Comments on: Twitter and the “New” New Communicators http://edgehopper.com/twitter-and-the-new-new-communicators/ Tales from the Edge of Technology Mon, 26 Jul 2010 17:50:24 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0 By: Clarke http://edgehopper.com/twitter-and-the-new-new-communicators/comment-page-1/#comment-2486 Clarke Fri, 20 Feb 2009 20:45:46 +0000 http://edgehopper.com/twitter-and-the-new-new-communicators/#comment-2486 I don't think you can say we are in the early majority yet.  Under the new Twitter funding round this week, the estimates put total worldwide usage at around 6 million users.  This is just over 1 percent of the U.S. population and only drop in the bucket of the developed world's population (U.S., E.U., Japan, Canada, etc).  I agree with your conceptual point on new communicators versus old communicators, but the ability to relate crosses technology platforms.  Barack Obama is just as engaging on television, email, and in person.  Twitter just compresses the communication.  I would speculate that Twitter only enhances the persona and does not define it.  You are unlikely to begin following someone on twitter who you don't know.  Twitter is interesting because it supplements information from other sources: television, phone, blogs, etc.  While I am an admitted young (30) laggard (I started using text messaging only in the last few months), Twitter is not going to revolutionize the world of communication.  It will only supplement it for some. I don’t think you can say we are in the early majority yet.  Under the new Twitter funding round this week, the estimates put total worldwide usage at around 6 million users.  This is just over 1 percent of the U.S. population and only drop in the bucket of the developed world’s population (U.S., E.U., Japan, Canada, etc).  I agree with your conceptual point on new communicators versus old communicators, but the ability to relate crosses technology platforms.  Barack Obama is just as engaging on television, email, and in person.  Twitter just compresses the communication.  I would speculate that Twitter only enhances the persona and does not define it.  You are unlikely to begin following someone on twitter who you don’t know.  Twitter is interesting because it supplements information from other sources: television, phone, blogs, etc.  While I am an admitted young (30) laggard (I started using text messaging only in the last few months), Twitter is not going to revolutionize the world of communication.  It will only supplement it for some.

]]> By: dafogle http://edgehopper.com/twitter-and-the-new-new-communicators/comment-page-1/#comment-2474 dafogle Thu, 19 Feb 2009 19:26:14 +0000 http://edgehopper.com/twitter-and-the-new-new-communicators/#comment-2474 Great post Chris - I totally agree with you -  it's a new way of communicating and connecting - and Lance, Johan and the livestrong team really do get it. Great post Chris – I totally agree with you -  it’s a new way of communicating and connecting – and Lance, Johan and the livestrong team really do get it.

]]> By: Katt_DC http://edgehopper.com/twitter-and-the-new-new-communicators/comment-page-1/#comment-2473 Katt_DC Thu, 19 Feb 2009 17:23:39 +0000 http://edgehopper.com/twitter-and-the-new-new-communicators/#comment-2473 @Elizabeth - Chris clearly states that he's a Lance fanboy, so no need to try to read between the lines :-) @Chris - JoE tweets (theqrm) but can't really do that and broadcast at the same time. I felt for them during the first few days with the lack of video. Cycling commentary is underwhelmingly captivating at the best of times, and to have to sit there for hours and talk about erm... nothing (much) is brutal. Anyway, agree with your assessment of the new new thing. @Elizabeth – Chris clearly states that he’s a Lance fanboy, so no need to try to read between the lines :-)

@Chris – JoE tweets (theqrm) but can’t really do that and broadcast at the same time. I felt for them during the first few days with the lack of video. Cycling commentary is underwhelmingly captivating at the best of times, and to have to sit there for hours and talk about erm… nothing (much) is brutal.

Anyway, agree with your assessment of the new new thing.

