As a Twitter junkie I hope it does go mainstream. But I worry about the teen market's chilly "whatevs" Twitter adoption. It just isn't there.
My 16 year-old daughter lives on Facebook and SMS, but doesn't get Twitter - and doesn't want to.
Totally agree that Twitter is Web 2.0’s Tina Fey, but the Teen market - insulated in their own Facebook green room - are totally Tracy Jordan.
mike mcgrath
· 1 year ago
"An obvious target group for Twitter is the youth and SMS (Short Message Service) markets." I disagree.
I've got two teens at home, an 18 year old girl and a 16 year old boy. Both are heavy SMS users. I showed them twitter and explained the benefits of following your friends. Both think it's weird.
There are several reasons for this. First, they've been conditioned to think of SMS as a 1 to 1 communication medium. They share feelings, thoughts and ideas that are tailored to the person they are messaging and feel uncomfortable telling all of their friends the same message.
The second reason is that they don't see themselves as broadcasters. It's not that they are secretive, but their friends fall into subsets and they can't figure our what kind of message would appeal to all.
Lu
· 1 year ago
Great post, Bernard. Work is transitioning and adopting web 2.0 (ugh, that term again) tools in attempts at capturing a younger demographic. I've had recent conversations with senior executives who can't grasp the concept of micro-blogging or group SMS messaging.
"Why would you want everyone to know what you're doing?" the ask.
"It's a fun way to keep in touch with your contacts and friends," I reply.
"I don't get it," they respond.
I find twitter a wonderful resource in keeping up with friends throughout the day that live both near and far.
The Little League Coach
· 1 year ago
I have yet to figure out twitter. It seems if you follow too many people you get inundated w/ messages. I am missing how to maximize it's use. Can anyone help?
James
· 1 year ago
I try to only follow people who are both interesting and at a similar pace. I tried following the NY Times for a while but there was so much noise.
If you read certain blogs, try following their authors. If you know friends with accounts, try following them, but don't be afraid to stop following someone who posts too much or too little.
And try using one of the 3rd Party apps, like, Twhirl, TwitterFox, or Twitterific. They can make it seem much less intense.
jamessocol
· 1 year ago
I think part of the brilliance of Twitter has been opening "Twitter-as-a-service," along with "Twitter-as-a-site."
A ubiquitous site on college campuses is the receptionist with Facebook open. The downside to sites like Facebook and MySpace is that they are "sites." They command the whole browser window. (And frankly, they make it painfully obvious that you're not working.)
Twitter is a service. Occasionally I use the site, but it's much less obtrusive to leave Twhirl or Twitterific running and go about my day.
Andrey Golub
· 1 year ago
Guys, first of all TWITTER is just a Brand/ Product, so discussing if TWITTER (product) can replace SMS (communication channel/ tool) is absolutely irrelevant or sponsored by twitter (R) :)
What's about SMS to disappear- yes, of course yes! the people interested/ following Mobile 2.0, the future of Mobile communication, know that INSTANT MESSAGING (as a communication channel/ tool) is killing SMS.
Instant Messaging is considered by the most analysts the nearest KILLER APPLICATION for Mobile 2.0. and I 100% share this point of view, it's just that there is another even more important KILLER for Mobile 2.0 which isn't an "application" but a service, much more important than IM, and it's already changing the whole world of TLC and not only- is GEO Location Based Services.
This is the real revolution!
AndyO
· 1 year ago
For video twittering / video blogging try using JuiceCaster. juicecaster.com
Bernard Moon
· 1 year ago
Thanks for all the comments. Noah & Mike, I'll stick with my theory that Twitter, Pownce, or whomever will hit the youth demographic. Anecdotally, I know of other teens that love Twitter, but I know this doesn't represent the whole market. Let's see what happens this upcoming year.
Evan Carroll
· 1 year ago
I have to agree with Bernard and think that the micro-blogging services will become popular with the youth demographic. I recently observed a close-knit group of college students become enamored with Twitter for just that reason. It was a SMS to their entire group of friends, and not just to one. If it continues a hit with college students it's only a matter of time before it trickles down to teenagers. Take Facebook for example, high schoolers were itching to get on circa 2005 when it was only for college students. In their eyes whatever the college students are doing is cool.
Thanks for the insights.
HelenKovalyova
· 1 year ago
Great post! And btw comments too :) Thanks guys!
Jeremy
· 1 year ago
I've heard the Twitter argument many times before and I just don't get it. It's way too much of an insiders club to ever go mainstream. It's down all the time, normal people (those not attached to their Blackberry's 23.99999 hours per day) don't get what it does, and frankly most of the tweeting going on is by lonely people who want to feel important and think others care what they have to say.
The reason young people don't use Twitter is because they have more than enough ways to connect with their network of friends one on one. They also realize that you don't broadcast the same message to everyone you know...that's why writing individually on Facebook walls is so popular, and why chat groups never really caught on with AIM. We want the ability to tailor our messages with subtle differences in wording and tone depending on who we're speaking to.
Sorry Bernard, but Twitter will never go mainstream.
Digital Socrates
· 1 year ago
Twitter hasn't gone mainstream? Did I miss something?
I may use twitter differently than others. I use twitter as a means to keep up all of the web tools /sites I use. I use it to keep my Facebook page up to date. I use it in my blog to make short points that don't add up to a full-length post. I use it to keep up with ideas including mine as well as others. I use it as an advanced RSS reader, a research tool, to stay in touch with what my friends feel the need to say, to share what I think is interesting with people that are interested in what I have to say, to keep up with the websites I recommend, and it's archive feature to keep up with what I have said. In short I use twitter as a lifestreaming service.
