Comments on: How Twitter changes marketing forever, a simple explanation

By: Felipe Fermin

Felipe Fermin — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 13:25:30 +0000

Brian Cray is the developer of NearbyTweets.com! Excellent work, my friend! This gives me a whole new way to use Twitter.

BTW, great article, thanks!

By: video

video — Sun, 12 Jul 2009 13:26:24 +0000

I’d like to congratulate you for this beautiful article was a really nice article.

By: Casey Parker

Casey Parker — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 15:48:47 +0000

Am late to this discussion, but I agree with Geoff, much hype about Twitter. People always saying that it is changing something. What is it changing?

Twitter is another communication channel. For some people, it might be more fun than email or FB or other social networks and allows you to put things “out there,” but for business it is another communication or marketing channel.

We have the resources to set against monitoring Twitter for our business. For most brands, however, I’d say the conversation is too thin on Twitter, not enough substance to affect tactics and time and money is likely better utilized elsewhere until the crowd on Twitter grows, like on FB or MySpace. Again, it is another channel, assess realistically.

By: Lisa (lablady)

Lisa (lablady) — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 16:23:55 +0000

Bryan,

Good article, thanks! I have to disagree with Geoff. I’ve been trying to promote and direct traffic to my website for almost a year now and it’s been slow-going. Since I began using Twitter barely 2 months ago, my traffic on my blog at WordPress and on my website has increased dramatically! I can really see the power and use of Twitter as a “word-of-mouth” tool.

And just to let you know, I’m not a young computer geek. I’m in my 40′s, although I have used computers since they began with the jukebox sized ones in high school! “If a = 2, go to line c”. I also know a lot of 30-65 yr. old moms use it as well to keep their extended families up-to-date on their lives; both personal and professional. Your assumptions are inaccurate.

I appreciate Twitter for what it is – a tool to allow me to link up with like-minded individuals (for fun or business), to expand my horizons, to learn (w/articles like Brian’s – ty!), to promote my business, and to help others. I think it’s here to stay.

By: Geoff

Geoff — Sun, 08 Mar 2009 23:07:27 +0000

I hate to spoil the party but this Twitter hype is so much over the top. First of all not that many people are using Twitter (maybe 2-4 million people worldwide every day) and those people using it are mostly young computer geeks.
“Ordinary” people are not so much using this and Twitter has just been burning money since it was launched (and we are talking tens of millions of dollars!)!
At the end of the day you need a business case not endlessly people praising and saying how this is changing everything.
Twitter will never become mainstream and all the discussion has the bubble syndrome written all over it.
(Now the cult will probably attack me but so be it

By: Mark

Mark — Sat, 07 Mar 2009 19:24:18 +0000

Hey Brian,

Great article mate! Twitter accelerates what is already firmly entrenched as the new way of doing business.

I’ll add to your point that companies didn’t use to have the tools to respond to customers instantly or at least as stuff was happening to their reputation… and that a lot of companies didn’t care because they didn’t have to.

Now they must or die.

Reference Roy Williams (Wizard of Ads) and societies 40 year pendulum
http://www.mondaymorningmemo.com/?ShowMe=ThisMemo&MemoID=1736

Ask GM, Ford and Chrysler how that not caring about doing a great job is working out.

Is this recession more a product of this societal pendulum swing to quality and realness rather than hype and bullshit? Does the inevitable death of a lot of “hype and little substance” businesses have to happen because of this swing? So bailing them out just delays what will happen anyway?

I think we must Twitter with realness. Hype and one way conversation (the old dead model) will get you blocked, right? The stakes are high and the rewards fantastic for the businesses that are scrupulously honest and real – warts and all, every way they can be. And like GaryVee just video blogged about, the spotlight only reveals more of who you truly are.

By: Brian Cray

Brian Cray — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 15:41:57 +0000

@Scott Very true, especially for higher-involvement purchases

@Christian I’m glad you’re enjoying Twitter! So am I!

By: christian

christian — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 14:15:00 +0000

great post Brian. just started using twitter, it gives me the perfect tool to connect and grow my blog with a great community of tweets!

By: Scott

Scott — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 04:13:50 +0000

Great post. Conversations are now the most powerful form of information on the web. Companies need to realize that YES their multi-million dollar campaign will make people aware of their product….but people will check the conversations before buying. Conversations are the conversion factor in a purchase.

By: Brad Edwards

Brad Edwards — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 23:16:28 +0000

Great story Brian! I believe there is a lot more growth in search applications like nearbytweets.com to be seen. Twitter's own search at search.twitter.com needs a serious feature enhancement. I also believe advanced search of the twitterverse will be the core of Twitter's upcoming and much needed revenue stream.