@Jack, @Ev, @Biz - what have you done?!
Have they created something terrific? Yes. Changed the web forever? Probably. Unknowingly helped millions, in some small or possibly substantial way? Absolutely.
Of course Twitter has it’s fair share of spammers, scammers and generally non-desireables, but that just comes with the territory. What’s surprising to me is the many people who still denounce Twitter as simply a fad. I contend it’s reshaping things daily, and it’s users are redefining it’s usefulness just as often. Twitter is here to stay and will continue to shape the web.
Just look at some of the things Twitter has opened the doors for;
- #ERIC has raised over $800K for a heart transplant due to the kindness of strangers and power of Twitter.
- Dell sold over $500,000 with one twitter campaign
- The first photo from the Hudson River plane crash was published on Twitter.
- People have gotten engaged, landed new jobs and made new friends.
- The news that we care about comes to us now.
- Small businesses everywhere are offsetting the economic downturn with new ways to reach customers.
- Politicians are engaging with their constituants and being more transparent.
- Blogs and Newspapers now have personal, accountable faces (writers) for us to interact with
So, why has Twitter become what it has, and grown faster than any other website in history?
It allows tribes to gather easily
Whether you’re an Ohio State fan, graphic designer, toy collector, left or right wing: there’s a huge community on Twitter just waiting for you. No need to search out niche websites or wait for the monthly club meeting - just hop online and start talking about your favorite subjects. The tribe will find you. Never in the history of the internet has it been easier for a community to form around a common interest. From a human nature perspective, you’re never alone on Twitter, and for some people that’s all they’re looking for. Others are organizing movements around things like the TV show ‘Chuck’, which was apparently saved in no small part by it’s twitter following. We’ll always belong to tribes, and Twitter is our meeting place.
Everyone has a voice
Great ideas, blog posts, photos or thoughts don’t have to originate from mainstream sources (I include top blogs as mainstream) to become viral anymore. Ideas are spread based on their merit. We’re sharing great ideas now with people we never would have discovered otherwise. I’ve said before that “Twitter is a repository of condensed brilliance, IF you know who to follow”. By surrounding yourself with the right people on Twitter, you can literally become better at anything. There are people out there who are experts at what you do (or want to do) and are readily sharing their insights. Whether you’re actively conversing with them or just learning from them passively, there is no other form of education available like Twitter.
It’s the business tool we didn’t know we needed
We all are in the business of something. Whether your a big business, small business or independent - there is no better bargain in the world for engaging and growing your customer base. Businesses all over the world are putting more money in their cash registers, growing their fan base and engaging their customers in a way they never could before. They are also getting a unique opportunity to listen to what people are saying, in real-time. People are making business connections, forming Joint-Ventures, finding investers, hiring new employees, selling left-over inventory - the list goes on (and on). Experts have new audiences. Bloggers reach more eyeballs. Twitter is empowering businesses and creating a shift in the direction of those businesses by the customers themselves.
It’s evolving, and it’s users are it’s architects
Not long ago, hashtags (#) and @ replies didn’t exist. The inventors hadn’t even considered them (at least not in this fashion). The users created those, and Twitter was nimble enough to make them part of the platform. Users are reinventing the way Twitter is used every day. URL shorteners, which became popular due to the character restrictions on tweets, have become their own viable businesses. The Re-Tweet (RT) has become the measure of popularity. #followfriday was started to help users discover other users. That particular trend has since become a mess, but users are even figuring out ways to fix that, together.
It’s created it’s own eco-system
Thousands of developers are creating new and interesting applications on the Twitter platform daily. The term ‘platform’ is a shift from how many users view twitter - as an application or website. But Twitter is a platform in every sense of the word. Through syntax, developers have turned in into a programming language of sorts. Blogs have embedded Twitter streams as part of their information base. Websites allow you to sign in with your twitter credentials. It perhaps didn’t mean to, but it’s showing up everywhere. Websites and applications are being built around it, and there’s even a native payment system (@tipjoy) now in place. Platform it is, and platforms live strong and healthy lives.
Conclusion:
A) It’s not a fad
B) It’s no longer about “what are you doing?”
C) It’s changing everything.
Many people still don’t know what twitter is, or why they should use it. Many think it’s all about daily musings and minutia. But hey - some people still use PC’s too. Expect to see more amazing uses of Twitter, more explosive growth and more businesses making it part of their strategy.
They did it first with Blogger. They’ve done it again with Twitter. Thanks @ev, @biz and @jack!
