Twitter is Stupid
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Folks, twitter is stupid. I’ve spent the last two hours trying to find a single redeeming quality to the service, and I have nothing to report. For those of you who haven’t familiarized yourself with it, two things:
1. Don’t.
2. Watch the video below.
It introduces the concept of twitter as “life happens between blog posts”. Well, yes. It should. But it’s hard for life to actually happen if you’re wasting it watching people’s…twitter feeds (did I say that right?) with such dazzling information as:
“Going to the store.”
“Working on my newsletter.”
“Overslept.”
All I see on twitter is an odd hybrid of a forum and a blog, except nothing meaningful is being said. And I mean nothing. So far as I can tell twitter is something the A List bloggers are promoting as a way to get their groupies to follow them around all day, begging for a shred of acknowledgment with some sort of “@joeshmoe” response to a….tweet (again, am I saying that right?).
Talk about a colossal waste of time. Be warned, there are those that are saying twitter is great for connectivity and getting information in real time. I can’t think of a tool that gives you a lower roi on your time when it comes to networking.
A noteworthy blogger talks about how he loves twitter, but then he disclosed his traffic sources: Google - 42%. Twitter - 1.87%. I think that pretty much tells the story. Go build some links.
Anything you get from twitter you should be getting from your blogging efforts. It’s nothing but a time sucker, and do any of you feel like you have lots of excess time?
Guys, when your content is written and your link-building is done for the day, get outside and get some sun. It’s Spring, and instead of tweeting you should be shutting off your computers and going to hang out with your kids at the park. Or going to spend some time with friends IN PERSON. I’m here to tell you that a good laugh in person with friends is quite a bit more gratifying than any LOL from a twitterer (”twitterer”…brilliant). Phones, emails, and blogs are enough…and maybe too much. Twitter is blogging taken to an unhealthy extreme.
And besides, how can I possibly participate in anything where the primary activity is called “tweeting”?
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May 8th, 2008 at 3:11 pm
I think you may get quite a reaction from this post.
I think Twitter is getting really popular because people can feel like close friends when really they have never met.
Maybe I am wrong, but after following a few people for a while you start to get to know them a little better, and a feeling of community is all it takes to make a website very popular these days.
May 8th, 2008 at 6:53 pm
Hey, I love my family, my kids, my friends. Enough to not reduce them to a 140 character tweet. My “tweety” is only 3 years old, and I DO shut down the computer, mobile phone, etc. to let him know he is important. Are our lives so busy that we forget to be human? To me that is what “Twitter” artificial communities represent.
Mother’s day is coming. Will you tweet Mom on Twitter, or be real?
Gotta go cuz its time for my tweety to get some real attention
March 26th, 2009 at 6:59 pm
Twitter is a j o k e.
Two Words: Nobody Cares.
Two Words: Verbal Diarrhea.
May 8th, 2008 at 3:12 pm
Maybe you started to follow the wrong people at the very beginning. That’s why you thought it is not worth spending your time. But I think it is a good way of communication if used properly.
May 8th, 2008 at 3:19 pm
This is precisely the reason that I don’t use any of the IM programs. I tried a few times when ICQ came out, and it was near impossible to get anything done, because somebody was always sending you a message. Now, it’s even worse, because the bastards have figured out how to spam the IM programs. Honestly, it’s only a matter of time before Twitter becomes a spam swamp as well…
March 13th, 2009 at 2:21 pm
Switch to Gmail. No spam.
May 8th, 2008 at 3:21 pm
I’m a mild twitter user. I can see some upsides but in general, definitely a HUGE time suck and distraction.
May 8th, 2008 at 3:23 pm
Thank you for this… I never found the appeal in such a website. I mean, those who like to know what John Chow is eating, would love twitter…. but I just never understood it, but I am glad that you don’t like it.
May 9th, 2008 at 8:34 am
I’m a user of the twitter box, but I don’t let it overwhelm the very fabric of my being. I find it a useful tool for engaging local writers and those not so local that may have experiences that I can use.
May 8th, 2008 at 3:32 pm
I totally agree. I tried it for a while and it just sucks.
Who really cares.
I have a cell phone, email, a blog, flickr, facebook. Is there anything that did not make it on those mediums that I REALLY need to know?
Doubtful.
Besides, if they’re really my “friends” then I know what they are doing.
May 8th, 2008 at 3:57 pm
Mark, Thank you. Thank you. You just confirmed what I had been thinking. I thought I was the crazy one. I never go it.
You are right, It is about a bunch of A-listers and their groupies. Who cares what _________ (insert A-lister’s name) is doing at this very moment. I know an A-lister who comments on where he pees when he is in NYC. There are even contests to see who can come up with the best 140 character twitter posts. Get a life.
Note to twitter-addicts - Do as Mark says, go outside and enjoy life.
May 8th, 2008 at 4:00 pm
This post is exactly the reason why Court is my FAVORITE blog (along with Blogger Unleashed). Twitter is a total waste of time. Only someone who has no life would follow people on Twitter.
I have an account and tried to find some value in Twitter. But, just like you said, unless you are one of those bloggers that everyone follows then it is a complete waste of time.
Why would I waste my time reading “New ebook”, “Exclusive webinar”, “I just woke up”, “My toilet is broke”…
Twitter is Trash
May 8th, 2008 at 4:01 pm
lol. I love this post. I love twitter to though. There are some people worth following on twitter. A lot of people post interesting links, information, and breaking news through out the day. A good majority of people do tweet about daily things…like bathroom breaks and pizza. I guess it gets interesting when you meet and find people that actually post interesting things.
