’re wearing. If that’s all they’re seeing, they’re not following the right people.
Like anything else, Twitter is what you make of it.
Tracy Needham’s last blog post… What If You Hate Long Sales Copy?
Hi Shel,
Thanks for pointing this out. I commented on their page too because I think they’re missing some obvious “culture” points that could have affected their data.
For one, there are more male social media and internet marketing gurus. So of course, they’re going to have more followers.
Two, auto following and those viral Twitter follower builders. My guess is both of those are used more often by men and I would bet my Prius that’s true of the latter.
I also suspect they didn’t track DM’s which may or may not have made a difference.
I didn’t say but I think it’s flawed to call someone a “user” if they only have one Tweet. They’re more likely someone who signed up, didn’t get it and didn’t return.
I’ve been on Twitter for more than a year and it still irks me to see and hear comments (like a few responding to their post) that all people do is talk about their lunch and what shoes they’re wearing. If that’s all they’re seeing, they’re not following the right people.
Like anything else, Twitter is what you make of it.
Tracy Needham’s last blog post… What If You Hate Long Sales Copy?
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