Twitter is NOT a Micro-Blog
Posted by Allison Fine on September 14, 2009
Sometimes a word or notion is fired in the kiln of conventional wisdom and becomes forever set. Unless, and until, A. Fine blogger takes up the charge and forces some rethinking!
Twitter is known as a micro-blog. I think that this is completely wrong. Twitter should be considered a social network.
Here’s why:
According to Wikipedia, micro-blogs operate just like blogs, only in smaller bursts. Twitter is included in the Wikipedia entry as a micro-blog. Someone, or a group of people, write blogs that audiences read. A blog is part of a broader, online conversation through links to other blogs or news articles and in the comments stream. Nonetheless, fundamentally, someone writes and others read.
An online social network like Facebook is a neighborhood where lots of people share news and photos, connect with one another, meet new friends, organize to do things together online or on land. No one is in charge, there is no beginning and end to conversations. Twitter is just such a neighborhood.
Here is an excerpt of a conversation on Twitter that I read the other day:
Jeff Jarvis: Wikipedia is wrong (GASP!). It is not my birthday. Thanks anyway.
Jeff Jarvis: Can somebody change my Wikipedia birthday to July 15? I don’t want to violate rules and do it myself (silly as that is).
Andy Carvin: @jeffjarvis actually it’s kosher if you do it to correct a factual error and leave a note on the discussion page for transparency sake.
I thought it was a neat, little exchange of information and knowledge, the kind one would hear in the hallway at a conference or at a water cooler in an office (although not my office, then I’d have to get dressed!) It was not a short blog post followed by a comment.
So, what’s the big deal, A. Fine, what does it matter if Twitter is misnomered? Here’s the deal, what we call a tool often dictates how people use it. That’s why it’s conventional wisdom, it is a settled discussion. Not everyone, certainly not people who are very facile with the social media toolkit will use a tool the way that Wikipedia determines, but, newcomers, people who are less certain may. If an organization, or person, is unsure of what to do on Twitter, I would rather than they think about is as a neighborhood and an ongoing conversation than a blog post.
In my experience, Twitter is best used as a mechanism for conversations among a lot of people. It’s a fantastic organizing tools for events like Twestival. Most of all, Twitter is a neighborhood where interesting ideas and exchanges are happening that we can participate in, or watch, just as we would at a neighborhood diner.
Or maybe it’s something entirely new that hasn’t been named yet. I’m open to suggestions!
7 Responses to “Twitter is NOT a Micro-Blog”
Sorry, the comment form is closed at this time.
Michael Lewkowitz said
I think of it as an emerging public medium – the most accessible, participatory one in history. It’s one that I also think is inherently suited to foster interest-driven connection and community broadly – and social change more specifically. I’m starting to talk of it technically as public micro-messaging and intentionally as a medium for change.
Allison Fine said
Great thoughts, thanks!
Larry Blumenthal said
At first, Twitter seems like an easy-to-launch publishing platform. One more medium to push your content out into the world. It does that well. You quickly learn, though, that what you are really doing is creating a community, a network, a neighborhood – whatever you want to call it. The fun part comes when you have enough of a neighborhood that you can walk to the end of your driveway for good conversation with the people next store and across the street. Even that guy on the corner who is always wearing jodhpurs and white sneakers. Couldn’t agree more with your assessment. I think it holds for most of social media. It is all about building a community of people with a shared interest, and what happens when that community gets together.
Tim Ogden said
I think if we draw a continuum with social media at one end and social networking at the other, you get Twitter right in the middle. Blogs or micro-blogs is “pure” social media, Facebook 1.0 was “pure” social networking. Twitter gives you less data about consumption of your content than social media does, but it gives you much more connection than social media does. Meanwhile it gives you less control over your network than Facebook, but makes focused interactions much easier.
Kivi Leroux Miller said
I agree 100% and have resisted using the micro-blogging concept to explain Twitter to newbies. I usually go with something more like a 24/7 cocktail party that you can drop in and out of at anytime, mixing and mingling with different groups as you please. It’s not the greatest analogy, but it’s better than “micro-blog.”
laurenrg1 said
When I ready your post, I was not sure if I agreed with you or not. On some instances, I do believe that Twitter is another social networking site. I use it as such. I use it to connect to my friends, and even some celebrities that I find interesting. I type what I am doing, what my thoughts are on a particular subject, or my feelings at that moment. However, I do think that some people do use it as a “micro blog”. If people do use it as a micro blog, they have a wide range of audiences-as there is a substantial number of “twitterers” on this platform. It’s a form for social media change, and a great one at that. From wikipedia: “Users microblog about particular topics that can range from the simple, such as “what one is doing at a given moment,” to the thematic, such as “sports cars,” to business topics, such as particular products” I believe twitter users do use Twitter for the purposes above, and even goes farther in allowing comments (retweets, @ replies). The definition of twitter as either a micro blog, or a social networking site, really depends on the user, and their definition.
Jansegers said
I can follow the reasoning of your objection to call Twitter a microblog, but I do believe the term is accepted by know to mean a Twitter-like service…
Apart from identi.ca , plurk.com , jaiku.com , beemood.com there are really dozens of other services worldwide that are considered to be microblogs.
Visit Khaces.com , Meemi.com , Niimo.com , Watwet.com, Cirip.ro , Blip.pl , Numpa.nl , Drbz.cz , Bloggino.com , etc., etc.
Pieter Jansegers
microblogs.ning.com