I would like to hear what people say when they tell others about twitter unsuccessfully. To call twitter a micro-blogging service is like calling Firefox a web browser. At its core Twitter is a micro-blogging service just as Firefox is a web browser. I have over 37 extensions (and growing) in my Firefox "internet toolkit". Couple that with Google Docs, Facebook, and a sprinkling of Web 2.0 apps (including twitter) and it is difficult to find another tool on my computer I use even half as often as my "Web Browser".
Trust me. If I can find 4 or 5 ways to use a micro-browser then there are others thinking of 40 or 50 ways.
Twitter is no Firefox yet. Keep in mind that Firefox is a relative newcomer to the browser wars. Twitter is in it's infancy but it's a big baby.
Speaking of other ways people are thinking about Twitter, I like the idea of channels. Now I am using Digsby and multiple twitter accounts to cut back on the noise. I am sure that someone will have that figured out soon.
Micro-Blog
· 1 year ago
I like micro-blogging site http://onhandblog.com. You don’t have to sign in to post to your account which is very convenient for when I'm using my mobile phone. They use something called a master key embedded in your micro-blog’s URL. That way as the author you can bookmark your posting page with the master key, bypassing the step of signing in with a username and password when on your mobile phone. On a mobile phone it can take a minute just to sign in depending on how fast your connection is, so by using the master key URL it saves me time.
All Comments
As a Twitter junkie I hope it does go mainstream. But I worry about the teen market's chilly "whatevs" Twitter adoption. It just isn't there.
My 16 year-old daughter lives on Facebook and SMS, but doesn't get Twitter - and doesn't want to.
Totally agree that Twitter is Web 2.0’s Tina Fey, but the Teen market - insulated in their own Facebook green room - are totally Tracy Jordan.
I've got two teens at home, an 18 year old girl and a 16 year old boy. Both are heavy SMS users. I showed them twitter and explained the benefits of following your friends. Both think it's weird.
There are several reasons for this. First, they've been conditioned to think of SMS as a 1 to 1 communication medium. They share feelings, thoughts and ideas that are tailored to the person they are messaging and feel uncomfortable telling all of their friends the same message.
The second reason is that they don't see themselves as broadcasters. It's not that they are secretive, but their friends fall into subsets and they can't figure our what kind of message would appeal to all.
"Why would you want everyone to know what you're doing?" the ask.
"It's a fun way to keep in touch with your contacts and friends," I reply.
"I don't get it," they respond.
I find twitter a wonderful resource in keeping up with friends throughout the day that live both near and far.
If you read certain blogs, try following their authors. If you know friends with accounts, try following them, but don't be afraid to stop following someone who posts too much or too little.
And try using one of the 3rd Party apps, like, Twhirl, TwitterFox, or Twitterific. They can make it seem much less intense.
A ubiquitous site on college campuses is the receptionist with Facebook open. The downside to sites like Facebook and MySpace is that they are "sites." They command the whole browser window. (And frankly, they make it painfully obvious that you're not working.)
Twitter is a service. Occasionally I use the site, but it's much less obtrusive to leave Twhirl or Twitterific running and go about my day.
What's about SMS to disappear- yes, of course yes! the people interested/ following Mobile 2.0, the future of Mobile communication, know that INSTANT MESSAGING (as a communication channel/ tool) is killing SMS.
Instant Messaging is considered by the most analysts the nearest KILLER APPLICATION for Mobile 2.0. and I 100% share this point of view, it's just that there is another even more important KILLER for Mobile 2.0 which isn't an "application" but a service, much more important than IM, and it's already changing the whole world of TLC and not only- is GEO Location Based Services.
This is the real revolution!
Thanks for the insights.
The reason young people don't use Twitter is because they have more than enough ways to connect with their network of friends one on one. They also realize that you don't broadcast the same message to everyone you know...that's why writing individually on Facebook walls is so popular, and why chat groups never really caught on with AIM. We want the ability to tailor our messages with subtle differences in wording and tone depending on who we're speaking to.
Sorry Bernard, but Twitter will never go mainstream.
I may use twitter differently than others. I use twitter as a means to keep up all of the web tools /sites I use. I use it to keep my Facebook page up to date. I use it in my blog to make short points that don't add up to a full-length post. I use it to keep up with ideas including mine as well as others. I use it as an advanced RSS reader, a research tool, to stay in touch with what my friends feel the need to say, to share what I think is interesting with people that are interested in what I have to say, to keep up with the websites I recommend, and it's archive feature to keep up with what I have said. In short I use twitter as a lifestreaming service.
I would like to hear what people say when they tell others about twitter unsuccessfully. To call twitter a micro-blogging service is like calling Firefox a web browser. At its core Twitter is a micro-blogging service just as Firefox is a web browser. I have over 37 extensions (and growing) in my Firefox "internet toolkit". Couple that with Google Docs, Facebook, and a sprinkling of Web 2.0 apps (including twitter) and it is difficult to find another tool on my computer I use even half as often as my "Web Browser".
Trust me. If I can find 4 or 5 ways to use a micro-browser then there are others thinking of 40 or 50 ways.
Twitter is no Firefox yet. Keep in mind that Firefox is a relative newcomer to the browser wars. Twitter is in it's infancy but it's a big baby.
Speaking of other ways people are thinking about Twitter, I like the idea of channels. Now I am using Digsby and multiple twitter accounts to cut back on the noise. I am sure that someone will have that figured out soon.