It appears that MTV’s attempt at reviving itself with a Twitter Jockey (an updated version of a VJ) has fallen short. After a month of Twitter-focused challenges to find the most appropriate individual for the job (measured by MTV’s own TweetLevel), the network announced the top five contestants in their “Follow Me: The Search for MTV’s First TJ” competition – and people are angry.

See, for the duration of the competition, MTV kept an up-to-the-minute contestant ranking by measuring influence, popularity, engagement and trust. In addition to these metrics, anyone could vote for their favorite via MTV and American Express’ MTVTJ Facebook page. When voting closed, the top five were listed publicly – as they had been throughout the competition – but when the announcement was made on Friday, several of the original top five were noticeably absent.

A quick search of “@MTVTJ” shows that people aren’t just voicing their complaints – they want answers. With more than ten Twitter accounts, MTV is notoriously chatty, but they’ve remained completely silent on the topic.

The way the situation is currently being handled is only making things worse – MTV and American Express are deleting the negative Facebook comments.

It’s been almost a week now, and the competition’s blog, Facebook and Twitter have not been used to confront the complaints. In a world where we are all still navigating the slippery slope that is social media, what will MTV and American Express’ (lack of) reaction mean for their image? Social media is a two-sided conversation, and you can’t expect to talk, talk, talk, then stay silent when people ask for answers.

What are your thoughts? Has MTV put the nail in its own coffin? Will this case join Southwest in the Twitter history books – or is it merely a one hit wonder?

© 2008 TwiTip Twitter Tips.



Did Twitter Kill the Video Star?

Last week we launched a new feature on Mister-Wong.com (social bookmarking service) which integrates users’ Twitter streams to their Mister Wong profiles.

This new feature allows users to easily import, preview and store links to information they find through Twitter. Tweets containing links are displayed directly on users’ profiles, so they can easily click and save the links as bookmarks to their Mister Wong account. We launched this feature earlier this month to our users in Germany – over 2 million unique tweets were imported during the first week.

Top features of the Twitter integration by Mister Wong:

- Automatic import and archive of personal tweets with links, as well as 30 day archive of friends’ tweets with links
- Bookmark, @ reply, and retweet directly from Mister Wong
- Shortened links expanded for preview before visiting
- All shortened links are expanded and saved in original format, so there is no risk if one shortener goes inactive or out of business. Your links are saved!
- Preview YouTube videos and Twitpics directly from Twitter link stream on Mister Wong
- Delete individual tweets or block users from being displayed in Twitter link stream
- Links retweeted from Mister Wong use the wong.to URL shortener http://wong.to/
- Invite friends via Twitter

We’ve also added Facebook Connect!

Please find more information about this feature here: http://www.mister-wong.com/twitter/ and our FAQs are located here: http://www.mister-wong.com/twitter/faq. For a user preview, you can take a look at my account here: http://www.mister-wong.com/user/hessam/twitterlinks/.

We’ll be giving away a MacBook to one registered user who imports their Twitter stream by Sept. 17. Please find our official blogpost about this launch here: http://blog.mister-wong.com/.

© 2008 TwiTip Twitter Tips.



Mister-Wong.com Now Integrates Twitter Streams To User Profiles

What’s the buzz about “Web 2.0″?

While some individuals have strong opinions on what it actually encompasses, there’s much to learn about Web 2.0 technologies and tools that are, whether you know it or not, affecting your everyday surfing experience on the World Wide Web.

As the Internet continues to explode with the revolution of second-generation web services, web development, and design applications, we have arrived center stage of the culmination of today’s innovators, entrepreneurs, and visionaries who have transformed the way we travel the Internet highways and byways; and the spatial views that we encounter and in the ways we interact.

How?