May 8th, 2008 at 4:42 pm
Thanks for the thoughts and the compliment Scott.
May 8th, 2008 at 4:34 pm
Twitter is on the surface vapid, but I this post reads like you avoided finding the value in it. Like anything else on the web, it’s a tool, and if you don’t understand how to use it, all you’ve got is a toy.
Consider this: in the past month alone, via twitter I’ve networked my way into:
1) a DEMO event where I pitched my startup to the right people,
2) Connected into several Social Media circles including scores of interesting & smart PR people who have
3) introduced me to many a VC, and
4) shown me concrete steps, through their network, of getting TechCrunch-ed.
5) I’m never at a loss for fun, off the internet activities which are broadcast frequently,
6) know the news before blogs do,
7) Connect to specific people in a very easy, unobtrusive way
Frankly, it sounds like you want to say “small talk is a waste of time”. So don’t make small take. Get what you want out of it. What did you try to get out of it? Or were you just treating it as a toy, and ’surprised’ to find you had a toy?
- Aaron
May 8th, 2008 at 4:38 pm
A fair and thorough comment Aaron. And thanks for introducing me to the word vapid. I looked it up, and your usage was perfect, but you probably knew that.
May 8th, 2008 at 4:44 pm
Wish I had taken a minute to proof my post! Twitter really isn’t just valley girls, but of course that type of user is their in spades. What is your account name Mark? Be interesting to see who you were following.
May 8th, 2008 at 4:56 pm
Proof your post? I thought you made your point fine. Anyway, I only looked at one tweet session. It was problogger’s. It was all I could take.
May 9th, 2008 at 6:49 am
Problogger was where I first heard about “twittering for the masses”. I’m glad I didn’t fall into the trap.
I’m also glad you had the guts to point out how un-useful Twitter actually is.
May 8th, 2008 at 4:35 pm
This may be one of the better review of Twitter I have read. I’ve been trying to figure out if it is any use. So far, it’s just a waste of time.
A big waste of time.
May 8th, 2008 at 4:36 pm
I couldn’t agree more. Personally, I’ve been on the fence about the whole Twitter craze, and I’ve struggled to make sense of it. It’s refreshing to know that somebody else is making a rational, very smart decision NOT to use this silly service.
I think I might go Twitter this post right now just for a little irony.
May 8th, 2008 at 4:43 pm
And I wouldn’t know whether to thank you for the plug, or condemn you as a time-waster. It’s a toss up.
May 8th, 2008 at 4:37 pm
LOL. I just haven’t had time to get involved yet. Man the internet has some time suckers. It will be interesting to see if this is just a passing phase or whether twitter ends up becoming like “blogging” - a phase that appears to be here to stay.
May 8th, 2008 at 4:54 pm
I have not wasted a minute with Twitter. Except for making this comment that it.
May 8th, 2008 at 5:01 pm
You’ve got the right spirit in your closing. That aught to be a post in itself.
I think Twitter (or similar service) has a better potential than it’s being used right now. Blog promotion is great, but I think the community would be better served by something like this:
Doctors or nurses could “tweet” to other docs or other health care providers if they’re stumped on a case. Type in a cluster of signs or symptoms & see if others around the world have a clue based on their experience. So far I don’t think a service like this is around (could be great in ICU or ER).
The engine behind Twitter does have potential. I just don’t think that potential has been exploited yet. (Twatter might be a better word?)
But I agree with you Mark, it can be very stupid.
May 8th, 2008 at 5:11 pm
I see what you’re saying Phil, and what you’re describing would be great. Doesn’t it already exist, and isn’t it called a forum?
May 9th, 2008 at 3:30 pm
It ABSOLUTELY IS being used like you talk about among professionals, Phil. As other people here have stated, you have to be disciplined about when you look at it, and WHO you follow. Otherwise, you are just sipping other people’s drivel.
Good luck!
May 8th, 2008 at 5:12 pm
Mark,
You truly disappointed me with this one.
I was really hoping for a great and honest review of what you thought about Twitter. Not only that, but I was really wanting you and Court to post your Twitter addresses so I can follow you not sending out anything while you are building links.
lmao…nice review…i hate twitter too…life sucker!
May 8th, 2008 at 5:12 pm
I think I read an article in Inc. Magazine a couple months ago about Twitter and the guy who created it. I had the same reaction when I read it. It left me going…”so what?” Why would I want to text message little snippets of my life to create a one sentence blog post? I’m with you Mark. I haven’t researched the service very much, but just from the concept I agree that it seems pretty worthless.
May 8th, 2008 at 5:35 pm
I don’t use twitter yet.
But Vic, mr. anti-twitting himself, found a good use for twitter: he “twit” when he is going live on his ustream channel. Now, that’s useful when you don’t have a regular schedule. He can believe it himself
May 8th, 2008 at 6:28 pm
You got me Steve. The ability to message your readers or audience is in fact a redeeming quality. Good point.
I would say that in the absence of twitter the Vics of the world could find any number of alternatives for sending out the message.
May 8th, 2008 at 7:04 pm
Yup you are right buddy I found it amazing that I only found it for one use and that is to notify those that use twhirl with twitter so in reality I use it as an IM to give some sense of schedule for the channel but I could easily use some type of IM for that. I love it when I see a post on how to make tons of cash from twitter it is laughable. Mark my friend I am on your boat a true worthless service that consumes peoples time on crap instead of link building. I am still looking at making a better message system to folks about the channel
May 8th, 2008 at 8:43 pm
Vic, the only reason I turned twitter on is to see those notifications that you’ll be going live on your ustream.tv channel.
