The comments are the best part. Even the one accusing me of looking like Quentin Crisp.
Quentin Crisp. Apparently he looks like me.Thought I’d share some of the comments from a recent Ad Week column. Some people agreed with my take on Twitter. Others condemned me for being an over-the-hill ad guy late to the party. More than half signed their real name. The most critical chose to hide behind a pseudonym. Still, the negative comments are the most fun to read, for me anyway. Especially the one comparing my likeness to Quentin Crisp. I may actually have to change my Twitter picture. Anyway, here they are. In some cases they’re excerpts. In a lot of cases I cleaned up the spelling and grammar. Positive followed by negative.
Positive
Twitter has become an instant way for me to get a pulse on things that matter to me in business. It will be interesting to see if the channel becomes less relevant as its numbers swell. John Winsor
Since the 1960′s modern countries have been losing their gathering places, their common ground. Social media and Twitter are bringing that back, and breaking us out of the isolation we’ve felt for decades. Claudio Luis Vera
As a young professional, it also feels like a great way to connect with creative directors and other people with experience in the advertising industry, and really be able to learn from them, without all of the traditional barriers.
Mike Morris
Twitter is the 30:1 multiplier for my curiosity; like suddenly having elves of late night research available to screen, source and point on my behalf. Oh, and it keeps me humble, reminding me comment by comment how very much I will always have to learn. @scottrcrawford
I think the key to getting value from Twitter is to imagine it as a cocktail party, where you get to invite every guest, and where every guest you want to invite lives right next door. Relax, have fun, contribute, participate. Serve good cheese. Then hand out your business card where it’s appropriate.
Michael Troiano
Facebook is about the people you used to know, but Twitter is about the people you want to know. Twitter provides great insight to how people feel about things that matter NOW. I rely on it for info that applies to all my roles: mother, marketer, writer, music junkie, local dweller, global citizen. Michelle Allard @filterologist
Love the age and title variables going away – and that’s just the beginning. Geography, industry, etc. When so many unimportant factors disappear, the sharing of ideas wins. Amy Flanagan
I think Twitter strips away some of the social artifice of other SM sites, and that really is what makes it more authentic, and thus, more meaningful.
Sonja Jacob @tcwsonja
Thank you for verbalizing what I’ve learned through Twitter on my second go around with it. I see it as my CNN feed, only I get to choose who adds content to that feed. It’s an amazing tool for mindshare, learning and thought leadership. Leanne Chase (leanneclc)
I agree there is no better way to get information than Twitter. And targeted messaging will become the killer application of the future. The future of social networking is mobile: smartphone applications like match2blue combine Twitter and Loopt. @HansLak
A clear, insightful look at why Twitter matters, why it’s so incredibly valuable, and what people are losing out on by dismissing it. There are a lot of smart people out there who really needed to read this. The chasm is widening. The time to cross is now. Michelle Tripp
You mention getting a broader response and additional insights from people you’d never have in the room. For aspiring ad people, the ability to hear the words, opinions and advice of those we admire, and to possibly have the ear of such people is unparalleled. @adamwohl
Negative
Twitter isn’t the key to the universe, it really isn’t. It has functional utility to be sure but somehow when the “ad guys” get a hold of these things, they suddenly lose their power. Steven Krause
The wonderful thing about digital technology is that as soon as the mainstream public and industry types are seeking the key to the universe in a particular widget, site, technique, technology, or utility, guess what, the digerati have already moved on to the next big thing. I twit therefore I am
My god, what cattle ad types are! The herd now is grazing on Twitter as the “next big thing”. tweet tweet tweet
Can we just transition from traditional to digital without having to have newly digitally enabled ad people midwife the birth for us? The only takeaway I come away with is that the bulk of AdWeek readers are digitally clueless. dave barnes
Like blogging, twitter is effective when the Twitterer has something to say and that’s a fairly narrow percentage. Millennial by birth
Like Facebook, Twitter is just another tool. Let’s not erect a monument to it. Lets use it for what it is and look forward to its video equivalent which someone will create. Tweet Tweet
I think Twitter is the equivalent of digital porn. And addiction, in general, is a bad thing. Fika
Twitter has value but its not going to save humanity or change marketing as we know it. I could name a number of apps most of you have never heard of. Lets take smart apps for what they are. The ways we are all connecting with each other are growing exponentially. One isn’t any more valuable than another. Sean Tilson
Twitter is the sexy new girl in town. Honestly I laughed out loud when I read this column. Agencies are always trying to own the” next thing” and rarely do.
Daphne
How many of you really think Twitter is a fount of rich information? It’s a friggin’ utility, no better or worse than Loop’d or LinkedIn or Facebook…. Once again, an Adweek columnist flogs the obvious. BTW, Edward, change your photo. That pose is really circa 1983. Twitter me this
I’d get another picture taken soon; you look like Quentin Crisp.
Barbara
Anyway, this is what we tell our clients, isn’t it? You have to get out there. Let the conversation happen. Take the hits along with the praise. Even if that means getting compared to Quentin Crisp. Thanks to all for joining in.
(Please note that most of the negative comments did not reveal a Twitter name.)
Comments
Anyone who refers to themselves as "digerati" or "Millennial By Birth" is u00e2u0080u0094 what's the word I'm looking for u00e2u0080u0094 a weiner-head. Great post, Edward. Smart is smart, no matter the generation.
Sometimes the best part of the process is having others disagree. How else do we get outside our own head? How else do we learn?
Whether or not Twitter is the next big thing is beside the point. Iu00e2u0080u0099d love to know how the naysayers got instant access to thought leaders, were able to crowdsource, talk to millennials, or weave together all things social before this. Looks to me like proof of concept in action, right in their very comments.
Thank you for posting both the good and the bad. Fascinating povs all around.
I agree with Eric Peterson's comment that the most valuable venues to advertisers are where there are people. We aren't venture capitalists trying to profit by getting in on the ground level of these new technologies. Being an early adopter of these new apps is rarely a bad thing, but is not as crucial as making sure that our brands have a presence by the time that these apps really start to take off and begin to reach more of a mass audience.
Twitter might be "just another tool," but it allows you to connect with the people that you would like to know, as opposed to most other social networks which only connect you to the people that you already know.
"I could name a number of apps most of you have never heard of. "
That's wonderful, Shawn, if that's your business. We in advertising/marketing need to position brands in venues where people are. Not where people may someday be. But congrats for your place out in front of the pack.
As for those of you attacking an apparently good man's Twitter pic? Junior High is thataway>>>
Edward, welcome to the dark side of Web 2.0. The anonymous jerks who try to crash a party and spoil it- always hiding behind their insecurities.
All forums either need a moderator- or a mechanism to self-police- via a vote system.
Before long posting without signing your ID will be laughed at,because if there is one key to this whole thing- it's authenticity and trust. It's why Facebook just passed MySpace for users.
Even giving the negativos time is a waste of yours.
Twitter isn't the holy grail- neither is Web 2.0- the real key is building community- and maintaining relationships- because, now, as before- people still do business with those they know- and trust.
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