Sarah Morgan
There’s been busyness, but radio silence is over. And thanks for noticing.
The first flowers are here (snowdrops, on my run yesterday), spring starts tomorrow, and all I have to say is, it is about time.
Maybe a personal post after this weekend, but for now, something I’ve been percolating.
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People are growing less skeptical about social media’s reach, but it’s still there. Definitely with Twitter, even Facebook and blogs still, believe it or not. It goes something like this:
“There aren’t enough people there for it to matter. The only people who use it are the tech elite, the early adopters. We don’t have to bother with that audience yet. It’s just a little group of nerds.”Apart from how they’re completely wrong… they’re missing a huge part of the equation when they think that way.
This group of trend-surfing, bleeding-edge social media geeks, are by definition the ones who talk. We’ve got big mouths. We love telling people what to check out and what to know about and where to go.
BTW, backing up the “completely wrong” point, check this graph from my Steve Rubel [who I love, but deeply disagree with that Twitter is peaking]:
Just a few arcane people? Really? That might have been true when I started on Twitter a year ago, but not anymore.
And the reason that the useful social media outlets are continuing to grow is because we’ve been telling people about them. So if you’re missing the early adopters, you’re missing the conversation while it’s intimate. You’re missing the chance to embed yourself into a community and become a relevant part of it. And you’re missing the very people who ought to be talking about you.
I do think Twitter will peak, but right now I think everyone is signing up and then just waiting to see what happens. *Crickets*
@Keith – I definitely see that happening. But even if the active users are far fewer than the total users, it’s still big and growing. Twitter says active users are up 900% in a year. Even if that’s not sustainable (and it’s not), and even if it’s only a fraction of the 4 million – I think it’s still a group to be reckoned with.
Good post. The graph says it all. Twitter is only beginning. If it were peaking now, why was Facebook so keen on changing their format last week to more closely resemble Twitter? According to Nielsen, Twitter grew 1382% last year (Facebook only 228%,) with similar big leaps projected:
http://www.briansolis.com/2009/03/twitter-and-social-networks-usher-in.html
What a great post. And to prove the point, I read it because Marilyn_Res from National Geographic recommended it. On twitter.
I wish we could hire you to write for our blog. You have a great voice. I read your last two months of posts without even realizing it. I hope your company uses your blogging talents. They should :)
@Marilyn_Res – Fantastic point. FB users might not all get it yet, but FB clearly does.
@bb Wow! Thanks for the compliments – you’ve made my day!