Comments on: Twitter – the Beginning of the End, or the End of the Beginning? http://bbh-labs.com/twitter-the-beginning-of-the-end-or-the-end-of-the-beginning Marketing Skunkworks - new models around technology, entertainment and brands Tue, 07 Feb 2012 15:10:04 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0 By: Twitter – The end of the begining ? - Constant Beta http://bbh-labs.com/twitter-the-beginning-of-the-end-or-the-end-of-the-beginning/comment-page-1#comment-983 Twitter – The end of the begining ? - Constant Beta Wed, 05 Aug 2009 15:19:25 +0000 http://bbh-labs.com/?p=1674#comment-983 [...] Malbon and team of BBH Labs has an amazing, thought-provoking discussion on Twitter and the future of [...] [...] Malbon and team of BBH Labs has an amazing, thought-provoking discussion on Twitter and the future of [...]

]]> By: Dennis Demori http://bbh-labs.com/twitter-the-beginning-of-the-end-or-the-end-of-the-beginning/comment-page-1#comment-384 Dennis Demori Thu, 23 Apr 2009 23:51:19 +0000 http://bbh-labs.com/?p=1674#comment-384 Great post and comments. A few thoughts on why I think we're "at the end of the beginning." As Nick said, Twitter skews older, and an older audience is less fickle, less likely to jump on the bandwagon when the new cool thing comes out. I also don't really see Twitter as a singular social network, but as multiple overlapping social networks underneath a large umbrella. Just like Ning or any other social network out there, you're able to customize your network any way you want - you can follow/unfollow/block as you see fit. This is why even as Twitter grows, I don't see the noise issue as an issue. Information overload isn't a problem, the problem is understanding how to effectively filter what's important to you. Just as Gareth posted recently, it's not about social NETWORKS, it's about social IDEAS, and Twitter's proven a stable platform for idea exchange, especially with the plethora of new applications coming out. I'm following about 250 people on Twitter right now who I know very little about other than what their profile bios say. These are distant relationships that I've been cultivating over several months. When will I leave Twitter? Maybe when we know each other on a more personal level (cell, email, IM), but until then, we'll all be tweeting. Great post and comments.

A few thoughts on why I think we’re “at the end of the beginning.”

As Nick said, Twitter skews older, and an older audience is less fickle, less likely to jump on the bandwagon when the new cool thing comes out.

I also don’t really see Twitter as a singular social network, but as multiple overlapping social networks underneath a large umbrella.

Just like Ning or any other social network out there, you’re able to customize your network any way you want – you can follow/unfollow/block as you see fit.

This is why even as Twitter grows, I don’t see the noise issue as an issue. Information overload isn’t a problem, the problem is understanding how to effectively filter what’s important to you.

Just as Gareth posted recently, it’s not about social NETWORKS, it’s about social IDEAS, and Twitter’s proven a stable platform for idea exchange, especially with the plethora of new applications coming out.

I’m following about 250 people on Twitter right now who I know very little about other than what their profile bios say. These are distant relationships that I’ve been cultivating over several months.

When will I leave Twitter?

Maybe when we know each other on a more personal level (cell, email, IM), but until then, we’ll all be tweeting.

]]> By: Brett T. T. Macfarlane http://bbh-labs.com/twitter-the-beginning-of-the-end-or-the-end-of-the-beginning/comment-page-1#comment-374 Brett T. T. Macfarlane Wed, 22 Apr 2009 23:00:30 +0000 http://bbh-labs.com/?p=1674#comment-374 Whether or not Twitter endures, there clearly is a desire or need for people to receive "headlines" on what people or things they are interested in are doing. The microblogging medium, or whatever you want to call it, when you take twitter, the "is" box in Facebook, a similar thing in LinkedIn and increasingly other sites, ultimately are offering a similar service. While not yet universal in its adoption like the phone, it is becoming a widespread form of communication. Though like the telephone, the carriers can and do vary, each offering slightly different angles on the same service. The Twitter brand of this service may fade but the activity of micro updates presumably is here to stay and will presumably continue to be used in ways we can't imagine today. And that's dang exciting. Whether or not Twitter endures, there clearly is a desire or need for people to receive “headlines” on what people or things they are interested in are doing. The microblogging medium, or whatever you want to call it, when you take twitter, the “is” box in Facebook, a similar thing in LinkedIn and increasingly other sites, ultimately are offering a similar service. While not yet universal in its adoption like the phone, it is becoming a widespread form of communication. Though like the telephone, the carriers can and do vary, each offering slightly different angles on the same service.

