Is Twitter a social network or blog? That's how the conversation started here at Organic...and it blew up from there.A Social Network
If you consider the definition of a blog from Wikipedia, most of us would agree that a blog it is not. Look at their social network definition. It connects individuals by "one or more specific types of interdependency." Think friends, family, colleagues, beliefs, interests...
Neither a Blog Nor A Social Network
While some of us at Organic argured that Twitter is a social network, David Lewis pointed out that it lacks one crucial element of what most of them offer: the ability to see the whole conversation. I can't count how many times I've seen someone use an obscure hashtag. If the tweet is intriguing enough I may search the hashtag and try to sift through the conversation to figure out what they're really talking about. The majority of the time this doesn't work. I leave the page just as confused as when I entered. Just like in the real world it's not always easy to edge your way into conversations.
To add to the social confusion, it's tough to follow complete conversations. I haven't found one place that displays the complete thread of a conversation between two or more people on Twitter. You see @so&so respond to @her and you wonder what it is that @her asked in the first place. Because of all of this Lori Laurent Smith feels the company should coin a completely "new phrase to define itself."
Marta Strickland thinks "platform" best categorizes it. And that might be the closest as it's the tool people are using in three distinct ways. It's the people who use it most often who are really defining it.
For One-Way Blasts
Clearly everyone has a different view of what twitter is [to them]. It is what you make it. It's no more than an entertainment channel to some. They might be simply reading for enjoyment or posting into the abyss. Others are onboard to stay informed or absorb learnings from experts in their industry. In both cases, it acts as a distribution channel.
For Two-Way Dialogues
Direct Messages allow two people to carry on a completely closed conversation. I've seen a couple brands use this as a way to send their RSS feeds. Okay, so I see the blast more readily, but why wouldn't you want to include the rest of the Twitter Universe in on the news? Not the most effect use of two-way conversation.
For Multi-Way Conversations
Twitter is also good at facilitating the exchange of ideas. More people are accessing Twitter via various channels (think Seesmic, TweetDeck and TweekGrid, just to name a few) in order to do this more effectively. Organized Twitter Parties use the platform as a kind of live chat, so even if you're not following someone, you can join in the conversation using a predetermined hashtag. Usually a moderator presents questions or thought-starters in an attempt to keep the conversation on track. Still, it can be tough to keep up. Read a transcript and you'll see what I mean.
Twitter Now
Twitter is evolving. It's not the same today as it was when it was started back in 2006. So, it's not surprising that we have so much trouble defining it. Craig Ritchie claims, "Twitter owns the now." For some, true. If you're interested in the conversation right now, then it has you.
But I can bet that your definition of twitter has even changed now that you've read this. What was Twitter to you one year ago? What is Twitter to you now?
Thanks to David, Lori, Marta and Craig for their viewpoints on this subject.
Sarah Jo Sautter
Strategists & Planners
Comments (7)
Nice article, but, interestingly, there is no icon to share this post on Twitter! I have been a Twitter user (in earnest) for about six months and my "tweeting" activity goes through ups and downs. I find it is an excellent source for news (it is where I first learned of my company's CEO's resignation), but I find that my "conversations" are usually centered around interests such as music and sports.
Posted on October 27, 2009 09:07
Eric: thanks for reading and for your comment. We are actually working on a redesign of this site that would include the ability to "Tweet this". I hear of more and more people using Twitter as a news source. Sad, though, that we find out happenings through this source as opposed to a more personable or private source. I'm curious if people only follow certain sets of people/companies and engage in conversation with another.
.Sarah Jo
Posted on October 27, 2009 10:56
Interesing perspective. I'd agree that Twitter is neither a blog nor a social network. The engine that is run by "Twitter the Company" is clearly a powerful communication technology platform, but I consider the underlying concept better described as a capability. Given Twitter's struggle to openly commercialize or monetize user interaction, the capability seems more likely a functionality that will be embedded in other portals or applications.
The market dominance Twitter currently enjoys (a benefit from being first-mover) suggests an opportunity to license the service as an interconnected, open technology. Business applications seem to be emerging in two areas - CRM and branded push communications (news, launches, and links to deeper content). Additionally, there seems to be an opportunity to leverage the capability in next generation journalism/publishing with a potential, but not a guantantee, for monetization.
A more organized and empathetic display format is needed. Applications such as TweetDeck are a good start with their channel-based organization and layout. However, for many of us who follow significant people over Twitter, its often difficult to identify the content most relevant and are left viewing/consuming the most recently tweeted information. For this reason I think we will see low-level display innovation in the near term and incorporation of the of the capability by other players that leverage it in applications providing a more comprehensive offering that maybe more naturally monetizable.
Twitter as a capability is not going away and is likely to increase in momentum, but the need for an evolution is apparent.
Posted on October 28, 2009 08:43
I've asked a similar question. I see Twitter as more of a personality expression tool than a social medium.
An older blog post of mine on the subject is here: http://jimschweitzer.wordpress.com/2009/04/02/twitter-is-not-a-social-network/
Posted on October 28, 2009 11:57
tomcramer: I agree with you that display format is key to Twitter's evolution. Up until now, it's really been outside companies developing those. I wonder how long before Twitter actually steps up the game itself.
Jim: Twitter is oftentimes personality for individuals and even for some brands maybe. But for some brands I believe it is more of a news communication tool. And maybe that's where some brands need to change how they are using this tool. I notice those that evoke a specific personality into their Twitter usage often have more followers and RTs.
.Sarah Jo
Posted on October 28, 2009 13:14
I've been having this same conversation for weeks now. In some sense, Twitter can be seen as a glorified RSS feed with a process for structuring information flow. What really allows it to function as an effective social network is the myriad of third party implementations of the platform. When you can start seeing nested conversations through the Firefox extension "Power Twitter" or the twitter "rooms" through Tinychat, the social network elements of the platform become more evident.
Alternatively, there have been a number of individuals who posit that blogs themselves can act as a social networking platform. Notable among them is WordPress's "BuddyPress" initiative
(http://wordpress.org/development/2009/04/make-friends-with-buddypress/)
Posted on November 10, 2009 12:11
Blair: Yes, without those third-party viewing / aggregator platforms, I'm not sure Twitter would even be where it is today. Most people I know access Twitter through a third-party app as opposed to through twitter.com
Posted on November 11, 2009 11:52