You Don’t Twitter Enough
July 11, 2009 / 10:42 am • By Dr. Melissa ClouthierAt least 50% of people who join Twitter never tweet. What’s up with that? And then, a few people do all the Tweets. It’s even worse than the 80-20 rule on Twitter. You know, 20% do 100% of the work. If you’re on Twitter and don’t Tweet, what’s the deal? Do you not come across helpful information? Do you not have funny thoughts to share?
My problem with Twitter right now, is the lack of diversity of thought. Yep, you read that right. Part of it is my own dang fault. With Tweetdeck, I filter people through categories like Technology, Politics, better friends, Celebrities, etc. So, guess what? I’m reading about technology, politics, celebs and my friends. I need more.
I’m curious about people with a variety of interests. Learning new things and finding informational jewels is one of the delightful parts of Twitter. When people don’t tweet or tweet once, they deprive the world of their expertise and loves.
Also, people need to feed their blog posts through Twitter. Some people find this annoying. I don’t. Sure, I have an RSS feed. But there is nothing like connecting the original content from a person with them as a person. You start seeing a person’s thoughts in context of their personality. It’s profoundly enjoyable to learn about ideas and people this way. It’s akin to learning in a college class. The professor is there to answer for his inane theories.
There has been some discussion about blogs, too. Are they obsolete? Are they dead? Like Sarah Palin’s career, the death of the blog is vastly overstated. In fact, the blog’s function is morphing as time goes on, but it’s still here.
There’s the Twitter-Blog symbiotic relationship, as mentioned above. When done right, both user experiences can be enhanced. Blogs are and always have been social media, so it’s not so strange. What are comment sections but a place to gather and rant?
Also, Twitter has become the confessional blogging used to be and is now again. Ultimately, our writings reveal us whether we intend it or not. And even impersonal blogs are personal.
Finally, blogs and Twitter and social media bypass the normal media channels. What you want people to know, you share. Blogs are the new press release, indeed. In fact, a smart public figure of any sort has little need for the press at all except for the huge, vast platform called TV that reaches the masses, many of whom are passive recipients of what is spoon fed.
That’s changing though. Most people are on the internet. Most people have Facebook accounts. Some people have Twitter accounts–they tend to be the influencers. Many have blogs but don’t use them.
So, if writing some long thing is too difficult, at least Twitter. And if you’re on Twitter, Tweet. The world needs what you uniquely offer.
















