Twitter is Getting Less Social
Posted July 08th 2010 @ 7:02 pm by Jerod
I’m not really sure if it’s a good thing or a bad one, but lately Twitter feels less social. There is a lot more top down communication where some people, and lots of organizations, are just pushing content. Interaction is less as voices are trying to gain attention and popularity for themselves. This isn’t universally happening, but I see it more and more. (And to be completely honest our tweeting habits here at Church Juice are falling into this category. It’s something we need to change.)
So here are a few things I think can help us avoid the traditional thoughts of pushing content instead of creating social relationships.
- Be interactive. Ask a question. Write something compelling that people want to reply to. Continue a conversation by replying to other people's tweets.
- Provide something people want to share. Retweets are good for you.
- Share other people’s stuff. Just like a real life conversation, it’s never fun when someone only talks about themselves. Retweet the things you find interesting from other people.
- Mix it up. It’s okay to tweet about what you’re blogging or the latest news from you organization. But sometimes throw in some behind the scenes stuff. Everyone, and every organization, has a personality. Let people get to know who you are.
- Don’t automate it. There are bazillions of programs that let you sync your other social media feeds to Twitter. Try to avoid it and write original tweets.
- Understand Twitter is changing. Twitter looks at itself as a real time news platform (even if it’s news about what your friend is up to). That’s different than the early days of the blue bird asking, “what are you doing.” Those who stay social and look for ways to interact will stand out from the crowd.
If you, or your church, are on Twitter, what’s working for you?
(If you’re new to Twitter, here’s a resource that might be able to help you out.)
Comments (1)
I kind of agree. But at the same time, I’m really sick of seeing posts like “out for groceries” or “Cleaning up my kids puke.” Twitter has always been a more attractive platform to me as a user because the conversation tends to the educational/informational. I’m a firm believer that Twitter and Facebook users are largely two different breeds and both should be approached accordingly. Though, I do agree with you that we can encourage intelligent conversation on Twitter by asking questions, sharing other content, etc. I think there’s a balance to be maintained. But with the constantly morphing face of business as it participates in social media, I think it’s largely been a really fascinating and beneficial process to watch.
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