May 8th, 2008 at 8:54 pm
Same same as vinny I just keep a tab open on Vic’s page - so I can check before Igo to bed! Facebook is bad enough - I can’t see how u can be really connected to someone u never met !
May 8th, 2008 at 7:02 pm
Ya! Twitter could be a tool, but no one needs to here the nonsense. I guess some people have that burning need to share!
May 8th, 2008 at 7:16 pm
Halle-freakin-lujah!!! Twitter is like reverse paparazzi.
May 8th, 2008 at 8:59 pm
I started using twitter to get Vic’s “I’m going live in five minutes” tweets. I have taken the time to add others since I’m on there anyway. I’ve got to say, twitter is poorly positioned. That video Mark linked to is shown on the front page as an explanation of the service. What a sad choice.
I’ve spent some time thinking about how twitter could be used in a way that doesn’t make it a stupid waste of time. I “tweeted” a post I submitted to Blogging Zoom, and someone replied, “That’s the first time I’ve ever had a useful tweet.” So that’s got me thinking I’ll continue to use Twitter in that manner.
May 8th, 2008 at 9:23 pm
Court,
I’ve been reading your blog for a while, and honestly this is the exact response I would expect you to have to Twitter. Lol
Your all about business and Twitter goes beyond that to build personal relationships with people. No offense, but I can totally understand why you just don’t get it.
May 8th, 2008 at 9:31 pm
I joined Twitter for about 15 minutes. After seeing that I would have to filter pretty much … all of it, I stopped.
May 9th, 2008 at 1:00 am
@mark, boostranks is going to the toilet now, bbl
May 9th, 2008 at 1:26 am
nice link bait sir, but i disagree.. twitter rocks and useful
May 9th, 2008 at 5:35 am
Was that video supposed to make Twitter look appealing? Because it felt more like a parody to me.
May 9th, 2008 at 5:58 am
I was really hoping for a great and honest review of what you thought about Twitter.
But Twitter is a total waste of time. Only someone who has no life would follow people on Twitter.
May 9th, 2008 at 7:03 am
Sorry, but you’re just wrong. And I only say that because I felt the same as you at one time, but finally gave it a real chance. And I had to admit I was wrong. Perhaps you’re connecting with the wrong people, I don’t know. But give it more than a glance before you declare it stupid. Spend a month with it. Then come back and see if you feel the same way or not.
May 9th, 2008 at 7:09 am
Whew! I thought I must have missed something when I checked out Twitter - but it seems it’s exactly as you say. Some people obviously get something out of it, but their time is a lot less valuable than mine.
May 9th, 2008 at 7:22 am
Hmm…
All right, I’ll do it. Someone needs to play devil’s advocate.
Twitter isn’t all that bad. It’s not for everyone, but I personally have found it to be an effective tool.
Here’s the thing: I use twitter for business networking, and it’s been extremely effective. I’ve landed more than a couple freelance writing gigs via Twitter. I’ve used Twitter to promote social media love for blog posts (asking for Stumbles and whatnot).
I also get a good 10% of my blog traffic from twitter. Blog traffic isn’t my main goal with Twitter, but it is a nice little bonus.
I also use Twitter for social networking. Twitter is, in some ways, a virtual water cooler. I’m a self-employed web worker, which means I work alone most days. Twitter provides me two or three 10-minute breaks where I can blow off steam, rest my tired fingers, and shoot the sh!t with colleagues.
How useful is twitter purely as a marketing tool? I think the jury is still out on that question. I think we’ll have a better picture of it in a year or so, when we see whether or not the rapid growth continues.
I’m in good company, here; Darren uses it, Brian uses it, Maki uses it.
Twitter is also a neat way to create a brush with greatness: I’ve tweeted with Wil Wheaton, Scott Kurtz, and all three of the aforementioned blogging bigwigs.
On top of all of that, without Twitter, there never would have been Niebu.
May 9th, 2008 at 7:33 am
AMEN! I hate Twitter as well.
May 9th, 2008 at 7:44 am
[…] I’m not alone. Mark posted “Twitter is Stupid” over at Courtney Tuttle’s Internet Marketing School. Since he broke the ice, I […]
May 9th, 2008 at 7:54 am
I help folks in the RE business with their online marketing (I’m mostly on the analytics/on-site optimization side but I’m fairly well cross-trained). My market has been going on and on about Twitter for some time. And I use it myself, though more for “entertainment” and getting new ideas than active marketing.
As for “I’m waiting for the bus” style tweets that is an issue of reading the wrong folks. Some people put interesting and insightful information/knowledge out on their twitter feed. Just like there are useless blogs and useful blogs, there are useful twitterers and useless twitterers.
I currently do drive very targeted traffic to my company’s blog via Twitter (not tracked via twitter.com, but in time-after-tweeting statistically significant increases in traffic–traffic that stays on site and reads the whole post). It’s more of a warm-sales broadcast kind of thing.
But the main uses on twitter are probably in other areas.
Since it’s a hot topic in a few industries right now, I’m collecting a variety of posts/articles about Twitter (in the sidebar, based on Court’s suggestion for putting the good stuff out front, thanks!). This post on courtneytuttle will go under the Twitter Naysayers section as an excellent example of why not to use Twitter.
May 9th, 2008 at 7:56 am
I would wholeheartedly disagree with you on this one. Twitter has been one of the most helpful (though sometimes productivity sapping) social tools I use. I use it every day to connect with other like minded individuals and receive instant feedback on ideas. It all depends on how you use the service. Sure you can use it to let people know you are having dinner or waiting for your flight, but it can also be a quick way to connect and network with the people in your field.