The Twitter brand of this service may fade but the activity of micro updates presumably is here to stay and will presumably continue to be used in ways we can’t imagine today. And that’s dang exciting.

]]> By: Neil S http://bbh-labs.com/twitter-the-beginning-of-the-end-or-the-end-of-the-beginning/comment-page-1#comment-343 Neil S Mon, 20 Apr 2009 12:50:45 +0000 http://bbh-labs.com/?p=1674#comment-343 As a marketer and a Twperson, the more useful conversation would be around balancing the two. Rather than ends, starts, and money...how should marketers use it, or not? And why? and how do you sell it to clients that barely understand gif banners? As a marketer and a Twperson, the more useful conversation would be around balancing the two. Rather than ends, starts, and money…how should marketers use it, or not? And why? and how do you sell it to clients that barely understand gif banners?

]]> By: Ben Malbon http://bbh-labs.com/twitter-the-beginning-of-the-end-or-the-end-of-the-beginning/comment-page-1#comment-340 Ben Malbon Mon, 20 Apr 2009 00:16:37 +0000 http://bbh-labs.com/?p=1674#comment-340 There's an excellent discussion to be found about the potential ways twitter may unfold as celebrities get involved on Jeremiah Owyang's excellent blog, Web Strategy - http://bit.ly/72fjb; never more timely given last week's Oprah PTR explosion. There’s an excellent discussion to be found about the potential ways twitter may unfold as celebrities get involved on Jeremiah Owyang’s excellent blog, Web Strategy – http://bit.ly/72fjb; never more timely given last week’s Oprah PTR explosion.

]]> By: harper http://bbh-labs.com/twitter-the-beginning-of-the-end-or-the-end-of-the-beginning/comment-page-1#comment-339 harper Sun, 19 Apr 2009 17:52:21 +0000 http://bbh-labs.com/?p=1674#comment-339 Todays times magazine section, "Let Them Eat Tweets," by Virginia Heffernan, explores Tweeting as a form of "connectivity for the poor and needy." An excellent read on the collective twitter pysche. It seems 3 years in we are still grappling with the same questions we had from the start: why do we subscribe? is it collective consciousness at is most impoverished or most enlightening: as a new mapping of the minds? Is it just too selfish? too driven by the PR of each tweeter's avatar existence? see article here: http://tinyurl.com/c5gz37 thoughts? Todays times magazine section, “Let Them Eat Tweets,” by Virginia Heffernan, explores Tweeting as a form of “connectivity for the poor and needy.” An excellent read on the collective twitter pysche.

It seems 3 years in we are still grappling with the same questions we had from the start: why do we subscribe? is it collective consciousness at is most impoverished or most enlightening: as a new mapping of the minds? Is it just too selfish? too driven by the PR of each tweeter’s avatar existence?

see article here: http://tinyurl.com/c5gz37

thoughts?

]]> By: A Failed Philosophy of Invention: Why Advertising Ideas Suck. http://bbh-labs.com/twitter-the-beginning-of-the-end-or-the-end-of-the-beginning/comment-page-1#comment-337 A Failed Philosophy of Invention: Why Advertising Ideas Suck. Sat, 18 Apr 2009 19:42:40 +0000 http://bbh-labs.com/?p=1674#comment-337 [...] BBHLabs: Twitter, the end of the Beginning. [...] [...] BBHLabs: Twitter, the end of the Beginning. [...]

