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subject: The New Twitter May Be Different, But is it Better? [print this page]

So far the new Twitter looks to me like the result of the company "tidying up aroundits house." The interface is a bit neater and, perhaps, just a little more user-friendly. I like it. But, is it really that muchbetter or just somethingnewer and different?

The change that Twitter really needs to make at least for "business sake" is the ability to convince its users to think a little bit more aboutwhat thevalue of their tweets meanto others. In fact, it should be the responsibility of every Tweeter to work togetherto help create an environment of BOTH friendship and of knowledge exchange. Neitherneed be exclusive of the other.

There are some certainlynot everyone -who might do better by trying to come across as more altruistic and more audience-centric within the context of their tweets. There are a great deal of narcisists that tweet solely to prmote themselves and their wares.These individuals onlyneed realize that if they wouldoffertheir followersa few worthwhile subject matter related tips, those people may be slightly more inclined to click on their otherwise annoying tweet-links, whichannoyingly remind them to "BUY MY BOOK AND GET RICH IN JUST 90 DAYS."

I make thissuggestion fully understanding and embracing the reality that Twitter was originally designed as a "social" network. I also know that business peoplehave always beenencouraged to participate and are expected to chat with othersand not pitch at them. This is as it should be. But, in everyday life we also realize that time has meaning and meaning has value. Twitter can increase its own value by finding more and better ways to inspire those, who are followed by others to offer more meaning through theTwitter live stream. After all, people can only kibitz online for so long before becoming victimized by extreme small talk. A good steak hasjust the right amount of marbleized meat and fat. In a similar way, quality engagement is a tasty mixture of useful information and good spirited fluff.

The reality, though, is that if the average person in business is to budget quality time out of their hectic workday to participate on Twitter, they need to berewardedwith"working hours value"intrinsic tothe tweets they read and respond to. That value does not necessarily have to come to them in the form of increased sales, but it should be reflected within the quality of their online interactions with others. There is a choice to be made by most time spent must be justifiable or Social Media interactions, most likely, will need to be limited to only non working hours.

Frankly, there needs to be more and better takeaway from Twitter and fromall forms of Social Media, especially if Social Media can ever expect to become a viable activity for those with precious littletime to spend duringhectic business hours. There is always accountability to the boss and to the always critical company "bottom line."

Personally, I find it very difficult to find a solid stream of knowledge exchange on a great many profile pages of Tweeters even on the pages of the so-called Social Media Gurus. Most will tell you where they are going and where they have been, with nary a word about what they have learned within their area of expertise. This leaves us wonderingwhatthey might haveshared tohelptheir interested followersbecome as well informed on a topic as they may be. Let usnot mistake substance-seeking with anti-social, offensive or intrusive behavior. No apologies are necessary for wanting to take part in helpingelevate the quality of online discussions in any forum. It is a great benefit to all of us. This is not a "hang-up" anyone can afford to have. If business people can'tallocatesufficient time to engage in social media during the course of their business day, Social Media may eventuallybecome a shadow of itselfjust like the once very populartelevision soap operas, which have been suffering an ever diminishing audience. Businesses provide strong numbers for Social Media and that number is expected to grow as more value is proven.

I enjoy sharing what I've learned with others in Social Media. In fact, I enjoy reading about what is going on in the new and within the blogs and then digesting what I have learned to help others get the gist of the main points. I'd like to think that some of the things I find in my Web travels contain facts, figures and advice they may wish to know more about. They just might not have the time to search for and read the full articles themselves. For me this is the best contribution I can offer to others through such powerful communication platforms as Twitter LinkedIn and Facebook.

The new Twitter promises to be a little different. I just hope we all learn to participate in it a little better.

The New Twitter May Be Different, But is it Better?

By: Marc LeVine

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