]]> By: Chris http://edgehopper.com/twitter-and-the-new-new-communicators/comment-page-1/#comment-2472 Chris Thu, 19 Feb 2009 11:19:11 +0000 http://edgehopper.com/twitter-and-the-new-new-communicators/#comment-2472 @Elizabeth: Yes, I agree that on the first few stages, it was very rough for Joe and Franky without video. It was a lot of unexpected face time with not much to go on (except live Twitter feeds of the event).  And I also wholeheartedly agree that Frankie is very knowledgeable and does add value to the commentary.  But, that is <em>not</em> what I'm talking about here.  Anybody with knowledge can "transfer" information.  The real skill is in not only transferring the information, but connecting on an emotional level with the audience.  That's the point I was making here.  I don't dislike Frankie. He's a nice enough guy.  He's just an Old Communicator.  As for his comments on Twitter, it's a misunderstanding of a new medium of communication.  It's a cycle that happens over and over whenever new technologies are introduced.  In every technology adoption, you have the innovators, early adopters, then the early majority (about where Twitter is now), then the late majority, and finally the laggards. There are just a lot of people now who are in the two majorities that are trying to figure out why and how they should use things like Twitter.  If you're interested, you should read Geoffrey Moore's "Crossing the Chasm".  It explains all of this and more.  Or check out a longer post on the subject of technology adoption here: <strong>http://tinyurl.com/djebjw. </strong>Finally, I meant to convey nothing by the picture selection.  It was what I found available for public use. Sorry if they "told a story".  Maybe that alone is saying something? @Elizabeth: Yes, I agree that on the first few stages, it was very rough for Joe and Franky without video. It was a lot of unexpected face time with not much to go on (except live Twitter feeds of the event).  And I also wholeheartedly agree that Frankie is very knowledgeable and does add value to the commentary.  But, that is not what I’m talking about here.  Anybody with knowledge can “transfer” information.  The real skill is in not only transferring the information, but connecting on an emotional level with the audience.  That’s the point I was making here.  I don’t dislike Frankie. He’s a nice enough guy.  He’s just an Old Communicator. 

As for his comments on Twitter, it’s a misunderstanding of a new medium of communication.  It’s a cycle that happens over and over whenever new technologies are introduced.  In every technology adoption, you have the innovators, early adopters, then the early majority (about where Twitter is now), then the late majority, and finally the laggards. There are just a lot of people now who are in the two majorities that are trying to figure out why and how they should use things like Twitter.  If you’re interested, you should read Geoffrey Moore’s “Crossing the Chasm”.  It explains all of this and more.  Or check out a longer post on the subject of technology adoption here: http://tinyurl.com/djebjw.

Finally, I meant to convey nothing by the picture selection.  It was what I found available for public use. Sorry if they “told a story”.  Maybe that alone is saying something?

]]> By: Elizabeth http://edgehopper.com/twitter-and-the-new-new-communicators/comment-page-1/#comment-2470 Elizabeth Thu, 19 Feb 2009 10:20:06 +0000 http://edgehopper.com/twitter-and-the-new-new-communicators/#comment-2470 Whoa, just by the choice of pictures you've chosen to post here, we can see which side of the fence you fall on.  Given that Frankie has had to speak 5 hours or longer at times with absolutely no feed, even then he was filling up time well.  His commentary is knowledgeable.  He's an asset to the ToC with his objectivity unlike others in other media who fawn over certain riders/teams.  Because Frankie has better things to do with his time than Twitter says a lot more to me than someone who wastes his time following others.  Is your life so dull you have to know the mundane things people are doing?  That says more about them; does Twitter satisfy their craving for attention?   Glad Frankie doesn't feel the need and has better things to do with his time. The only thing good about Twitter is that it could hold people accountable.  Otherwise, I'm with him and Joe.  It's a waste of time. Whoa, just by the choice of pictures you’ve chosen to post here, we can see which side of the fence you fall on.  Given that Frankie has had to speak 5 hours or longer at times with absolutely no feed, even then he was filling up time well.  His commentary is knowledgeable.  He’s an asset to the ToC with his objectivity unlike others in other media who fawn over certain riders/teams. 
Because Frankie has better things to do with his time than Twitter says a lot more to me than someone who wastes his time following others.  Is your life so dull you have to know the mundane things people are doing?  That says more about them; does Twitter satisfy their craving for attention?   Glad Frankie doesn’t feel the need and has better things to do with his time.

The only thing good about Twitter is that it could hold people accountable.  Otherwise, I’m with him and Joe.  It’s a waste of time.

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