Web 2.0 has triumphantly made its strong debut via online social networking communities and book marking sites like YouTube, Twitter, FaceBook, MySpace, Imeem, Digg, Delicious, StumbleUpon, WordPress, TypePad, Blogger, and Google Reader, among other progressive stars on the Information Highway. The Netopia of creative Weblogs, social networks, multimedia sharing sites, RSS feeders, and keyword tags has dynamically altered the way we retrieve and share information.

Let’s put it in layman’s terms: Before the Internet, where did you go to get information on culture, cooking, fishing, dancing, health, sexuality, philosophy, politics, gossip, products, and services (among the plethora of other subject matter)? Well, if you’re like the rest of us, we turned to strict mainstream advertising venues like cable television, radio commercials, and print publications (i.e., newspapers, magazines, phone books, annuals, journals, etc.); and of course, the local library. Now, let’s throw all the “letters to the Editor” into the mix, as well as OpEds from local and renowned celebrity figures, and entrepreneurs. That’s kind of like Web 2.0. This new generation of user-generated content and software engineering collaboratively facilitates all of these technologies, data and more within the limitless avenues of the Super Information Highway.

Mainstream multimedia networks have surrendered (some reluctantly, some enthusiastically) to the formidable force of Web 2.0 simply because they can no longer maintain the demand of the Internet-using public. You’ll quickly discover that major outlets like CNN, MSNBC, FOX, CBS, the Wall Street Journal, New York Times, and other media giants actively facilitate and engage users through Web 2.0 social networking sites (Twitter, FaceBook, etc.) because it’s one of the most interactive ways to attract people like you and me and get us involved in the loop.

Web 2.0 is the infinite and virtual library card index at your fingertips; adding a splash of political insight, a dab of comic wit, a spot of intuitive vision, and iconic players – professional and personal – all, who make a small (or large) contribution to the intricate web that continues to spin and expand like the infamous gyroscope.

What can you do with Web 2.0? Ah, the magical question. The power of this second-generation user interface network is as omnipotent as the brand that you are capable of creating through the engaging powers that exist freely for your personal and professional use. You are the captain of your own ship – the course that you choose to navigate through the World Wide Web can be smooth sailing or perilous – but that all depends on the nature of your personality and the direction you steer your catalyst.

© 2008 TwiTip Twitter Tips.



Understanding and Navigating the Information Highway via Web 2.0

Personally, I don’t mind if people use bots to make updates on Twitter or other social networking sites IF (and only if) they’re also diving in to real communication in those locations as well.

Twitter’s great for 140 characters of communication. It’s a blink of the eyes, in all reality. But when you’re auto posting and nothing else, you wind up looking like a billboard more than a social networker. Rather than someone who’s looking to connect and communicate, you’re looking like a guy with a megaphone on the street corner… you know?

Anyway, in comes this email about a post titled An In-Depth Look at the 5% of Most Active Users that reports that almost a quarter of Twitter’s updates are done by bots (automatic posting tools).

Of the most active Twitter users updating more than 150 times/day, nearly all of them are bots operated by sources such as hotels offering deals, regional and national news services, regional weather services, the top news within Digg, games, anim services, tags within del.icio.us and financial aggregators. These very active bots account for one-quarter of all tweets.

There are lots of other interesting Twitter facts there on the Sysomos site, and I encourage you to check them out! They’ve asked that if you’re interested in discussing the article on Twitter that you use the hashtag #sysomossurvey or copy them @sysomos.

© 2008 TwiTip Twitter Tips.



Reader News: 24% Of Twitter Updates Done By Bots

Lots of people were having hissy fits over on facebook. I’m not sure if was the withdrawals (which I admit, I kind of had myself) or just sheer frustration. Then facebook was being a pain in the you-know-what, so that had people more frustrated.

As of this morning, I still can’t update on Twitter or follow anyone. Clearly others can, and I’m sure I’m not alone. So while I’m trying to keep myself entertained and occupied, I figured I’d find out what you guys did all day yesterday!

© 2008 TwiTip Twitter Tips.



