11% of online American adults said they "tweet." Now what?
Micro blogging is a rage. Everyone and their brother want you to follow them. Not sure where people get the time to answer stupid questions like: "What are you doing?"
If I was doing something then would I have the time to tell you what it is? And if my vanity did lead me to find the time to tell you what it is that I am doing then that begs the question: don't you have something better to do than to know what I am doing? Get a life!
But millions, like the sheep we are, bounce around all day telling people what they are doing and worse yet, "follow" celebrities like Britney Spears trying to see what she is up to.
Well, kidding aside, micro blogging is here to stay. Can you use it to add value to your business model?
Pew Internet Research has done an excellent study to understand the world of tweeterdom and tweeterdee. Here are some highlights:
As of December 2008:
- 11% of online American adults said they "tweet" (i.e. use Twitter, Yammer or some other means to share updates about themselves or to see the updates of others.)
- 19% of online adults ages 18 and 24 have ever used "tweets"
- 20% of online adults 25 to 34 have done the same.
Use of these services drops off steadily after age 35
- 10% of 35 to 44 year olds "tweet"
- 5% of 45 to 54 year olds "tweet"
- 4% of 55-64 year olds "tweet"
- Micro blogging use is highly intertwined with the use of other social media (well, you have to smoke when you drink!)
- Micro bloggers are a mobile bunch - they use cell phones and other handhelds for internet access
- Micro bloggers engage with news and own technology at the same rates as other internet users
Bottomline?
Micro blogging, social networking and mobility are in a virtuous cycle - each helping the others grow. If you want to leverage micro blogging, then figure out a way to fit in this cycle.
People are going to tweet. The question is: can you make money from these tweets?
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