This bird doesn't "tweet"

I’m not sold on the concept. I think it’s a fad that will fade as soon as the hype settles down – we’ll see.

I “get” Facebook, Linked In, etc. The concepts make sense to me. Aside from the social aspect of Facebook, they’re just huge “yellow pages” or business directories for people with the added benefit of references, i.e. friends of friends who can facilitate introductions.

I’m not a techy person so I’m always resistant to new technology – just one more necessary evil I have to master.

But Twitter seems simply like high-speed marketing or promo-hype. I can see how it benefits movie stars and public figures who constantly need to be in the limelight. And I understand it can be a method for spreading the word quickly about a new product or program or seminar, people for whom having the newest and trendiest is an important part of their profile.

But as a medium for spreading the word about “basic” or “thoughtful” products and services, I don’t really get it. Those just take time to build a following and there are better methods for doing that. I wouldn’t buy or do something just because someone hyped it on Twitter. I’d still need to investigate it before I put my money down. Perhaps I’m just old-fashioned!

It’s true that I may not have heard of the product if it hadn’t been pushed on Twitter, but this would suggest the danger of Twitter overload or Twitter spam where everyone is hyping everything and valuable messages get lost in the noise. It’s kind of like the specialty groups on Linked In. There’s good information there, but you also have to wade through a lot of junk.

I also don’t get the concept of “ghost” bloggers. I realize there have been ghost writers for people who want to get their message out but are not good writers. But a “ghost” blogger seems a contradiction in terms. As I understand it, blogs are the musings of their authors. But famous people or companies who hire ghost bloggers – that’s just another form of advertising. It’s no longer the voice of the author. It’s more a forum on a particular subject and not really a blog. To call it a blog is false advertising in my book.

What do you think?