Who can measure Twitter?
April 22nd, 2009
It’s fascinating to watch the business press struggle to understand Twitter. A host of articles this week have exploded the online dialogue.
Some are still contemptuous – that is has no value. A remarakble assessment and a dangerous lack of curiosity: millions of people are exchanging, growing by hundreds of thousands daily, and no value is being exchanged? Maybe the Emperor does have clothes and some cannot see them?
As a Business Anthropologist, I will be fascinated to watch what new metrics will be invented to track Twitter’s penetration, to say nothing of how to measure its value. An who will invent metrics? I’ll follow the conversation on Twitter and soon find out.
Filed under Business Anthropologist, Changing Economic patterns, Navigating the downturn, Social media | Comments (6)6 Responses to “Who can measure Twitter?”
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Twitter seems to be one more way of creating false intimacy in an alienated society. Just as having “friends” on Facebook makes friendship a number, not a commitment.
Well, the first metric is number of users and, I think, twitter now has 4 million users.
Facebook has 30 million and counting!
Stan Stalnaker of Hub Culture gave a fascinating talk at Wells Fargo today and mentioned that digital currency that is traded among social networking members is the next big thing. Financial services disintermediation (sp?) anyone?
Recently, I followed Lance Armstrong as he used Twitter to engage thousands? millions? of fans during February’s “Tour of California” stage race. Those who tweeted or twitted along were virtual instantanious co-riders suffering every climb, relishing each finish. To what end? As a tool, the twitter platform provided market intamacy with “Brand Lance”. In a society seeing connection, will marketers employ twitter to enhance out joy of Snickers or Citi?
From Brandweek: “…the number of Twitter users is considerably greater than the number of visitors to Twitter.com as a result of the multiple access points for the service such as mobile units and desktop apps.”
Visitors to the site now top 9.5 million, doubling monthly.
In the last 3 weeks, a new currency was invented: Twollars http:/blog.twollars.com.
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