Book Review: Twitterville
Written on August 6, 2010 by admin
When I picked up my copy of Twitterville by Shel Israel, I expected it to be “just another social media book.” There are a lot of books out there that tell you the hows and whys of social media. It’s not to say those books aren’t useful, but they’re really not for me, a marketing consultant.
I was pleasantly surprised, and wrong.
I actually didn’t know the full backstory of how Twitter was founded (it was just an internal tool for a company called Odeo. When the tool generated more excitement than the product they sold, they knew they needed to rethink things).
How Brands Use Twitter
Rather than tell how businesses can use Twitter, Israel tells you about companies who are doing it well. Some examples you already know, like Comcast. Others you may not, like CrowdSPRING or Dell (you know the brand, but did you know the company lets any employee who wants to Tweet do so under the Dell umbrella?).
The examples illustrate innovative ways brands are using Twitter. The question of whether to be a brand or a person came up in the book. If Twitter is about sharing information and communicating, where do brands fit in, asks Israel? As a person who tweets under my company’s name (@eggmarketing) I say it’s a good thing to give brands a personal face while still keeping the professional name of Egg. People have heard of Egg on Twitter, because I tweet as Egg. But I give it a personal edge.
Braided Journalism
I also like Israel’s comparison of how journalism is converging the old styles with new media to form what he calls “braided journalism.”
The three strands are:
- Traditional Media
- Citizen Journalism
- Social Media
All these strands work together to report news legitimately. Where a few years ago no one considered a blogger or Tweeter a journalist, the line is now blurred and people are getting respect outside of a 10 year journalism career.
Great Advice
Israel does give some tips for people using Twitter. He says:
- Show Yourself. Put your photo on your icon.
- Read First. Talk Later. Pay attention to what others are saying before you jump in.
- Post Second. Follow Later. Put up a few tweets to show what you’re all about, then add people to follow.
- Friends Over Stars. There are a lot of celebrities on Twitter, but they’re not always worth following.
- Avoid Spammer Stats. Following a lot of people and only having a handful following back is a red flag that you might be spamming people.
- Have Favorites. Mark people as a favorite when they provide valuable tweets.
- Take Your Time. Developing relationships on Twitter takes time. Be patient.
- Think Neighborhood. Learn your way around your specific nook of Twitter, and have fun!
I highly recommend you read this book to get a new perspective on Twitter.