What Did You Do The Day Twitter Almost Died?

I’m still amazed by the people that think Twitter is nothing more than a fad that is soon to disappear. That’s what they said about MySpace, then Facebook too. Obviously, nothing lasts forever, but by the looks of it Twitter isn’t going anywhere in the near future.

Just take a look at who is using Twitter these days:

• Movie Stars
• Musicians
• Radio and TV Personalities
• Authors
• Marketers
• Athletes
• Etc

The list goes on and on. People are getting on Twitter at an amazing rate and although many don’t use it much, those that do spend more time on Twitter than on any other social network. Twitter integrates easily with blogs and website, but it is also easy to use via a variety of clients. I can Tweet from my iPhone, upload pictures on the go with Twitpic, and even send Tweets straight to my MySpace and Facebook accounts in seconds.

Twitter is fresh, but it’s also relevant. News spreads virally on Twitter faster than it can hit CNN. Professionals use it to spread the word about their latest products and services, while businesses use it to keep consumers up to date. The local 5 O’clock news uses it to get feedback on coverage, and small businesses use it to offer special discounts and coupons.

There is no limit to what Twitter can be used for, but it isn’t for a lack of trying. Every day programmers and designers are creating new applications to test Twitter uses and its limits. Every day there is a new way to use it. I’m in the business of staying up to date with Twitter and even I can’t keep up. It is growing at an exponential pace.

Business are making a living by offering Twitter services, clients, and software suites. Sure, it might be a little risky to stake the future of your business on an online service that isn’t profitable yet, but if I were a betting man I’d say that Twitter is the perfect vehicle to ride to internet stardom. Twitter’s rise is so huge, I liken it to a mini dot-com opportunity that you can ride into more profitable ventures. Twitter’s climate is the perfect breeding ground for startups, tech junkies, and software developers.

Yeah, I expect something to replace Twitter down the road, but I give it at least 2-3 years of solid growth before it levels off. That’s plenty of time for you to jump on the bandwagon and make something happen. Even if Twitter only lasts a year, you’ve got plenty of time to make some waves and build a following. Twitter connects people better than any other service can…people want that. 3 years ago I couldn’t imagine using something like Twitter to talk to the world, now I can’t imagine a world without it. Twitter is now the default agent for spreading news and information and it is a preferred way to connect with people all across the globe. You can try to convince yourself that Twitter won’t be around long, but soon you’ll have to find an excuse for why you were wrong. What’s the point in trying to fight the future of communication?

Remember that guy that you make fun of for talking about walking to school for 10 miles in the snow without shoes? That’s what the guy that thinks Twitter is already dead sounds like. Don’t knock it until you try it, that’s my recommendation.

[image credit: Matt Hamm]

© 2008 TwiTip Twitter Tips.



Why Twitter Isn’t Going Anywhere

Twitter or Facebook? Or Both? In this post Steve Thornton (follow him at @stevethornton) explores the decision.

The phenomenon of social networking is still in its infancy and it remains to be seen exactly which network might become the 800-pound gorilla in the space. It is reminiscent of the dotcom 90s, when I worked in the search industry; dozens of venture-backed search firms battled for dominance and search appeared to become a commodity, with limited monetization potential, or so we all thought at the time.

There are now so many social networks vying for users that even the most elite “Digerati” have trouble keeping up with the ever-shifting landscape. And most are still struggling to find effective monetization strategies, casting doubt on their long term survival and pointing to massive consolidation at some point.

The Evolution of Social Networking Compared to Search

In the now-infamous dotcom era, Yahoo, Lycos, Excite and others evolved into portals in a desperate attempt to find ways to make money, since nobody had really found effective ways to monetize search. That was, until companies like Goto.com (which became Overture and was eventually bought by Yahoo) and Google invented the concept of paid search and contextual, pay-to-click advertising models. The rest is history and we all knew who won the war.

