Ken Burnett Made Me Think - Damnit!
Recently, Ken Burnett wrote a blog prompting us to think more about what we write on Twitter. I thought his provocative blog overlooked some key points, so being the shy, unassuming kind of person I am, I wrote to him to share my thoughts. Ken posted an excellent summary of our exchange here.
I highly recommend you read both of the above links. It gave me much pause for thought, not only about my personal and professional use of Twitter, but also about human behaviour, media and the recent trends we're seeing around the world.
I Like Gibberish!
I really do. I enjoy seeing inside people's lives. And lets be honest here... so does much of the world! Take a look at Reality TV. Whether it's Big Brother, The Biggest Loser, The Bachelor/Bachelorette and the list goes on and on. People are watching this stuff in droves. Twitter lacks the drama (for the most part) that is often provided on Reality TV, but it's real and people can connect and peek into each others lives in some way. I wonder if the same thing that drives the masses to watch that kind of TV, is also behind Twitter behaviour?
I Am NOT Just a Gibberish Junkie... Honest!
While I will admit to watching The Bachelorette and Gene Simmons Family Jewels, I'm also a huge fan of keeping informed by reading & watching various news sources, as well as a variety of trade magazines, books, blogs etc. Twitter, in its own way lets me have access to both of these - great content and lglorious gibberish. But what's the right balance? Reality TV is a guilty pleasure. It's something you whisper quietly to people you trust not to judge you when you say... "I like that show". Unless of course you say so in your blog!
How Much Should I Tweet?
According to several sources that I've looked up on the web, the optimal number of tweets per day is about 10 - 20 tweets. Here's one link. MrTweet tells me that I tweet an average of 15 per day. So I'm optimal right? Well... no. For some I tweet too much. Is that good or bad? I guess it depends on who it bothers and who enjoys it. And is it the quantity or the quality? For some the conversational and sometimes inane tweets I share are "gibberish". For others they are fun, friendly and allow them to get to know me better. It really depends on what your followers are looking for. If you have a lot of followers with different expectations and goals, then it becomes increasingly difficult to please everyone.
What's A Twitterer To Do?
I don't know. I could make multiple accounts. Currently I tweet from @laurie_pringle and @alscanada. Many of the folks who follow me on ALS Canada, also follow me on my personal account. Should I create yet another just for friends and buddies who might enjoy the more gibberish stuff I post? I don't think so. I really do believe that eliminating that aspect of the twitter experience makes twitter dull and lifeless. Not to mention, managing 3 accounts isn't something I want to do right now, at least not for the sole purpose of separating out personal tweets.
My Current Thinking
So here's my current, but subject to change, thinking. I'm going to give a moments pause to my tweets before I post them. I'll ask myself the following:
- How much have I tweeted today?
- Is this better sent via Direct Message?
- Is it likely to be fun, interesting, helpful, or even minimally notable to anyone?
- What do the people who follow me care about and expect from me?
Some of these are hard to answer and it may or may not change the way I tweet, but at least I'm thinking. I still believe we're getting too caught up in some old "best practices" that aren't helpful or applicable to social media. It's really easy to ignore a tweet that I don't care about and I'd rather have more to ignore, if it means I enjoy more great fun and great content. However, some of those best practices are bloody good and even helpful to our goals and efforts in social media, whether they be personal or professional.
Be sure brain is engaged before putting mouth in gear!
My father bought me a sign for my desk that said that when I was 10. That goes to show you how our character traits are established long before we hit adulthood :)
So I'm going take a lesson from my Dad - about 30 years later. And I'm going to think a bit more, before I tweet. It'll be interesting to see what, if anything, changes in my twitter experience and if change occurs, how it impacts my twitter experience and the experience of those who follow me and ALS Canada.
Have a tremendous Tuesday!
P.S. I should also add a big thanks to Ken Burnett. I was a bit hesitant to email him (but far too stubborn not to) due to his notoriety. He is fun and very gracious. Not quite the ominous figure I thought I might find. Thank you Ken!
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