Twitter
has been the hottest topic on the net for the past few months with
so-called expert after expert insisting that in order to have any
kind of success on the internet, you have to be "tweeting."
A
Harvard study just released is cutting holes in that theory. The
study found that just ten percent of its users are responsible for
making up 90 percent of the content on Twitter.
The
other surprising find was that more than half the people using
Twitter updated their page less than once every 74 days. Researchers
found that most people only "tweet" once in their lifetime.
It isn't
to say that Twitter isn't a great outlet. They do have a lot of
users, over 10 million to be exact.
But for
some reason, Twitter is not having a good retention rate. Nielson is
another group who has found the same results studying Twitter. While
they have recorded explosive growth over the last year, they have
seen a trend of people not returning to the site.
It
brings up the question, Why? I think comes down to something as
simples as where Facebook has succeeded, Twitter has failed.
It is
hard to find friends on Twitter because of a lack of extensive
profiles. Facebook makes it easy through networks, high schools,
colleges, etc.
Also on
Twitter, conversations seem to be more one-way as opposed to two-way
like on Facebook. Because of this, I think Twitter is more designed
for businesses and organizations despite its marketing towards
friends and family.
I
personally love the concept of Twitter. However, I am one of those
statistics. Simply, for me, I did not or don't return often because
of lack of time. Facebook is easier for me and was the first site I
had signed up to participate in. After going to Facebook during the
day, there is no time left for Twitter.
There
are some positives to Twitter. One positive is the new Tweetdeck. I
think this solves my issue of lack of time because it simultaneously
shows both Twitter and Facebook statuses at the same time. You can
also update your own status on both networks at the same time.
Another
positive, I think, is individuals like the idea of following
celebrities and Twitter makes that a reality. Ashton Kutcher is of
course the most famous Twitterer recently competing with CNN to have
the most followers. Celebrities such as Rain Wilson, Shaq and other
sport greats are many who are showing a more accessible personal side
to fans on Twitter.
What
does this study mean for Twitter? Maybe it is just something as
simple as tweaking their marketing from a social network between
family, co-workers and friends to a conversation with the world or
celebs. Maybe it is something more of extending profile pages or
making it easier to find people.
The good
news is that Twitter is still growing by record numbers. The question
they have to ask themselves, is how do we keep our new users active
and returning? What are your thoughts? Do you Twitter?
