Like many shiny new technologies, Twitter hit the radar screen of small businesses in the past year with hyped-up expectations, much experimentation, some wins and some disappointments. Marketers looking for innovative ways to reach out to customers, prospects and the public started singing Twitter’s praises. Others expressed a high degree of curiosity toward Twitter.
But like any new tool, there’s good and there’s bad. Let’s assess the current state of Twitter.com by examining 3 things that are “Not So Hot” about it – and whether those should dissuade you from using Twitter:
Not so Hot #1: Twitter lists designed to sabotage people’s reputations.
Many people were thrilled with the new Twitter lists feature, whereby any user can make a list right on Twitter and add other Twitter users to it. Some people even go so far as to claim that Twitter lists are the new way to judge influence.
But here’s the dirty underside of Twitter lists: they can be used to sabotage online reputations. For instance, what if some anonymous Twitter user decides to set up a list called “pedophiles” or “embezzlers” – and adds your Twitter name to it? All it takes is a few minutes. And there’s virtually no accountability, because Twitter accounts can be anonymous.
What to do about it: Luckily there’s a solution. If you block the person who created the list, your Twitter name will not show up in their list. Still, it means you must monitor the lists you appear on. That may not seem like a big deal if you’re on 5 or 10 lists. But as the list feature becomes more popular, and you get listed on potentially dozens or hundreds of lists, it could be a burden to keep monitoring all the time. Imagine if you are someone like Guy Kawasaki on nearly 8,000 lists. It complicates the job we must do to protect our professional reputations and our company reputations online today.
Not So Hot #2: Twitter DM spam rampant.
Twitter has been plagued with malware and spam attacks of various kinds. A year ago there was the Twitter Mikey worm. I got hit with that one -- for one brutal hour. Twitter eventually closed the hole that was being exploited for the Mikey attacks.
But the bad guys keep thinking up new mischief. The latest round of Twitter malware in November 2009 is DM (Direct Message) spam. Accounts spew out Direct Messages with links to malware sites they hope to get recipients to click on. Example:
“hi, i want to see if you will score higher on this iq test. take it here: [bad link removed]”
Most of the time the person whose account is sending out the Direct Messages is not even aware – that is, until followers start hollering “you’re spamming me!” Many have asked why Twitter can’t seem to put a stop to it.
What to do about it: The prevailing belief is that DM spam comes from your Twitter account being compromised, usually because you gave your Twitter login credentials to a third-party app. So, change your current Twitter password. And revoke any permissions to third party applications you may have tried but do not trust. (Go into your Twitter account under “Connections” to revoke permissions.) ChelPixie has more advice.
Not so Hot #3: Twitter about to enter the trough of disillusionment
A few months ago Gartner updated its famous Hype Cycle chart of 2009. Twitter, it found, has peaked and is about to enter the “trough of disillusionment”. That means that in Gartner’s estimation, Twitter and other microblogging sites have been so over-hyped, so early, that corporate users will soon experience disillusionment for a while. This cycle follows a typical path with many new technologies.
What to do about it: Accept that a little less hype is a good thing (unless you swing completely in the opposite direction and throw the baby out with the bath water). Twitter is a tool – and a very valuable one for small businesses. But it’s not your entire marketing strategy. As the hype settles down, we will all benefit from approaching Twitter in a more focused way. As Dave Fleet notes on his blog, there are potential good side effects from less hype. Among them: a maturing of company and user expectations, and better measurement of results.
And remember, chances are disillusionment is just a temporary condition. The hype cycle really is a cycle. Eventually after the hype dies down, business people figure out how to capitalize on the tool with more realistic expectations.
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So, are any of the above 3 issues reasons to stop using Twitter, or not start? I think not. You see, that’s where innovation comes in. To innovate, you have to be willing to experiment and take risks in business. Like any tool Twitter has its pros and cons. If you let yourself be afraid of uncertainties as you experiment with the positives Twitter offers -- you may fall too far behind the curve. Then you might miss out on opportunities that an exciting tool like Twitter can offer your business.
