Twitter: Ultimate Time Waster or Great Tool?

Jun 18, 2008 by Chris Winfield | Social Media Marketing, Social Networks


Yesterday I presented at SES Toronto along with Lee Odden and Dave Snyder on a panel called ‘Twitter: Ultimate Time Waster, or Great Tool?’ I figured that in order to show how Twitter actually works – it would be best to use Twitter to do it. Here’s the results of the experiment and an extended version of my presentation. Also if you’re on Twitter and would like to follow me – here’s my profile: http://twitter.com/chriswinfield
The Best Way to Learn about Twitter is to Have Twitter Do My Presentation

  • Started at 4:45pm EST
  • No pre-planning or promotion around it at all
  • Final question was asked at 6:04pm EST
  • Over 275 answers in less than 90 minutes

http://twitter.com/chriswinfield/statuses/833326682
http://twitter.com/chriswinfield/statuses/833328402 Finding Folks to Follow Information Overload Drama Distracting (or addicting) Getting ‘Too’ Involved
It is What You Make It
http://twitter.com/chriswinfield/statuses/833332723 Relationships
Staying Connected Promotion Communication Entertainment / Perspective
Information http://twitter.com/chriswinfield/statuses/833338892 Get Personal Discovery Influencers Traffic Link Building http://twitter.com/chriswinfield/statuses/833343043 JetBlue: http://twitter.com/jetblue Zappos http://twitter.com/zappos Comcast http://twitter.com/comcastcares Skimbaco http://twitter.com/skimbaco BB Geeks http://twitter.com/bbgeeks Paw Luxury http://twitter.com/PawLuxury/ Woot http://twitter.com/woot/ http://twitter.com/chriswinfield/statuses/833348230 It’s About Who I Follow It’s About Who Follows Me http://twitter.com/BarackObama http://tinyurl.com/3nbnh7 It’s Both! http://twitter.com/chriswinfield/statuses/833352885 Leaders Learning Discovery Help Interesting Active Sharers Publications or Company You Use
http://twitter.com/chriswinfield/statuses/833356652 No response All noise – no signal Too much self promotion Lack of activity Too much (useless) activity
SPAM Ask too many questions… http://twitter.com/chriswinfield/statuses/833368296 Treat it Like Real Life Participate Jump In! Conversate (smartly) Add Value Be Careful – Twitter can be HIGHLY ADDICTIVE
http://twitter.com/chriswinfield/statuses/833372977 Twhirl Summize TwitterMail FireFox TwitterFox TwitBin Mobile TwitterBerry PocketTweets http://twitter.com/chriswinfield/statuses/833376365 Twitterati Fun Learning Connections Conversation What You Can Find Keeps Your Finger on the Pulse
Community What Twitter Gives Back

Thanks to all of the following people (in order of appearance) for making this all come together: graywolf, JenniferLaycock, LLCobb, jenstar, oilman, rabeidoh, tonyadam, stuntdubl, zaknicola, lyndseo, jonkelly, jdevalk, eddings, meshugavi, DavidWallace, martinbowling, JeremyLuebke, audrajackson, joegerstandt, zaknicola, seanmaguire, chiropractic, doshdosh, longhornkate, TheMadHat, benrabicoff, SexySEO, ciaranj, lynnterry, Marifer, toddmintz, StuartL, LaurenV, dotrage, kid_disco, aviw, adriansoare, wilreynolds, BrentCsutoras, Frozen2Late, gar8, pratt, AmberCadabra, mwilton13, stephenparker, genemccubbin, khawe, footinmouth, DesireeSanchez, ColinCochrane, TheOtherJeff, gsicotte, averre, audette, Blakovitch, talespinner, tamera, kelly_gaia, MichelleRobbins, SearchBuzz, jonathanfields, markus941, SearchBuzz, travishines, saadkamal, dhudiburg, SearchStudent, yojspew, portentint, lisarokusek, TwisterMc, baldeagle, charlyjl, onstartups, kimbercook. If you’re looking for folks to follow on Twitter this would be a good starting point as each of these people are what make Twitter should an effective (and fun) tool.

Now – to keep the conversation going. What do YOU think: is Twitter the ultimate time waster or a great tool? Feel free to respond here or to me on Twitter @chriswinfield

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34 Responses to “Twitter: Ultimate Time Waster or Great Tool?”

  1. David Temple on June 18th, 2008 11:44 pm

    Best.Post.Ever.

  2. PJ Brunet on June 19th, 2008 2:03 am

    Summize, I’ll check that out.

    twitter.com/_p_j

  3. aviw on June 19th, 2008 2:14 am

    pure genius. very creative idea idea for a presentation and post. pat did a beautiful job as always on the design work. really happy to have participated!

  4. Jon Kelly on June 19th, 2008 9:27 am

    great work, Chris!

  5. Ciaran on June 19th, 2008 11:44 am

    Great post Chris – I’d be very interested to see a video of this, to see how you presented it. Did you attempt accents for the different Tweeps?!
    ;)

  6. Chris Winfield on June 19th, 2008 11:48 am

    @David — wow that is a real compliment coming from you :)

    @PJ – summize is by far my favorite twitter tool and one that I use a lot (each day).

    @Avi & Jon – thanks a lot for participating guys. You were both prominent figures in the presentation!

