The IT Skeptic - Comments for "How and why I use Twitter"

facebook

skeptic — Thu, 08 Mar 2012 19:05:52 +0000

Interesting mainstream-conservative view from Babbage in this week's Economist.com : holding out is starting to hurt.

Having no friends helps.

Facebook - yes or no?

Lynn Jackson — Thu, 08 Mar 2012 13:48:35 +0000

If anyone is wrestling with this may I just say don't worry, I won't be 'liking' you. Facebook is for when 'people' want to dance on tables with their knickers on their heads.

Otherwise it's LinkedIn all the way. Who on earth thinks it a good idea to mix personal with business?

Dunbar's number and the number of your twitter followees

skeptic — Mon, 05 Mar 2012 20:49:27 +0000

Dunbar's number is sometimes cited as a limit on the number of people one can realistically follow on Twitter.

Dunbar's number is a theoretical cognitive limit to the number of people with whom one can maintain stable social relationships. It is somewhere between 100 and 230 (I reckon for "stable social relationships" it is lower: tribes fracture below 100). It was always only an average, distributed in a bell-curve, and varying from culture to culture (and research survey to research survey).

First off, there is a difference between "stable social relationships" and being interested in what people say, so whether Dunbar's number limits Twitter follows is moot. Dunbar's number is how large a group of people can remain as a cohesive social unit: the number of people one knows and keeps social contact with. There is nothing to stop you listening to many more than that.

But if we did accept the premise that Dunbar's number is a useful guideline, then the number is called into question by an interesting paper (pdf) which says the American personal acquaintance network is much larger: 90% of adults know between 250 and 1710 others. And that's only the 90% range - fell free to be non-conformist and sit out on the long tail beyond 2000. The paper explicitly points out that the internet increases these numbers still further.

Thanks to @raesmaa for the link

Flipboard with Twitter feed

Deepanjan — Mon, 05 Mar 2012 20:04:49 +0000

I do not follow as many as you mentioned. but what i found fascinating was the Flipboard app for iPhone/iPad. It does a great job converting the twitter feeds into magazine like readable bits and pieces. i find it extremely easy to follow the twitter barrage.

Still fumbling on Twitter

Simone Moore — Sat, 03 Mar 2012 06:22:19 +0000

Thanks Rob for providing a 'formula'.

For all that I've been on Twitter for some time, I'm still grappling with the who, what, when, where and the ultimate 'why' should I bother. I'm often asked, 'how in the hell do you get the time to read it all?'. The fact is I don't and being off the grid earlier this year, even if only for 7 days was an absolutely wonderful experience. There is still much experimentation to explore what works for 'you' as the individual versus for the 'company' avatar - especially when you're not the only one tweeting on the company account. I'm a big proponent of Twitter as a knowledge source and explain to many they don't have to be following or be followed to take advantage of # searches to gain access to knowledge they may never have known about. It's certainly opened my eyes and saved me massive email dumps into my inbox from being subscribed to multiple websites, blogs, news feeds etc. Investigating other people's lists is also a great way to understand valuable players in whichever space of interest you roam in.

It's time for me to do another redefine of my follows and lists and I appreciate your blog and also the comments made by a number of people on this one that, by the way, I do follow on Twitter! :)

It's Me

ServiceSphere — Sat, 03 Mar 2012 05:44:00 +0000

I guess some people have real jobs and don't keep up with the gossip columns.

Martin, Rob's points are a direct lift off the comments in this article from three months ago on your site http://www.theitsmreview.com/2012/01/look-at-my-klout/

I'm just more obvious about being an attention whore.

As far as who is claiming to be an expert, I am. I am an expert at all of this, and I have the documentation, records and articles to back it up.

Any other questions?

Chris

Private Twitter Lists

Martin Thompson — Fri, 02 Mar 2012 22:06:18 +0000

"Private Lists – When Twitter says private, they mean private. Only the creator of private lists will be able to see or subscribe to them — not even those on the list can see private lists. That means, for example, you could create a list of your competitors and keep an eye on them without them being any the wiser."

from http://mashable.com/2009/11/02/twitter-lists-guide/

"Recently I copped some flak regarding my Twitter usage policies." from whom? Who is claiming to be an expert at any of this? The guy at the front of the queue of the gold rush appears to be holding a shovel - he must be an expert.

private

skeptic — Fri, 02 Mar 2012 18:43:00 +0000

I hope you find some good ones. Interestingly with nearly a thousand followees, trawling them could be tough.

My "Interesting" Twitter list is private (unless it can be hacked?? Twitter is notoriously insecure). Who really influences me is my business, just as in the real world. Eg. Every mentoring relationship I have had has been private ("secret" would be too strong a word but hardly anyone knew).

Just as in the real world, you can decode some of my influences by who I quote/retweet, but just as in the real world that is unreliable and approximate. One of the biggest influences on me in a business context is Art Jacobs. Try to find him on Klout or find a single link from me to him - you won't.

Who I follow on twitter has little to do with who influences me. Even my "Interesting" list would be a poor model for my real influences, which is another reason why I keep it private : I don't want people hanging up on who is or isn't on it. Just because someone reliably tweets good stuff and has views that interest me is not exactly the same thing as influencing me... I think.

Can't argue

William Goddard — Fri, 02 Mar 2012 12:10:25 +0000

Very well said sir,

You have stated your point so eloquently and it is appreciated that you used the term formula instead of rules.

William Goddard ( aka @helpdesk_info on Twitter )

Agree

Barclay Rae — Fri, 02 Mar 2012 11:42:28 +0000

Spot on Rob, I use Twitter in much the same way and concur with these views. I also like the fact that its all short and easily consummable, so it doesn't take up too much time. That's also the reason why like you I'm reluctant to the point of Ludditism about joining (or not joining..) Facebook - i.e. I want to have a life.

Tweeted this!

Claire Agutter — Fri, 02 Mar 2012 11:39:12 +0000

I have just tweeted this - I think it's perfectly said. I try not to let my follow list get over 400 because it feels unmanageable to me at that point - but that's just me and how I use twitter.

I've never had a facebook account, I'm quite fond of linkedin. Twitter is just another tool, and it's one I've been impressed with. As the ITSM community gets more global (and more outspoken) it's a great way to sample the mood.

Claire

PS Now I'm off to nosy through your follow list and pinch the interesting ones :-)

Agree

Charles T. Betz — Fri, 02 Mar 2012 07:37:51 +0000

I have arrived at exactly the same set of principles. Well stated.

Charles T. Betz
http://www.erp4it.com