May 9th, 2008 at 7:57 am
Twitter is complete *&%$£S. I’d rather stick forks in my eyes or watch paint dry than partake of inane banter. Well said that man.
Mike is now making the tea.
May 9th, 2008 at 8:17 am
It’s not networking. It’s hero worship. I don’t know how many stupid posts I’ve seen that are basically, “(A-Lister) tweeted back at me. Wow! I feel so validated. I must be important now. I have arrived!” How low does your self-image have to be to even give a crap if “@shoemoney” or whoever replied to you?
Hey, Darren Rowse replied to one of my emails once. Does that make me important now? Or is that up to me to decide my own self-worth?
*Tweet
*???
*Profit
May 9th, 2008 at 8:28 am
@ Fiar -
Wow. Cynical much?
You’re making a hell of a lot of assumptions here. The point wasn’t hero worship, the point was that some very successful people use Twitter in very effective ways.
Now, stop being a jackass and find something useful to do.
May 9th, 2008 at 11:54 am
Why is he a jackass? Cuz he call it like it is and you felt that it went direct to you?If so the problem is not him is you
May 9th, 2008 at 8:53 am
I think Twitter does have a use somewhere. It’s just that I haven’t found out what that use is yet. As far as I have seen you get 2 types of tweets.
1. IM people keeping/getting their name out in the public eye by with what ever means they can, and Twitter is just the new way.
2. Friends chat a whole load of rubbish to each other.
Anyone used twhirl to filter the trash?
May 9th, 2008 at 11:43 am
You’re right. Instead of connecting with people through a group-based IM we should be watching more CSI! We should gather our families around the tube to watch 2 and a half men! I can’t believe I’ve wasted all this time connecting with interesting human beings when I could go back to the good old days of watching TV under the guise of ’spending time with the family’.
It would be one thing if people would actually put Twitter down and go outside - unfortunately the reality is most of the public is watching Hell’s Kitchen season 4. The 200 billion hours of television consumed in the US each year are a testament to that.
At least people are connecting with one another - it’s a lot more than many of our old ‘communication’ forms can claim.
May 9th, 2008 at 1:22 pm
I’m one the A-list groupies you refer to. I like Twitter alot, but i also agree it is turning into a BIG TIME WASTER for me. I have over 100 followers, but they all must be mute, because no one seems to be speaking out.
I like how it is speed centric, and i’m able to have twit sessions with the likes of Maki of Dosh Dosh or Jim Kukral, and Shawn Collins, etc. There is some usefulness to Twitter, i wouldn’t totally discount it away just yet.
I will have to look into getting better ROI out of Twitter. (for me not the a-listers)
A-Lister Groupie, Missy.
May 9th, 2008 at 2:15 pm
Five on Friday, Issue #7: The Twitter Edition…
After a six-week hiatus, Five on Friday is back.
I took a break for two primary reasons: I’ve been slammed with work and I wanted to bring you five posts from five sources I have not linked to before.
As I began to collect blog posts, I began to …
May 9th, 2008 at 2:37 pm
Very interesting post! And very interesting comments too!
Twitter really isn’t for everyone, in fact just a micro percentage. It was introduced as a “social media” thing but is mainly used in marketing for good effect.
Lets say if you found a “GURU” … ahem! =0> But people DO!
They follow them like a HAWK on Twitter! Remember, there are BAZILLIONS of people out there, most are followers… and they want… nay NEED to follow someone! Even if it’s an urgent notice to say their constipation is “sorted”! =0D
It’s the way of the world, but not everyones… definitely not mine, but ya got to make allowances!
Cool subject anyways!
Best wishes
Lewis C
May 9th, 2008 at 2:40 pm
I tried to find some use in Twitter but it’s just not designed well. I thought it would be great for my site but it’s really only good if you want your buddies to know what you’re up to all the time. Definitely doesn’t do well as an opt in tool.
May 9th, 2008 at 5:57 pm
I have been saying, since the inception to Twitter, that it is stupid. But now, not only is it stupid, but it can’t figure out how to make any money. So let’s give it a year or so and then we will find it in a heap with the rest of the internets, “looks good on paper” inventions.
By the way…like the new look of the website
Live From Las Vegas
The Masked Millionaire
May 9th, 2008 at 8:59 pm
This made me chuckle. No, laugh.
If you’re trying to milk twitter for something, and you’re all taketaketake about it, then yeah, you’re going to find it pointless.
I resisted it myself for a long time … until a friend used it and I saw how it allowed you to join conversations with people you might not otherwise have access to. I’ve made solid connections with people and greatly improved my network in a tangible wa-
Ah, why bother. Spend half the time you use complaining and reroute it to contributing and you’ll get results you’re happier with.
No offense, but if you’re following people whose main contribution is “Overslept”, you’re using Twitter in a meaningless way.
Back to work,
Dave
May 9th, 2008 at 11:33 pm
[…] Mark at Courtney Tuttle’s site made a nice post about Twitter. He concludes it is a useless tool for the most part. And know what, I agree mostly. Its a huge […]
May 10th, 2008 at 7:26 am
I was wondering what all the fuss was about and I too found it to be a waste of time. I thought it was something I wasn’t “getting” but I see I am not alone. Now I feel better.
May 10th, 2008 at 8:53 am
Twitter SAVES lives.
