Saw data from a June study, “Consumer Internet Barometer,” from TNS and The Conference Board, posted on eMarketer yesterday and thought it was worth sharing and discussing.
I think it’s interesting to note that companies and the media, the two entities who arguably have latched onto Twitter the hardest, are the least interacted with - although certainly the over 55 crowd seems to value interacting with the media more than the under 35 group, surely indicative of the change in the news landscape.
But what I find most interesting about this is that there is no category for “online acquaintances” - people whom you only have a cordial relationship with in the confines of the Twitterverse. Granted, many of my online friends have since become my friends in real life, but before that I think they belonged to another category altogether. And I think, if that category had been part of the polling, IT would have taken the first or second spot. Those whom I observe actively using Twitter (following more than just 15 people, posting multiple times daily, etc) are using the site for networking, professional or personal - finding and harvesting “online acquaintances.”
What do you think?
Richard Basile says:
I’m with you. Social media has facilitated growth in my personal and professional networks.
Jul 29, 2009, 1:16 pmgurukarm (@karma_musings) says:
Absolutely agree re online acquaintances. And, have to give a shout-out to my online acquaintance @chrisbrogan through whom I found this post!
Jul 29, 2009, 1:49 pmFaye Oney says:
Cheryl, I agree with you; I am surprised that a category for acquaintances, or “people I don’t know but want to learn more from” is not in this study. Most of the people I’m following and who are following me are total strangers.
Jul 29, 2009, 1:54 pmI would also be interested to find out WHY people are following!
Cheryl says:
Me too, Faye. And how. Where do people find my profile? What is it I said that made them interested in me? The ultimate Twitter question - to follow, or not to follow!
Jul 29, 2009, 1:56 pmKathy Riordan says:
Oddly enough, Cheryl, most of the people I interact with fall either into the last category (journalists of some stripe or in the media otherwise somehow), or “friends” who have become friends simply because I met them on Twitter. I don’t really tweet with anyone I knew before coming on Twitter in real life (unless you count a second cousin). I consider many people I’ve met on Twitter to now be friends, including you, even though we’ve never met. I wasn’t asked for this survey, but I’d have to say my interactions are roughly 35% journalists/media, 5% companies, 59% online acquaintances (people met on Twitter), and 1% celebrities (I guess it depends on who is considered a celebrity). In DM’s, that number probably goes 50% journalists/media.
Jul 29, 2009, 2:11 pmCheryl says:
Interesting, Kathy. For me, too, my ranking is completely different. Probably friends, online acquaintances, media, companies, bloggers, employers/co-workers, celebrities (sometime I have to tell tom felton he’s sexy), tv shows (i never got that whole “tweet with a character” thing)
I didn’t know ANYONE using Twitter when I signed up except my fiance and my ex. (Apparently I like nerdy early adopter boys) I just found some people and started Tweetin’
And I consider you and a handful of others whom I’ve never met friends as well, but the majority of people I tweet with don’t quite fit in that category yet!
Jul 29, 2009, 2:16 pmGreg Falken says:
When I started using Twitter, I didn’t know anyone on it personally and in fact I tried to recruit people I knew (mostly unsuccessfully) to join. I began following a handful of mostly political and technology figures, then branched out to try and find people in other areas who had interesting things to say. I’m in it for the conversations, I don’t follow any media celebrities (except @roland_hedley). There are still only a handful that I know in real life.
BTW Cheryl, beautiful site design.
Jul 29, 2009, 2:52 pmSocial Media Links O’ The Week: July 25-31 | Being Cheryl says:
[...] Who are Tweeple Tweeting to? Study reveals mostly friends, but is that an accurate category? [...]
Jul 29, 2009, 1:15 pm