It's no secret that social media (a.k.a. Web 2.0, soon to become Web 3.0) is quickly becoming the darling of Internet aficionados and casual surfers alike. Newcomers and experienced marketers alike are creating blogs, participating in forums, and communicating online like never before.
The names MySpace and Facebook have quickly become ubiquitous in social networking, a testament to their user-friendliness and marketing sophistication. Now, another form of communication has emerged. The microblogging tool Twitter is creating buzz and achieving mainstream acceptance four years after its inception.
For those not familiar, microblogging is simply the posting of short messages (140-200 characters) to a personal blog that "followers" and other subscribers can read. Microblogging websites, most notably Twitter, have the flexibility to work on both mobile and desktop platforms. In fact, numerous Twitter "widgets" have been created to specifically enable wireless microblogging. Some people liken the activity to "group instant messaging", or even real-time brand tracking for marketers on the go.
As a marketing tool, Twitter remains a social media option that promises a lot but has yet to deliver big time. Granted, microblogs are less time intensive and lower maintenance than regular blogs. However, can you really connect with people in your chosen niche in this manner? Several Internet Marketers have no doubt jumped on the bandwagon with visions of financial gain in their eyes. However, if they lose sight of the big picture, i.e. Twitter as a relationship-building tool, then the weight of false expectations risks sinking the fledgling site faster than its infamous "FailWhale" ever could.
Even the most successful social networking sites have fallen victim to spamming and identity theft. Not to mention a whole host of serious legal issues.
Still, microblogging's simplicity and inherent user-friendliness is attracting a huge following, and Twitter itself is drawing more attention from mainstream news organizations.
So, if you're game and willing to delve deeper into the blogosphere, why not give it try? When done right, Twitter can be a non-intrusive way to find like-minded people who have ideas to share and want to have fun while doing it.
To learn more about Twitter, please click here
No comments:
Post a Comment