Remember that story that was featured on CNN’s homepage? It was a young journalist that was doing a story in Egypt or some place in the Middle East. There was a protest/riot and he ended up one of the people going to jail. He “tweeted” the word “arrested” or something of that sort on his cell phone and within seconds his followers were able to get updated.
In short, he was the only one that got bailed out while his Egyptian colleagues stayed in jail.
May 10th, 2008 at 8:58 am
Oh forgot…I’m trying hard to like Twitter but I think this service is overkill. I haven’t found a good use for it. Don’t we have twitter-like phrases on myspace and facebook anyway?
May 10th, 2008 at 9:05 am
Don’t think of Twitter as simply a “tool.” It’s really just a great way to meet people who are interested in the same things as you. Also, I use it as a filter, so I don’t have to check my RSS feeds as much–if it’s important, it will be talked about on Twitter.
May 10th, 2008 at 10:48 am
I will be honest - I joined Twitter mainly because of the hype and mainly because every other blog had a post about it if you visited them.
Since joining, I’ve found it well… less personal than MSN, and less useful than Facebook (which is shi……). However, it does help if you want instant visitors - say to a blog post you’ve just written. I presume you’d need to have a couple thousand followers for it to be effective, but I’m too lazy to do that
May 10th, 2008 at 11:44 am
till now, i still don’t understand why there are many popular blogger such as darren rowse seem to adore twitter so much. Even they endorse people to use it.
many say that twitter make you connect better with your close friend..how come? it just a one way communication. Isn’t that better to use any chat or shoutbox ware ? for example, you can do anything the same with what you can do in twitter using YM…with additional two way communication ability.
May 10th, 2008 at 3:42 pm
I pretty much use twitter/twhirl as my RSS notifier. I have a few feeds set up using Twitterfeed to give me the latest from my favorite sites. I’ve also followed some of the A-list bloggers and others to find out when they come out with new posts, but I’ve only replied to a few tweets.
Overall, its an interesting idea, but it has no real value in making money and even less in building true online “friendships”.
May 11th, 2008 at 6:40 am
@Mark Frost - There is plenty of value in Twitter for building true online friendships. Follow these four folks for a day, and tell me there’s not true online friendship:
@bretlegree
@MenWithPens
@DaveNavarro
@WritingJourney (that’s me)
I get it, folks. You don’t like Twitter, you’re skeptical, you haven’t used it much and have no desire to. That’s fine. But don’t run it down until you’ve given it an honest whirl. That’s simply irresponsible.
May 11th, 2008 at 10:26 am
I think it’s irresponsible for a site that’s purportedly about how to make money online to tell people to use it when it will only wind up being a big, pointless time suck, and will never result in earning anything.
Which of these recent activities would be a better investment of my time by tweeting with the twits?
*The time I spent with my wife helping her plant flowers.
*The time I spent creating a new site.
*The time I spent doing directory submissions.
*The time I spent with my wife and stepdaughter at the school for bingo night.
* The time I spent mowing the lawn.
* Virtually anything and everything else I did in the last 72 hours.
Time is valuable, and twitter is a pure waste of it.
On the other hand, go ahead and twit away. It will be less competition for me.
May 11th, 2008 at 2:59 pm
Yes, I tried using Twitter again recently, only to discover that I didn’t have that much to say of interest on a minute-by-minute basis, and also that I could find better ways to spend my time.
Of course, everyone is different. Some may find it an invaluable tool. And I’m sure many have made friendships using Twitter. But to each his own.
May 13th, 2008 at 9:09 am
A lot of my blog contacts are using Twitter and that’s enough for me to continue using it. At first, I thought it was a waste of time like a lot of people. The amazing part is that I don’t tweet very much. Only 2 or 3 times per day normally, sometimes less. I like it when people point out an article they’ve read and enjoyed. I ignore the normal chatter. In fact, I don’t allow the popups anymore because of the disruption.
I think it’s a great marketing tool if used properly. Hopefully, features will be added to it (even with a 3rd party app like Twhirl or something) to make it easier to filter the noise.
May 14th, 2008 at 4:38 am
[…] 5. Twitter Is Stupid. […]
May 14th, 2008 at 1:42 pm
I can’t think of a tool that gives you a lower roi on your time when it comes to networking.
Really? You’ve never tried Ecademy.com, then!
May 14th, 2008 at 4:42 pm
I 100% agree with you Court.
For 99% of people one hour on LinkedIn will give a better ROI than one hundred hours twitting.
May 14th, 2008 at 4:43 pm
Sorry, Mark, I 100% agree with you and I assume Court does as well!
May 15th, 2008 at 6:03 am
I have just started to use it. I have a few fellowers and I don’t think Tweeting is fun
I feel like I am talking to myself lol
May 17th, 2008 at 10:48 pm
THANK YOU! I thought I was the only one who thought it was idiotic. Too many people wasting time between blogs, 140 twits at a time. Geesh. If this is the road to social networking, I’m taking a detour.
May 26th, 2008 at 8:22 am
[…] Mark Butler posted earlier this month about how “Twitter is Stupid. […]
May 26th, 2008 at 12:26 pm
I pretty much agree with you. I have friends who think it’s great, so I am giving it a try, but it sure seems like it’s just another great “web 2.0″ method of wasting time…
May 26th, 2008 at 5:53 pm
I use Twitter more regularly now because it breaks the barriers between personal brands online. A blog gets you close to others, but Twitter inches you even closer.
May 27th, 2008 at 1:31 am
First I’d like to correct the assumption that Twitter is “just a one way communication”.