So it seems today that applications like Twitter and Facebook, while attracting new users at astounding rates have not fully defined their business models and the 800-pound gorilla has yet to emerge. It is still early in the game and, as with search in the mid 90s, the eventual winners in the social networking space may not even yet exist, but I would argue that Twitter and Facebook are emerging as potential contenders to dominate.

The differences between the two networks are substantial and in some ways a direct comparison between the two is actually difficult to make. Twitter is simple and feels like Google did in 1998, while Facebook offers a portal-like interface somewhat reminiscent of Yahoo.

Key Elements of Facebook and Twitter

Facebook appeals to people looking to reconnect with old friends and family members or find new friends online; the mashup of features like email, instant messaging, image and video sharing, etc. feels familiar, while Twitter is a bit harder to get your arms around at first.

Most people can very quickly grasp how to use Facebook to connect to friends and family, using it to share thoughts, images, etc. Like MySpace but more geared to adults than teens, Facebook is a social networking Portal; beckoning you not to leave but rather to stick around and communicate within the network.

Twitter on the other hand, encourages you grab ideals in byte-size chunks and use your updates as jumping off points to other places or just let others know what you’re up to at any given moment.

Why People Love Facebook

Facebook appeals to social animals and can be very addicting to people who have an insatiable appetite to stay connected with friends and make new acquaintances. In fact, some people report they rarely use email or IM tools anymore in their online social communications anymore, relying almost entirely on Facebook for email, chat, image and video sharing.

Facebook addicts prefer the social portal model versus having to log into AIM, Yahoo Messenger, Gmail, Hotmail, Flickr, YouTube, MySpace, etc. Instead, Facebook gives them a single alternative to all these applications, with one login and interface to manage their online social interaction needs. This largely explains the explosive growth Facebook continues to experience and why the company reportedly invested $200 million in data center upgrades last year to keep up with demand!

Why People Love Twitter

The usefulness of Twitter is not readily as obvious to some people as Facebook; although it may be more addictive once you get the hang of Tweeting; you get more immediate responses and it seems to live somewhere between the worlds of email, instant messaging and blogging. Twitter encourages constant “linking out” to anywhere and, in that respect, is more analogous to a pure search engine; another way to find people and content all over the Net.

Twitter has quickly built brand awareness and a loyal following, especially among the technically adept; bloggers, online marketers, evangelists, basically anyone with something to promote seem to find Twitter extremely valuable.

When asked why they love Twitter, users say like “I can ask a question and get an instantaneous response”. They crave the ability to “tap into the collective consciousness” of others on the network, bouncing ideas off others with whom they would otherwise have no means of connecting. Twitter addicts claim it’s like the old fashioned water cooler, where people can gather to shoot the breeze on whatever topic is on their minds. Twitter is like a communications stream you dive into for an invigorating swim.

Different Communication Styles for Different Social Settings

Let’s say you go to a wedding or other social gathering where lots of people know each other. The style and tone of communication there will be more like using Facebook; you chat with old friends and acquaintances, mixing and mingling in an intimate manner. In this setting, people tend to feel more relaxed and “in their element”. Conversations are familiar and center on shared experiences and connections.

Now, when you go to a large party or social event where you don’t know most of the people in attendance, you will use a very different style of communication, more like Twitter; you want to meet people and somehow make yourself known, stand out from the crowd, make an impression, self promote and make new connections. Twitter is like getting the podium and not everyone feels comfortable or knows how to stand comfortably in the spotlight.

In fact, almost all of us, when first approaching Twitter, tend to use it to post useless updates like “Going to lunch”, thinking of it as a another tool to communicate with friends, when in fact, it is more like stepping on to a stage, where you are communicating with an audience and quickly find that you need to find a voice and say something useful and interesting or quickly lose the attention of your audience. People refer to Twitter as a mini or micro blogging platform.

So Which Social Network is the Best?

