Archive for September, 2009

You know the deal about snowflakes, right? Every one is unique. They’re all different and you can dig through a snow bank after a mountain blizzard to prove it. You’ll never find the same design twice.

Twitters are a lot like snowflakes. They are all different, too.

Did I say Twitters with an “s” instead of plain old “Twitter”?

Absolutely. And I did it on purpose.

You see, people too often think of Twitter as a sort of monolithic thing that everyone uses and sees the same way. It isn’t. Everyone’s experience with the fast-growing social networking service is different. Unique. Like snowflakes.

My Twitter isn’t going to be like your Twitter. Your Twitter won’t be like anyone else’s, either. We all have the chance to use the same tool to create very different realities–with benefits that uniquely suit us.

Are you getting the most out of Twitter? If you’ve never thought of it as being millions of separate experiences, you might not be on the right page yet. It might be time for you to start thinking about the best ways to use Twitter to create a set of circumstances that will really work for you.

Don’t believe the critics and cynics who are having a good time roasting Twitter.  They like to think of it as a narcissism-driven site where people wildly shout out trivia about their boring lives hoping that someone is listening.

Yes, there’s a component of that happening.  And it is sort of amusing in a sad way.

However, there’s real value under the surface of Twitter.  There are people sharing important information and ideas.  There are experts offering guidance.  There are potential customers talking about what they really want to see in products.

It’s a huge and growing population.  A chunk of it is boring everyone to death by sharing details about the dressing on the salad served at lunch.  There’s a substantial user population, however, that’s making exciting things happen.

If you’ve believed the critics and you’re not part of Twitter, it’s time to rethink your position.  You can become a part of this exciting collection of social networks.  And I promise:  You won’t be forced to share your lunch stories with anyone.  Honest.