Not only can you post an immediate reply to someone’s “Tweet”, as Twitter messages are called, you can also send messages directly to the email box of those that are on your Follow (friends) list.
If you don’t want to receive “Tweets” from someone who only talks about what they had for dinner or what cute antics their cat is up to, Twitter enables you to block those people.
And for those that think Twitter can’t possibly be used as marketing tool, I suggest you go to http://www.tweetvolume.com/ and enter your keywords or phrases, it will then tell you how many times that keyword or keyword phrase has been used on Twitter. Not only can this be helpful in connecting with others in your niche market, it can also connect you with potential customers.
Example: I just typed the word “diet” into the TweetVolume keyword search box. The results showed that word as being used on Twitter 6860 times.
I then went to Google’s Twitter Search, entered the keyword diet, and recieved 10 pages of results that contain the Twitter usernames of those interested in diets. Now are you “getting it”?
Yes, Google has a search engine especially for Twitter. I guess they don’t think it’s as stupid as the majority of people who have posted comments here seem to think it is.
http://tinyurl.com/2eqxad
I must admit that when I first took a look at Twitter, I couldn’t see how it could possibly help me build my business, but I decided to give it a shot anyway. Within a few hours after opening my Twitter account, I had figured out how it works plus added 26 subscribers to my newsletter’s mailing list, strictly from Twitter.
As with any marketing tool you use to communicate, providing relevant participation is the key to making the best use of Twitter.
Sharon Bray-McPherson
@sbraymcpherson
May 31st, 2008 at 5:10 am
I totally agree. Twitter seems to be not for keeping up with friends, but for keeping up with aquantences and cyber pals, or perhaps the self-absorbed who feel that telling the world about Starbucks screwing up their morning coffee order or that traffic was a “total disaster” while getting to work is really important.
If we were that close with the person, I assume they would just call me to tell me.
June 2nd, 2008 at 2:59 pm
I have to agree with you about twitter. . . actually I don’t get most of the social networking sites.
First, they don’t bring you closer to anyone. They make you further apart because now instead of talking with that person you look at your computer to find out about them. Sorry, that’s not connecting with anyone other than your computer.
Secondly, how many of us really want to know all the little stupid $#@# our friends and family do throughout the day?
I don’t know about most people but for me, when people ask what’s new, how are you, etc. . . I don’t go into a hour long rant about every little thing I’ve done and I can usually summarize in a minute or two, and if I can’t then it’s probably something important that I really want to talk about and not post a short blurb about.
I just don’t get it. . . not at all!
June 4th, 2008 at 6:24 am
I agree with you about this. I have joined it as well but I don’t get it. I mean I already visit the blogs that I “follow”….and I know that they have updated their blogs through blog catalog.
June 19th, 2008 at 12:31 am
[…] will have any value versus social bookmarking and which will earn better rankings on Google. 5. Twitter Is Stupid. Quick Summary: Another opinion about Twitter that puts the focus on Google rankings rather than […]
June 19th, 2008 at 11:03 am
[…] Mark Condividi : Queste icone linkano i siti di social bookmarking sui quali i lettori possono […]
June 20th, 2008 at 3:09 pm
[…] In May Mark Butler had this to say about Twitter and I must say I agree with him. Folks, twitter is stupid. I’ve spent the last two hours trying to find a single redeeming quality to the service, and I have nothing to report. The rest of the story… http://courtneytuttle.com/2008/05/08/twitter-is-stupid/ […]
July 5th, 2008 at 9:14 am
“Twitter takes your UNREAL digital life and makes it easy to connect to other people living UNREAL lives on the internet. By sharing meaningless trivialities in your lives _together_ Twitter makes your life seem almost REAL… In REAL-TIME!’ Twitter let’s you turn Total Strangers into PTC’s (People That Care) with just a few clicks of your mouse!
Vapid indeed. What’s scariest isn’t that Twitter even exists, it’s that their business model is built around some unmet human need that somehow can be filled in 140 ASCII characters or less? Gawd help us all!
July 23rd, 2008 at 12:44 am
[…] by Darren Rowse at ProBlogger. Why Twitter Isn’t a Waste of Time by Sheila Scarborough Twitter is Stupid but Courtney Tuttle 13 Odd Ways to Use Twitter at Social Media Trader 5 Twitter Tactics to Building […]
August 14th, 2008 at 4:05 am
[…] Presence by Darren Rowse at ProBlogger. Why Twitter Isn’t a Waste of Time by Sheila Scarborough Twitter is Stupid but Courtney Tuttle 13 Odd Ways to Use Twitter at Social Media Trader 5 Twitter Tactics to Building […]
September 3rd, 2008 at 1:37 pm
[…] Court’s Internet Marketing School explains why Twitter is Stupid. If you want to read just one post to dissuade you from using Twitter for marketing, this is the […]
October 24th, 2008 at 1:48 am
[…] by Darren Rowse at ProBlogger. Why Twitter Isn’t a Waste of Time by Sheila Scarborough Twitter is Stupid but Courtney Tuttle 13 Odd Ways to Use Twitter at Social Media Trader 5 Twitter Tactics to Building […]
December 8th, 2008 at 10:33 pm
[…] that isn’t a time sucking money pit.” ( I have to confess, I haven’t read that). Here’s the post on Twitter, simply called, “Twitter is Stupid”. (I have read that.) Tags: […]
January 29th, 2009 at 12:22 pm
Came by here to find out if you’re on Twitter…. guess not, eh? Shame.
