**by Ciarán Norris**
As with many people, I started 2010 with many good intentions, one of
which was to ensure that my first post of the new year wasn't about
Twitter, and was full of practical tips on how to make the best use of
social media to build your brand.
Unfortunately, as with so many resolutions, mine hasn't lasted very
long, in my case due to some comments from Ricky Gervais, who, after
just 6 tweets, anounced that he was quitting the service
<http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2010/jan/15/ricky-gervais-quits-pointless-twitter>
:
I just don't get it I'm afraid. I'm sure it's fun as a networking
device for teenagers but there's something a bit undignified about
adults using it. Particularly celebrities who seem to be showing off
by talking to each other in public.
If I want to tell a friend, famous or otherwise what I had to eat
this morning, I'll text them. And since I don't need to make new
virtual friends, it seemed a bit pointless to be honest.
Now I happen to agree with his point about celebrities, and feel that
the way many have jumped on the Twitter-wagon, building their own
profiles in the process, can be slightly nauseating
<http://ciarannorris.co.uk/2009/12/31/ashton-kutcher-leaving-twitter-heres-hoping/>
. Especially when so many of them simply bring their broadcast
mindset to a dialogue based tool.
But his suggestion that Twitter is simply somewhere for teenagers to
share what they had for breakfast is so wide of the mark that it
demands a response.
The idea that Twitter is simply a glorified version of Facebook's
updates, used for nothing other than posting inane tidbits from
people's lives, is not an uncommon one, and one that many share. But
it also betrays a complete lack of understanding of what Twitter
offers. As Gervais himself says, he just doesn't get it.
Twitter vs. the telephone
In essence, Twitter is just a tool for communicating with others,
nothing more, nothing less. But then again, so is a phone. Would
people say "I'm not going to use a phone, if I want to talk to my
mates, I'll do it in person"? Of course they wouldn't. Because a
phone is only as interesting as the things it's being used for.
Need to check whether a store has an item in stock? Use a phone. Need
to connect with friends and relatives on the other side of the world?
Use a phone. Now swap the word phone for Twitter and you start to see
quite how wrong Gervais is.
For just as a phone is an endlessly versatile tool, one that made
distance a thing of the past, and which is now driving the Internet
into previously impenetrable areas, such as rural India & Sub-Saharan
Africa
<http://www.wired.co.uk/wired-magazine/archive/2009/06/features/the-cable-guy-how-to-network-a-continent.aspx?page=all>
. In the process of transforming businesses such as banking, Twitter
is only limited by its users' inventiveness.
It can be used to source information, crowdsource investigative
journalism
<http://www.politics.co.uk/news/culture-media-and-sport/guardian-gagging-order-sparks-twitter-frenzy-$1333687.htm>
, raise money for charity <http://twitter.com/RedCross>
, connect with like-minded peers and, yes, occasionally tell people
what you had for breakfast. It's proving to be a valuable tool for
individuals, entrepreneurs, businesses, both small & large,
politicians, charities and even historical buildings.
Of course this doesn't mean that Twitter will be right for everyone
or every brand. But writing it off as a waste of time is like throwing
away your phone because you don't like being cold-called and makes me
wonder whether there's more David Brent in Ricky Gervais than he might
like to think.
Telephone image by Jimmy Brown on flickr
<http://www.flickr.com/photos/jimmybrown/2289298719/>
Opinions expressed in the article are those of the author, and not
necessarily Search Engine Land.
Ciarán Norris <http://searchengineland.com/author/ciaran-norris/>
heads up Mindshare SocialMedia8, the new joint venture between
global media agency Mindshare <http://www.mindshareworld.com>
& social media specialists SocialMedia8. At Mindshare, he works with
Nike and other global brands, helping them to make the most of social
media & to put it at the heart of their marketing mix.
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