]]> By: Andy http://bbh-labs.com/twitter-the-beginning-of-the-end-or-the-end-of-the-beginning/comment-page-1#comment-336 Andy Sat, 18 Apr 2009 16:58:51 +0000 http://bbh-labs.com/?p=1674#comment-336 so true! it's not about twitter. what is it with the ad and marketing biz.. propping new bright and shiny things on a pedestal like the second coming only to club it mercelessly? we've seen it over and over, branded entertainment, iphone apps, virtual worlds, microsites, myspace, facebook apps etc. they are losing the larger point. the way people connect is drastically changing. and instead of thinking of how to use social tools to craft with other pieces into an experience.. they are acting like the greeting card biz.. they keep manufacturing one dimensional"greetings" that are becoming more and more irrelevant. so true!

it’s not about twitter. what is it with the ad and marketing biz.. propping new bright and shiny things on a pedestal like the second coming only to club it mercelessly? we’ve seen it over and over, branded entertainment, iphone apps, virtual worlds, microsites, myspace, facebook apps etc.

they are losing the larger point. the way people connect is drastically changing. and instead of thinking of how to use social tools to craft with other pieces into an experience.. they are acting like the greeting card biz.. they keep manufacturing one dimensional”greetings” that are becoming more and more irrelevant.

]]> By: Maury Giles http://bbh-labs.com/twitter-the-beginning-of-the-end-or-the-end-of-the-beginning/comment-page-1#comment-335 Maury Giles Sat, 18 Apr 2009 16:30:13 +0000 http://bbh-labs.com/?p=1674#comment-335 Awesome discussion. Glad to connect into the ideas being shared here. The power I see in Twitter is the multitude of connections and, therefore, personal (what I mean is discovered and selected by me) applications that emerge. The main Twitter timeline feed helps me dive into the mass dialogue (in spurts, short or longer), but filters allow sorting and layers of friendship/interaction (a la Mike Arauz' recent post) organized by interests or individuals or groups or other motives, etc. So... texting lets me talk "privately" to my friends. Facebook let's me broadly post my life to my friends and see theirs. Twitter has elements of both--quickly broadcast my thoughts, ideas, actions, interests, great finds thinking to my friends and the world. This one to many to one dynamic now fueled by a large enough user base fosters experimentation. To me, this means clearly we're at the end of the beginning. Those experiments are happening at multiple levels: (1) how I use my (or my company's) tweets / account / followers / who I follow, (2) how I sort/access the tweets I'm interested in for my use, (3) how to aggregate the mass timeline for analysis / insight / connections, (4) how to build on top of Twitter for new uses. And I'm sure there are more. Sadly... marketers solely seeking quick cash will mess this up... but I think only for themselves. Why? With Twitter you and I, every user, has more control than ever before. And, with that control, authenticity is king. You auto respond to me with crappy sales pitch--you're gone in 1/2 a second. You have something relevant, you're staying around... until you don't! Again, great commentary and ideas here. Awesome discussion. Glad to connect into the ideas being shared here.

The power I see in Twitter is the multitude of connections and, therefore, personal (what I mean is discovered and selected by me) applications that emerge. The main Twitter timeline feed helps me dive into the mass dialogue (in spurts, short or longer), but filters allow sorting and layers of friendship/interaction (a la Mike Arauz’ recent post) organized by interests or individuals or groups or other motives, etc. So… texting lets me talk “privately” to my friends. Facebook let’s me broadly post my life to my friends and see theirs. Twitter has elements of both–quickly broadcast my thoughts, ideas, actions, interests, great finds thinking to my friends and the world.

This one to many to one dynamic now fueled by a large enough user base fosters experimentation. To me, this means clearly we’re at the end of the beginning.

Those experiments are happening at multiple levels: (1) how I use my (or my company’s) tweets / account / followers / who I follow, (2) how I sort/access the tweets I’m interested in for my use, (3) how to aggregate the mass timeline for analysis / insight / connections, (4) how to build on top of Twitter for new uses. And I’m sure there are more.

Sadly… marketers solely seeking quick cash will mess this up… but I think only for themselves. Why? With Twitter you and I, every user, has more control than ever before. And, with that control, authenticity is king. You auto respond to me with crappy sales pitch–you’re gone in 1/2 a second. You have something relevant, you’re staying around… until you don’t!

Again, great commentary and ideas here.

]]> By: Tim Malbon http://bbh-labs.com/twitter-the-beginning-of-the-end-or-the-end-of-the-beginning/comment-page-1#comment-319 Tim Malbon Fri, 17 Apr 2009 00:01:25 +0000 http://bbh-labs.com/?p=1674#comment-319 I have to say - I think it's more likely that the "new tools" will 'disrupt' advertising than the other way around. T I have to say – I think it’s more likely that the “new tools” will ‘disrupt’ advertising than the other way around.

T

]]>