twitter

A Tale of Two Twitters

It’s been quite a few days for social networking site Twitter.

Many users are up in arms about a recent change that Twitter implemented regarding replies to other users.

I’ll be the first to admit that, originally, I thought it was a major overreaction on the part of the users who were complaining the loudest. After all, the problem stemmed from something that was never a part of Twitter’s original toolset.

So, to take the stance that a lot of users were taking (abuse and bile directed at the Twitter team being just part of the response) seemed an ineffective way to try and make a point.

There are still people doing that, and I don’t think it helps the situation. But that’s by the by. What is clear now is that there are two very distinct sides to this situation, and both have merit.

Twitter Is Right

The reasoning behind Twitter’s “meddling” with the reply system is that it can be confusing. They discussed this very topic over a year ago on their blog – unless you’re up to speed on Twitter’s kinks and terminology, it can be a very confusing place. Hashtags, @’s, RT’s and? tweetchats are just some of the idiosyncrasies that await users.

As Twitter looks to find the model it needs to succeed from a business point of view – and it is still primarily a business model in progress – it needs to be as accessible and as easy to use for the majority as possible. This means having less confusion, which Twitter thought the reply system caused.

Cue the amendment and subsequent Twitter user backlash.

Twitter is Wrong

One of the effects that the new Twitter reply system has had is that it’s effectively blacked out the feed of many Twitter users. Whereas before you could see a friend’s conversation to another user even if you weren’t following that other user, now you no longer have that luxury.

So this means that users that only follow a small amount of other users will have a very barren feed. This was pointed out really well to me by one of my closest people on Twitter, and something I may not have realized initially (sorry, Freddly!).

So, instead of seeing all the conversations that I’m having with everyone I’m connected to (and possibly checking them out as well), Freddly can only see the conversation if it’s to someone she mutually follows. This is where the new Twitter reply option is letting users down.

Those of us with a lot of connections will be fine – others, not so much.

Endgame

So, what’s the solution? There are a lot of angry people around, and this is leading to a lot of friction on both sides. The pro-change camp say that you can still find new people using the search option, and if you don’t hit the Reply button then everyone following you will see the message.

The anti-change camp suggest that it’s nothing less than censorship and that Twitter is bowing down to the celebrities and post-Oprah crowd. They suggest boycotting Twitter until the old reply function is reinstalled.

Twitter, for their part, are listening to the criticism (constructive and otherwise) and trying to appease users with halfway house solutions.

Bloggers are sharing their views, some calmly and sensibly, others not so much. It’s a touchy subject and one that’s causing a lot of heat in the Twitter feeds.

From my own perspective, it doesn’t affect me as much as it may others. The people I’m connected with and converse with are mostly mutual connections to others, so the conversation hasn’t really been affected on my feed.

But, I can see why this isn’t the case for people like Freddly, and on that count, Twitter seems to have messed up a key part of the user experience. It’s clear to see that there’s some major work ahead for Twitter to try and satisfy both camps.

In the meantime, though, I’m not sure if the mob mentality will help or hinder this process. And seeing some of the Twitter power users asking “Social Media or Social Control?” seems sensationalist.

How about you? What’s your take and where does Twitter go from here?

photo credit: Archie McPhee Seattle

Talking Twitter with CityNews Toronto

One of the cool things about Twitter is the connections that you make. People you’d possibly otherwise miss or never know can become either friends or close contacts.

Two people I’ve come to know over the last 6-8 months are Kris Reyes and Dave Fleet.

Kris is a news reporter for CityTV in Toronto, and is one of the station’s key people in the social media space. She understands the medium and encourages the station’s viewers to become more involved.

Dave Fleet is a guy I respect immensely and one of the leading lights in the Toronto social media, PR and communications scene. As one of the guys behind Podcamp Toronto and more, he knows his stuff.

Today, these two met on Kris’s news show and discussed Twitter and its growing popularity and acceptance. If you’re curious about the whole Twitter explosion, here’s your chance to find out why it does what it does.

Oh, and for some reason, they let me join in the fun too. Hope you enjoy.

Does Twitter Monitor Its Brand? Fake-Twitter.com Suggests No

Do you monitor your brand and what’s being said about you? I’m guessing that you do – after all, you need to know what’s being said in your name, particularly in our fast-paced connected worlds.

