I created my @ariherzog account in January 2009. (Though, I technically started a few months earlier before deleting my account and starting fresh.) I’ve seen lots of changes. The core reasons why I tweet remain the same.
1. Share resources. About 60% of my tweets follow the Social Media Club mission, “If you get it, share it.” The majority of my tweeting is spent sharing others’ voices, ideas, and insights.
2. Collaborate. This involves replying, connecting, and co-creating with like-minded friends and colleagues. About 30% of my tweeting involves networking and forging professional and personal relationships with people including Sarah Granger, Marshall Kirkpatrick, and Phil Gerbyshak.
3. Chit-chat. Whether I am auto-sharing an Instagram photo or replying to something someone else shared, you might see me tweeting to someone about pop culture or sports or science. These simple chats about life represent about 10% of my tweets.
These are my reasons for tweeting. You probably (and should) have different reasons. Care to share?
I tweet for many the same reasons, although I would add that I also believe a limited amount of self-promotion is another valid reason. I tweet links to the site I edit, and every so often even remember to tweet links to articles I’ve written or to promote my books.
Hey there Ari,
I’m curious if you feel others are as chit-chatty today as they were even just a year ago (I won’t compare to Twitter’s “golden era”), or if the service makes it less easy to find those to chat with now?
I’m spending less time on Twitter, as personal time leaves less time for social, and Twitter gets pushed behind blog/Facebook. Thoughts?
Good question. I guess it depends how you define chits and chats. To me, replying back and forth to people and having a dialogue meets that definition. Last night, for instance, I tweeted back and forth with someone who was trying to explain a new sociological term.
I’ve noticed some people get traction aka comments and dialogue on Facebook because of its threaded conversations. But Facebook doesn’t really allow for talking about anything other than in private messaging.
I think the thing I miss about “earlier Twitter” is the ease with which others would join a conversation. Now, with so many trolls and quick-to-judge types, it can be a bit of a minefield to work out whether a conversation is truly “open” or not.
See, I find the opposite to be true with Facebook. Because of the velvet rope approach to the network, people are more inclined to converse more, as opposed to worrying about a tweet being taken out of context, or used against you.
But, like I say, I use Twitter a lot less these days, and considering dropping it altogether. So, I’m probably missing the nuance you’ve been rediscovering.
When you write you “use” Twitter less, what does mean? How did you used to “use” it that you’re prevented or otherwise unmotivated to today?
Primarily having two kids, and spending more time being a dad as opposed to being on social. Priorities change. 🙂
It’s funny (to me as a single guy) that the moment two people have kids, it’s Facebook nonstop: sharing photos of their kids, commenting on friends’ photos of kids, putting up a video of the kids with animals, etc. I grasp you lack the same emotional connection on Twitter — but how about Instagram, for instance? Are you using that more? Digital scrapbooking that the kids can see about themselves when they grow up?
I see Instagram as the public face of Facebook. I’m very limited as to who I bring into my circle on Facebook, and my kids are shared in private updates. I’ll post the odd picture to Instagram, but not as often as I do Facebook.
Networking is indeed such great fun, and I wouldn’t want any of my tweeting buddies to ever say goodbye. The beauty of it is that people are active at different time intervals. When they are on vacation, you don’t miss them, as you mostly end up in other chats on other subjects, and once they’re back it’s like they have never been away. That is the beauty of Twitter power. 🙂