Over the past six months, I’ve become a fan of Twitter. I “tweet” nearly every day, sharing thoughts and optimistic quotes that I hope will inspire my followers and enhance their lives. I’m not a “just had coffee…” or “walking the dog..” kind of poster. I don’t really belive that has any value to anyone other than the stalkers who have nothing better to do than wonder what I’m doing at this exact moment (AKA no one.) Instead, I try to share various news items, tips, and more that I’ve come across during the day. If nothing comes to mind, I’ll find an inspiring quote that I hope will help others reflect on their current situation and realize how great life is.
The recent buzz surrounding twitter has received mixed reviews from the user community. Sprint is currently running television commercials promoting their mobile smartphones as “Twitter” clients. Oprah Winfrey and Ashton Kutcher are helping to make Twitter a household name. While I don’t follow them nor do I intend to, I think this demonstrates the Twitter Tipping Point (Twipping Point) – Malcom Gladwell’s theory on the point at which the momentum for change becomes unstoppable.
According to Malcom, the effect begins with connectors, mavens and salesmen. Twitter has been full of these for months. Most early adopters are connectors. Mavens are the experts that continue to share the values of the medium. Salesmen like Oprah, Ashton and others are convincing the masses to try Twitter. Stickyness is the second requirement. While I’m not sure how to describe the stickyness of Twitter, I do know that as an active user it is contagous. Finally, to reach the tipping point, Twitter must havae the Power of Context: Human behavior is sensitive to and strongly influenced by its environment. As our friends and peers debate the pros and cons of Twitter, masses are compelled to test the waters.
It will be interesting to see how Twitter usage changes over the next few months. I expect rapid growth for a time. February 2009 statistics show approximately 6.1 million monthly U.S. visitors (courtesy of Nick Burcher.) Twitter usage has grown 1382% in twelve months. If I’m correct that we’ve reached “The Twitter Tipping Point”, you can expect 2009 growth to be much higher. Why do I think this is important? I believe that Social Media Marketing, while still in it’s infantcy, will, for the next few years, prove to be the best medium for reaching the masses and niche markets alike. Stay tuned!