While zealots will immediately point to either Twitter or Facebook as being superior, the truth is that each has its advantages and disadvantages and will tend to appeal more to different types of people and for different reasons. Each can have great or little value to anyone; it really depends on what you are trying to accomplish in a given situation. Consider some of the pros and cons of each network:

Twitter Pros

• Easy to navigate and update, link to and promote anything
• Reach far beyond your inner circle of friends
• One feed pools all users; anyone can follow anyone else unless blocked
• Pure communication tool, rapid responsiveness
• You don’t have to be logged in to get updates; you can just use an RSS reader
• Very interactive, extensible messaging platform with open APIs
• Many other applications being developed (Twitterific, Summize, Twhirl, etc.)
• Potential SMS text messaging revenue from wireless networks (although Twitter states they are not currently getting any cut)
• Potential future advertising and/or enterprise subscription-based revenue streams
• With its “thin” overhead, Twitter is probably more scalable than Facebook, giving it a cost advantage

Twitter Cons

• Limited functionality; find people, send brief messages, direct replies
• Limited to 140 characters per update
• Not all people find it immediately useful
• Over-emphasis on follower counts
• Easily abused for spam and increasing the noise level
• Relatively smaller installed user base
• As yet no readily apparent monetization strategy

Facebook Pros

• Application mashup; find people, make connections, email, instant messaging, image/video sharing, etc.
• Most people can quickly grasp the value of connecting with friends, family and established contacts; some people report they use Facebook instead of email and IM
• More emphasis on deep connections with others vs. who has the most connections
• “True Friends” feature increases your transparency to selected connections; almost like having private and public profiles
• Huge, rapidly growing installed user base
• Inherit stickiness, third party applications, “gift giving” and personal data collection make Facebook a powerful advertising platform

Facebook Cons

• More difficult to navigate and update
• Requires investment of time to realize sustained benefit
• Opt in model requires a user to allow others to connect
• Less immediate responses; unless you stay logged on continually
• Overhead of mashup and “thick” applications could limit scalability, bloat cost structure

The Future of Social Networking

In the end, both Twitter and Facebook are simply communication tools; both will continue to evolve and morph as users find new ways to extract value and either network may or may become a long term winner in the rapidly evolving social networking space. Ultimately, the fact remains to be seen whether either application has a profitable, scalable and sustainable business model or whether the exit strategy is simply to be acquired.

As we learned in the search space, consolidation will eventually prevail. Unless they can find a way to turn all those eyeballs into profits, social networks will lose relevance. It does seem obvious that the venture capitalists are betting they will not only continue to enjoy tremendous growth but will also successfully monetize all that traffic.

But, will either Twitter or Facebook become the next Google or will they fade into the rear view mirror of technological and social evolution? What do you think?

© 2008 TwiTip Twitter Tips.



Twitter versus Facebook: Should you Choose One?

The State of the Twittersphere [REPORT]

Hubspot has produced their State of the Twittersphere report. A few stats from it:

• 35% of Twitter users have 10 or fewer followers
• The average number of followers is 70
• The average number of people that Twitter users follow is 69
• Top locations on Twitter include London, San Francisco, New York and Chicago

Here it is in full:

State of the Twittersphere – Get more Information Technology

ReadWriteWeb takes the stats in the report projects forwards – concluding that Twitter would take 36 years to catch Facebook.

Facebook, Twitter and Traffic [STATS]

Also on the topic of Facebook and Twitter – Jacob Cass reports that he gets more traffic from Facebook than Twitter despite having fewer Facebook friends than Twitter followers and shows some stats from his metrics package.

I tweeted this link earlier today and had a heap of people tell me that their own results are quite the opposite. I decided to check my own and mine are completely different to Jacob. To my ProBlogger blog I had 11,500 visitors come from Twitter.com over the last 30 days and only 1500 come from Facebook. My links to new posts go up on both as Jacob describes.