I’m beginning to wonder about Twitter, though.

The micro-blogging company isn’t having a great time of things at the minute. From network stability issues to the recent malware attack, it’s been a testing time for Twitter.

Thanks to a new website, it could become even more testing – yet Twitter doesn’t seem particularly bothered. Should they be?

Fake-Twitter.com is a site that allows you to choose any Twitter user and make a fake Twitter status update. This is then posted like a tweet and, at a glance, looks like the real thing. If you’re not a Twitter user, you might even think it’s the genuine article.

Even if you see that it’s fake, I’m guessing that the fake tweet will show up in search engine results and look like a genuine post. You can see how damaging this could be to someone’s name or brand. So, far from being a little bit of fun, Fake-Twitter.com is ethically questionable.

So where is Twitter in all of this? So far, nowhere – yet don’t you think they should be taking action against the site, in order to protect its own users?

Even if that was legally a gray area, Twitter could take down Fake-Twitter.com for copyright breach on the site’s design, which is just like the real Twitter set up.

Maybe there’s no response yet because Twitter is busy dealing with the malware attacks on their servers – so here’s some help to the Twitter team:

The Fake-Twitter domain is registered at GoDaddy.com under the name of Ryan Cornwell of Columbus, OH. You can get full details – address, email, etc – here.
The site itself is hosted at DreamHost.com, which is located in Brea, CA – so there should be no issues with overseas hosting legalities.
One of the co-creators of Fake-Twitter.com is Twitter user @topherchris – I’m sure you could ask him about Fake-Twitter.com, abuse of the site and the design copyright issue.

There’s not a lot more I can (or should) do – I’m not a Twitter employee and I have my own tasks at hand. But I am a Twitter user that cares about the Twitter community, as well as the potential damage this could do to individuals and brands,? hence the collection of information for you.

It only took me about half an hour to collate all the details and do some digging on the people behind it.

The question now, Twitter, is what are you going to do about it?

How about you? Should Twitter be taking action or is Fake-Twitter.com just a harmless joke?

Update April 13 – As of 9.00pm EST, the Fake-Twitter website is closed following an official takedown request from Twitter.

photo credit: kaioshin

Would You Trust Google With Twitter?

From Techcrunch to the Washington Post and beyond, the rumours/semi-rumours of Google buying micro-blogging site Twitter continue.

There’s enough already being written on the subject, so I’ll keep this brief.

Two words – Gmail and Feedburner. One is Google’s email program and the other’s a blog analytical? tool for stats, readers, clickthroughs, etc. But here’s the thing.

According to my Gmail account, it’s still in beta. Despite officially celebrating it’s 5-year anniversary on April 1. Then there’s Feedburner, which was the best friend of bloggers everywhere – until Google took it over. Now it’s the devil in disguise, with constant feed failures and fluctuating statistics.

So, an email system 5 years in beta and the destruction of many bloggers’ favourite tool.

Would you trust Google with Twitter?

photo credit: Cayusa

The Twitter Rulebook

There’s a lot of talk on Twitter as to how it should be used – Twitter rules and etiquette, if you like. Some of the talk stems from suggestions of how individuals use their accounts and how it might benefit you.

Other talk comes from people who say, “You should do this and you shouldn’t do that.”

But you know what? Unless anything you do falls within Twitter’s own Terms of Service, then there are no rules on using Twitter. So, here’s the thing:

If you want to promote your application to get more followers, do it. Just don’t be upset if people don’t agree with it (many will).
If you want to use it for nothing more than broadcasting blog posts, sales offers, etc, do it.
If you want to use it as a networking tool to meet potential new business partners, do it.
If you want to use it as a place for your cat to talk to the world, do it.

In fact, whatever you want to do with Twitter, do it. After all, it’s your account and no-one else’s. The way you use Twitter, people will either like it or they won’t – it’s an even 50/50 split to start with, so go for it.

If I don’t follow you, it’s for a reason – don’t get upset. I’m not that important and I probably wouldn’t have been a good match for you anyway, so you’re not missing out. If you don’t follow me, I understand. Hey, we’re all different people – it’d be boring if we were all the same.

So use Twitter the way you want to use it. There are millions of people that will either get you or not. Enjoy it. And maybe I’ll see you on there sometime.

Cheers.

photo credit: vissago