February 15th, 2009 at 7:02 pm
I agree I’m in my early twenties and usually crap like this is suppose to be the popular thing to do, but tweeter in my opinion is more of a stalker tool or someone that thinks I care they are “going to party tonight!”. If your really friends with someone you text them or call them, but I would find it kind of weird if my friends contacted me through tweeter.
Business use might be actually useful for service providers such as “webhosts”. Other than that I don’t get people who use it to tell the world they are talking on their phone or whatever.
February 24th, 2009 at 7:48 pm
I think twitter is totally stupid, the biggest waste of time. It’s just like that game…Rockband and Guitar Hero….where adult people play those stupid games, look like final retards……..and they enjoy it! oh crap, I can’t believe that. Monkeys will become much smarter than people very soon…..
February 25th, 2009 at 4:23 pm
[…] Mark Butler posted earlier this month about how “Twitter is Stupid. […]
February 26th, 2009 at 1:22 am
If I hear another CNN showhost/newsanchor become giddy over checking out the new tweets they are receiving I might just vomit/have a rage blackout.
I agree 100%. Twitter is useless. It is also all the rage with middle-aged Americans who think they are tech-savvy and are using a social-networking site of the future… but really they just look overly-eager and exuberant about something that has, as far as I can tell, no redeeming qualities. Not trying to be ageist, but if it’s not a social networking site that FIRST catches on with the younger generation (ie: my generation) then it is something that is not going to last. Twitter is not revolutionary. It’s mostly a marketing technique employed by news networks like CNN so that they appear to have more user-friendly and interactive features, primarily designed to keep you watching their news. As a young adult who happens to stay on top of the news, I have discovered that Twitter is now so annoyingly pervasive in the adult world that I was forced to Google “Twitter is stupid” so that I could find somewhere like this blog to talk about its deficiency of any redemptive qualities. Maybe we could stop talking about Twitter on the news, and maybe just stick to news? I don’t tune in to watch regular Joes, with their expert opinions of course, respond (tweet… twitter?) to economic news. Lastly, Twitter can’t do anything that other, long-existing sites have already been able to do.
February 26th, 2009 at 5:06 am
Oh, now THAT is hilarious, Rob! I love this line:
“if it’s not a social networking site that FIRST catches on with the younger generation (ie: my generation) then it is something that is not going to last.”
Because, you know… your generation are the only ones to be able to discover anything cool in the social networking world. Because you’re wiser and more hip than the rest of us.
Moron.
March 4th, 2009 at 8:42 am
Twitter(noun) - 1) Website where people with no life constantly update other people with no lives- called tweeters and followers respectively.
2) (verb) To waste enormous amounts of time with no tangible benefit.
3) (noun) Only known website where one can create an infinite loop (tweet- “I’m tweeting”)
4) (origin) A website created by facebookers that have ADHD.
Stupid, bollocks, dumb, asinine, useless, pointless- take your pick.
March 9th, 2009 at 8:46 pm
haha, just today I said the sentence “anybody on twitter is hilarious and boring”
twitter is a big waste of time and retarded. anybody who uses twitter and tries to justify it is an ass.
March 17th, 2009 at 2:11 am
I think twitter is really useful.. here are 5 reasons why http://tinyurl.com/c3ahjd
March 19th, 2009 at 9:32 am
I agree, twitter is about the stupidist thing I have ever seen. As if I already don’t spend enoungh time at the computer.
I asked my teenage to daughter to check out twitter and tell me what she thought. She loves youtube and myspace, can pimp a myspace page in a few minutes and has a following for her video post on Youtube. She is only 13 so I think she represents the up and coming tech and consumer crowd.
She logged on. Tweeted, followed me, then logged off and said, “Dad, that’s pretty stupid, what is the point?” I didn’t have an answer for her. Neither of us have logged on since.
This article is on the money, the only people who are hyped about twitter are bloggers and marketers. The average person could care less about Twitter.
It’s a passing fad that will fade when people realize there are better things to do than tweet about going to Starbucks and in a 140 characters or less.
April 3rd, 2009 at 7:07 am
But I think twitter can help you to promote your website, for example you can add friends to your twitter to promote your products which will increase your traffic & sales
April 5th, 2009 at 11:17 pm
I really don’t understand. All it is is a blog, neutered so you can write only 140 characters, right? It sounds like a step backward more than anything in a time when more and more people can type and read faster on their mobile devices. I can do the same thing with my blog now if I choose and my friends can read it and know what I’m doing with their RSS feeds.
http://tinyurl.com/c3ahjd
From the post above, here are the 5 things about twitter (read below). For 4 out of 5 of these, why not use a blog? For automatically updating facebook, why does it matter? Most of my friends never update their status and those that do update it seldomly. Since I dont use the status updates or twitter, I guess this is the only opportunity I have to tell you Im about to take a dump. You didnt really need to know that did you???
1. Twitter allowed me to broadcast out all of the interesting videos, events, and blog posts I come across to all my friends all at once without feeling like an email spammer.
2. I linked my Twitter with my Facebook account so now when I write a status update on twitter it automatically broadcasts to my Facebook status.
3. Twitter allows me to instantly stay up to date with all of my friends and see what interesting things they are reading and watching
4. I can see what’s going on in San Luis Obispo very easily
5. I can see what other people think about the issues I am concerned with. For example I just wrote a blog post about the AIG bonus scandal and to see other peoples reaction to this news all I to do was search AIG bonus in Twitter
April 9th, 2009 at 1:39 am
TWITTER IS FOR TWITS
I CANNOT BELIEVE THIS IS SO BIG AND PEOPLE ARE TRULY WRITING STORYBOOKS ON WHY IT IS SO GREAT!! WOW
April 10th, 2009 at 3:23 am
Twitter is a great tool to promote products, I think the main disadvantage of it is the 140 character limit, so people can not write a good text because this character limit
April 13th, 2009 at 8:15 am
[…] you’re going to read opinions and comments that Twitter is Stupid like those found at Court’s Internet Marketing School, but that’s because they either […]
April 13th, 2009 at 8:36 pm
“You wouldn’t send an email to a friend to tell him you’re having a cup of coffee. Your friend doesn’t need to know that.”