Here on TwiTip the stats are even more one sided towards Twitter – although that’s skewed because this blog is about Twitter of course.

I don’t dispute Jacobs results – but would argue that it is always going to vary from site to site and topic to topic.

ReWeeting [ANALYSIS]

Pistachio Consulting has a good analytical post this week on the Phenomenon of Retweeting

Twitter for Business [VIDEO]

Laura from Pistachio also has a great presentation on the topic of Twitter for Business. It is well worth the look.

Check out her powerpoint deck here.

Twitter and Legal Ramifications [LAW]

Law.com has an article up talking about how tweets could get employers in legal trouble. Sounds like a whole lot of articles we saw a few years back on the dangers of blogging to companies.

Round Follow Buttons! [DESIGN]

And the news of the week – Twitterrati notes that follow buttons went from square to round!

© 2008 TwiTip Twitter Tips.



Speed Tweeting (reports, stats, videos and more) – 24 December 2008

When I think of Facebook and Twitter, I think of Preparation-H and toothpaste. Both are quality products. Both have their uses; but Preparation-H, like Twitter, is only needed at a certain point in life.

Do me a favor and take a look at your Twitter followers.

How many are under 24 years of age?

You’re more likely to find a shweaty Michael Arrington-like tech guy, than a cute young chic in her early twenties.

According to recent findings , “Twitter’s largest age demographic is 35-to-44-year-olds who make up 25.9% of its users.” This seems rather large, being that Facebook users between ages 35-54 amount to only 3.5% of users. Notice: the former metric is 10 years more than Twitter’s metric, and it’s still smaller!

Yes, Twitter is gaining popularity, and Twitter hit its “billionth tweet” last month. Yet the Facebook users that actually know about Twitter, don’t seem to care.

Sure, Facebook connect and Google’s friend connect has helped bridge the gap; however, they seem to be adding to the confusion.

What confusion am I talking about?

The need for Twitter.

If Facebook already has what Twitter proposes to do, plus an exorbitant amount more, why would anyone use Twitter?

Cool, you can communicate with people in short bursts of information on Twitter, but that’s what your “wall” is for on Facebook.

Is there anything Twitter can do but Facebook cannot do? Nope.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m a Twitter addict. I use Twitter daily; however, my uses aren’t to update friends. My sole purpose for using Twitter is to find others within my niche. I use it as a listening tool. I get a real-time pulse of the Tech sector, politics and any news via Twitter.

Bottom Line:

• Facebook’s main purpose centers on furthering and cultivating relationships with already established friends
• Twitter’s main purpose centers on social networking (meeting people across the world with similar interests)

Although subtle, the different uses of these to platforms may stem from the distinct terms each adopts: friends vs. followers.

With Facebook your goal is to find your “friends.”

With Twitter, you find people to “follow.”

With Twitter, at the immediate point of interaction, there’s not an intrinsic need to already be a “friend” with someone before adding them to your network.

If someone “friends” you (I never thought friend would become a verb…), and you don’t know the person that “friended” you, it’s kind of weird. You’re likely to block the person or unapprove their request (if you’re a nice guy).

However, the goal of Twitter focuses on the exact opposite. You want strangers to follow you. Your goal is to boast more followers than others. Your circle of influence builds as your followers grow, regardless of them being friends or not.

Whereas Facebook is a social tool, I liken Twitter to a lifestyle…much like a mullet (which isn’t a haircut, it’s a way of living).

Simply put, Twitter doesn’t position itself as a valuable use of time unless you’re a workin’ (wo)man. Twitter is a refreshing approach to social networking that benefits freelancers, designers, writers and people in the work-force.

Again, like Preparation-H and Toothpaste, both of have valuable uses, but people use them in a profoundly different manner…I hope.

What do you think?

© 2008 TwiTip Twitter Tips.



The Misunderstood Uses of Twitter and Facebook: Are You a Friend, Follower or a Fool?