Dear CMO:
CK told me I had to do it. That Twitter was the reason that so many blogs had so fewer posts and even fewer comments, that microblogging (which my spell checker refuses to believe is a word) is the new blogging, and that Note to CMO needed a smaller 140 character voice. Never one to shy away from the social media thing (I did draw the line at Second Life), I’ve been up for a week or so. This is what I’ve found.
One: people I don’t know are following me. This web thing sure is amazing.
Two: 95% of the Twitter traffic is utterly useless.
Three: 5% of the Twitter traffic is actually pretty useful.
Four: 50% of the 95% is political – which is odd, given the fact that I’m really only following marketing people. Another 40% keeps me updated on people’s gate change announcements, plus various other forms of slightly veiled self-aggrandizement.
Five: Tim Siedell is the funniest voice on Twitter. One hundred and forty characters of media-savvy Twitter haiku.
Six: people who send links to studies, articles, insights, or other people’s posts that matter are the 5% I mentioned above.
Seven: I’m part of the 95% at the moment, but I aspire to be part of the 5%.
Note to CMO is a long-form blog – I just think in blocks of 400 words – so having the ability to be an aggregator is interesting to me. I think Twitter can be pretty useful to me once I find my voice. Note to CMO is written as an open letter to the Chief Marketing Officer, much as CS Lewis wrote “The Screwtape Letters” to his mythical demonic understudy, Wormwood, and as Seneca’s missives on Stoic philosophy were often addressed to his correspondent, Lucillius. I don’t think that 140 characters helps me keep to my form – unless I really want to write all insights and links in a zen-like 5-7-5 haiku style. I’ll think about it. Don’t hold me to it.
Feel free to follow me at http://twitter.com/Note_to_CMO if Twitter works for you. And who knows, maybe I’ll figure out how to get to the aspirational 5%.
Regards.
Regards.
3 comments:
Glad to see you on Twitter. At first I thought it was someone who had taken your Note to CMO name, it did not sound like you do here. I've been on it for one year and I am still working on getting more towards that 5% ;-) I tend to want to have conversations with people even in 140 characters.
Valeria: yes, I sound different when I have to speak in blurbs. There's the pull to blurt out what's on your mind here -- probably the whole point of microblogging in general -- but given the nature of what I've written so far on Note to CMO, I'm really trying to stay away from the "my gate just changed" level commentary.
And yet. Many others have shown us an inside look at their lives and personalities that makes them more human and in touch, which isn't necessarily a bad thing. I don't have this figure out yet! We'll see how this changes over time.
Will be interested in your observations, Stephen! And will "follow" you with interest ;)
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