Neither does anyone else. I vote for this video for the category of best unintentional humor ever.
April 25th, 2009 at 9:08 am
How come anyone hasn’t complained on here, of all the replys on Twitter . . . I signed up, followed 4 people, and everytime I sign in, I see all these replies to people I don’t know, and replies to comments you don’t know….Why would anyone want to see replies to strangers, when they don’t know them, and don’t have any idea of what they’re talking about. It’s the most useless information anyone could ever get. Even the people you DO know on Twitter, who cares what they’re doing? “Susan is going to the library…” WHOOP DEE FRIKKIN’ DO! . . .(I feel the same about FaceBook, the “What are you thinking?” question . . .How about this! ” NONE of your god damn business! If I wanted YOU to know, I’d phone you!”.) Why do people think other people care what they do . . . .That’s it, gotta get rid of my Twitter account. Completely stupid.
April 29th, 2009 at 5:51 am
everytime i hear about facebook,txting,twittering, anyone of these stupid new inventions,it makes me sick.
This world is turning into a big self absorbed piece of sh*t.
It makes me laugh, that there are people out there, that think they need to post
every little thing that goes on in their day.
Txting,twittering and facebook are the downfall of true communication.
Why,i got lot’s of friends on facebook……..but how many do i talk to over the phone..hmmmmmm and how many are really my friends??hmmm
Do you facebook users ever ask yourself that?.
Do you ever ask yourself why you are typing a msg on a phone
when u can raise that phone to your ear and talk to that person in real life
Is it really that hard??….are u really that busy???…..have we forgotten about the talking???? you know real communication.
Can we not speak to each other…do we have to txt each other when u r just across the room??
I can guarantee that all you facebook/twitter/txt’ers will look back in a couple
and think………………man,was i stupid. why was i on facebook?
why didn’t i call up jen and actually talk to her that night,why did i just keep typing little txts???.
Why was i so interested in a one liner someone twittered about something that i don’t really know about,so i looked it up on the internet and then kinda felt like i understood that person so like i thoght i was like kind of like that persons like friend in real life like cool like?.
I have to go now and update my status on facebook.
I am so bloated with my own ego,that i feel that the people need to know what i am doing at this moment…i can’t keep them waiting!!!
May 7th, 2009 at 6:01 pm
Thank you! I googled Twitter is stupid and up comes your post. Why I feel the need to comment I dont’ know. Its just that all I hear on the media is twitter twitter twitter … no thank you. I don’t need to know youre eating soup or just went to the bathroom or that your computer crashed or any of that. Is this our way of involving our selfs in the lifes of the people we know or want to know. Sad and very very stupid.
May 7th, 2009 at 6:02 pm
oh and by the way I can say the same thing about Facebook, Myspace and the rest of the over exposed, self important, self indulgent crap.
May 7th, 2009 at 9:37 pm
Twitter exposes us as we truly are. Empty shells with no minds of our own. Somebody “says” go sit down at the keyboard and tell everyone how you clipped the dog’s nails last night and a bunch of idjits think they will be out ahead of the curve ………..well, to all the twits who are twittering. Go spend some time with your kids. Or go cure cancer!
May 9th, 2009 at 5:15 am
Now many seo coders use web 2.0 tools to promote their website, one of these tools is twitter, the secret is try to get friends as much as possible
May 12th, 2009 at 9:48 pm
Twitter is the biggest waste of time I’ve EVER seen. Get a life people. Who gives a damn what Joe Blow is doing in between sending e-mails. We all know he’s sitting there becoming obese, but really people, who cares? Call him if you’re so freakin concerned. All twitter is is a way for Ellen Degenerate to stalk her lesbian friends.
May 26th, 2009 at 9:52 pm
A-listers is right. Celebs, primarily. Being used for terrific R&D teams? Ideally, but not in the main. Instead, you’ve got celeb fans trying to push their fave celeb up higher than some rockband ( e.g. Stephen Fry over Coldplay ).
Really?
I mean, seriously? While Stephen Fry might write his own tweets, many celebs do not. And even if he does write his own tweets, what is he really saying in most of them besides doing what one you said which is the “#@groupiefivethousand Hello!”? or mentioning a visit to some posh party? I don’t G.A.F if Coldplay is listed higher than a British celeb.
Somehow, all those old folks who said peoples minds were decaying because they stopped reading books and started watching TV is starting to make sense. And that’s scary too.
June 3rd, 2009 at 7:45 pm
Twitter is a great tool for business and socially. It supplies instant access to information.
June 4th, 2009 at 11:09 am
I think Twitter is absolutely worthless and stupid. It’s going to be one of those one-hit wonders. It’s not functional. Limiting input to 140 characters doesn’t leave much for a person to get their point across. And, if you need people to know what you’re doing every minute of every day then you must be absolutely bored.
I’m looking forward to the day I can turn on the tv and the words Twitter and Tweet are not in every single sentence.
June 5th, 2009 at 1:34 pm
Big brother is definitely watching now - not only is he watching, but I set up the camera for him???