A few years ago I wrote a “tongue in cheek” article about Twitter, expounding on reasons not to use Twitter. Essentially I took all the reasons I love Twitter and twisted them into an admittedly flippant list of reasons you should stay away from Twitter. The article continues to get lots of traffic and comments years later, so I thought I’d republish an updated version. However, it is as applicable today as the day I wrote it, and quite frankly, I don’t feel much different about it either.
- You might get more than one opinion. If you love to live in a world that revolves around you, do more talking than listening, and shun open-mindedness, then Twitter is a bad idea for you.
- You’ll save money on advertising costs. If you pay to post your job openings in the newspaper like “you’ve always done it” and it makes you feel better, than don’t post them for free on Twitter. In the last few years, I’d have to say that LinkedIn and general networking has surpassed my use of Twitter in this area for our respective industry, but there are plenty for which Twitter works well.
- Your leisurely search in Google will be replaced with a knowledgeable human being. If you feel you’ve done your duty and finally learned to Google your questions, then stick with that. Spend your time sifting through results produced by a machine that has no clue how to LOL. This still remains one of my favorite uses of Twitter. I love the responses I get from real people.
- People will be overly friendly and helpful.Recluses who enjoy their polished anti-social behaviors should definitely avoid Twitter. They could become utterly overwhelmed by the everyday thoughtfulness of tweeps. I’d have to say that automation and poor use of Twitter has meant that some people/businesses haven’t experienced this as much as they could, but awesome people are on Twitter.
- You’ll hear what people are saying about your company or brand. If you’re a business owner afraid of what might be said about you or your company, products, industry, etc. Twitter can be a scary place. People frequently toss around thoughts and feedback about their favorite brands, giving ample opportunities for those who aren’t afraid of Twitter to win their loyalty.
- You’ll feel obliged to help people. Darn it! Twitter starts to rub off on the seemingly innocent people going about their selfish lives. You might be inclined to help someone on Twitter. Again, this is when real people use Twitter in real time for conversations.
- You’re going to find out what you never knew you were missing. This is the main reason Twitter is bad. From breaking news to philanthropy efforts to make our world a better place, Twitter loyalists feel compelled to share news and human interest stories. #GTMD is a great examples of interacting with people near and far.
- You’ll be overwhelmed with how small of world we live in.Gain a few followers, start a few conversations, and you’ll be surprised that there are other people from all over the world with whom you have much in common. I love that I can stay in touch with places and people around the world that I’ve traveled, continue relationships, and be better educated on current events.
- You might partake in too much “Twittering”. Watch famous people try to assimilate and look intelligent, and you’ll hear them use ridiculous words like “Twittering”. Join Twitter and find out why that word is obnoxious. I’m glad to say that since this original article went live, most people and news correspondents have started using the correct terms…for the most part.
- You won’t get to wait until the 10pm news to find out what’s going on. If you look forward to learning about your local and world events on the nightly news; news stories that are selected and censored by the media, then by all means stay away from Twitter. It’s a cesspool of current events direct from the sources.
