Hard to ignore all of the news recently about Twitter.
http://news.idg.no/cw/art.cfm?id=F0A93DBF-1A64-6A71-CE4F34F30F65BE03
The WSJ reports that it's worth $1 billion
http://www.newsweek.com/id/215542
Newsweek report. Check out the comments :)
http://spreadsheets.google.com/pub?key=phtgMLGe8aahYaH0pRs7VHg&gid=0
Google spreadsheet of musicians using Twitter, from Feb.
http://mashable.com/2009/07/08/twitter-musicians/
And more, also from Feb.
http://www.kathode.com/twitter/
And a primer for musicians on how to use Twitter, headed by "MySpace is dead" :)
I'll be honest. I don't see it being a a big tool in my life at this point. But I can see it as a monster tool for people with a need to get news out quickly to the people who either follow, care, or are interested in what they have to say. I can see it being used to point to other sites, to YouTube, to concert date changes. The thing is, though, is that it requires a level of commitment to keep it all honest, to keep the trust with your followers. I don't think it's a job an artist would want to hand off, because then you'd be missing the main point of what makes it worthwhile. As I see it, of course.
That's all for now. More when there is some :).
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A lot about Twitter does have to do with marketing and publicity, but there's another aspect as well. Twitter tends to create "circles," and often overlapping circles, of relationships, building up communities of people who routinely communicate, talk, laugh, direct, point to and publicize each other.
ReplyDeleteI've been on Twitter since March, and I've learned that the community extends far beyond "tweets," to include blogs, email, web sites, Facebook, Flickr and YouTube, to mention only a few. It's less a social medium and more part of a social network. One tweet can be amplified far beyond Twitter, but the important things are the community and relationships. Already, in my own area of interest (which doesn't include music), I've become part of communities far stronger than anything I've previously experienced on message boards or Facebook, for example.
It does take time and commitment. But the quality of the relationships makes that worth while.
Tony, this is a day late but I want to comment on your previous post. Maybe it is the tree falling in the forest, but I am going to take the risk and point at the elephant in the room. I don't know whether you are seeing a lack of interest in Chad and Jeremy, or lack of willingness to participate. Based on internet communications to the fans in the past month or two - or maybe a bit more, things seem to be changing rather markedly. The fan sites (present site is the exception, thank you!) used to be a relatively level playing field but seem to be evolving to a top-down structure. The communications to the fans have become increasingly condescending, in various respects, and with greater frequency. Both of these are textbook means to squelch participation and "investment." Don't know what the ultimate goal, long term plans and intentions are-just commenting on cause and effect relationship, here. What I fear is that without participation and investment, fans will simply move on and these great talents will lose the audience for their wonderful music and comedy. That would be sad, indeed!
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