    @Ciaran – I wonder if it was shot? But if you’re looking for accents, you’d be dissapointed ;) Thanks again for helping out…

  7. Nick Wilsdon on June 19th, 2008 12:36 pm

    Really creative idea for a presentation Chris, well done. :)

  8. Follow me on Twitter on June 19th, 2008 12:36 pm

    LOL.. That was one of the longest posts I have ever seen about Twitter but it is SOOO true.

    Twitter is more of a mindset than anything. I have to try to remember to Twitter about things that I see that are funny or interesting and THEN I havge to condense sometimes long stories into just a few words. Sometime thats a challenge :-)

  9. Ed Shaz NextInstinct on June 19th, 2008 12:43 pm

    Well done!
    This is a great way to elaborate on
    the warm usefulness of Twitter.
    The completeness and creativity of your post
    is exceptional!

    ↑ <140 ;~)

    /off to squeal to @Biz/

  10. Jake Matthews on June 19th, 2008 1:00 pm

    At approximately 12:00pm Eastern:

    Twitter is over capacity.
    Too many tweets! Please wait a moment and try again.

    Chris – you blew twitter up this morning! Haha.

    :-)

  11. isabella mori on June 19th, 2008 1:45 pm

    as a committed twitter enthusiast, i must say this is one of the best twitter posts i’ve ever seen. thank you!!!!

  12. bookbabie on June 19th, 2008 1:52 pm

    Wow, crazy fun post:)

  13. Linda Sherman on June 19th, 2008 1:58 pm

    Great post. Saw it thanks to @moritherapy’s (Isabella Mori) Tweet.

    And I am supposed to be getting ready for a noon meeting! Agh!!

  14. Chris on June 19th, 2008 2:31 pm

    I love the fact that you took the time to use screen shots as your content. A very refreshing splash to the face in this huge ocean of twitter talk.

    When trying to get the most out of twitter simply offer what you would want to receive. That’s the way I tweet. I blast out small bits of value and get tons in return.

  15. Chris Winfield on June 19th, 2008 3:01 pm

    @Nick – thanks, I really enjoy your contributions on Twitter…

    @thorschrock – being forced to say things succintly is a huge plus in my eyes…

    @ed – very creative comment :)

    @isabella – I’m really glad you feel that way!

    @bookbabie – making it fun was definitely one of the goals

    @linda – I hope your meeting went great!

    @Chris – luckily I have an amazing designer (my brother Patrick) who can help make me look good :)

  16. hip hop on June 19th, 2008 4:53 pm

    You have great collection of oppinions :)

  17. Internet Marketing Joy on June 19th, 2008 5:27 pm

    Wow! Your presentation looks awesome and you really put a lot of time and effort on it..^^ by the way, no need to thank me..I should be the one who have to say thank you for all the great information and tips you’ve given me..^^

    Until next time! ^^

    This is yojspew..^^

  18. Katja @skimbaco on June 19th, 2008 6:13 pm

    Thank you for a great post and all the time and effort you put into this. I am so honored to be featured. Looking forward getting to know more great people on Twitter – the ultimate social machine.

    @skimbaco

  19. Adrian Popescu on June 19th, 2008 6:15 pm

    Twitter is my life :) i love it …

  20. jennydecki on June 19th, 2008 6:23 pm

    I’m so sorry I wasn’t following you sooner! Twitter helped me: score a professional blogging gig with b5media, sell 20 copies of my book, drive oodles of traffic to multiple blogs, gain access to people that would never notice me in the middle of 1,000+ emails.

    Twitter is simple, powerful, and beautiful.

    And a huge, fun timewaster too :-)

  21. jennydecki on June 19th, 2008 6:36 pm

    One last thing. Where was PopeyesChicken in your companies list? They’re HILARIOUS!

    Especially if you make it a drinking game and do a shot every time they say bonafide LMAO

  22. juliepower (my twitter name and my name in real life) on June 19th, 2008 8:41 pm

    Twitter is like a fungus. It grows on you and then it is hard to shake. Sometimes it is delightful time wasting. Other times a fantastic resource that saves time, finds answers … looking forward to doing both following you.

  23. Samuel Lavoie on June 19th, 2008 9:08 pm

    Best post about Twitter I have ever see, thanks for sharing this!

  24. Crazy Blogging on June 20th, 2008 12:01 am

    i think twitter is a great tool, but, by many, it’s only used to promote other sites and blogs.

  25. firetown on June 21st, 2008 9:31 am

    No Not a timewaster at all. Unless you follow a bunch of goofballs and pay attention to what they say. It’s like saying “Talking to people is a waste of time”. All depends on who you talk to and about what.

  26. ShannonRenee on June 21st, 2008 9:43 am

    This was a great presentation, most consist of a deck w/ someone speaking at you. This is creative, informative, interesting and demonstrative.

    Bravo!

  27. Mazda on June 22nd, 2008 5:31 am

    great persentation!!!! filled with screeshots and all. totally interesting and best post of twitter. thank you!

  28. Chris Winfield on June 25th, 2008 12:01 pm

    @hip hop – that’s one of the great things about Twitter. All the different opinions you can get

    @Internet Marketing Joy – the thanks is all mine. If people don’t participate, then things like this aren’t possible.

    @Katja – I was so glad Jennifer Laycock used you as an example. I actually sent your site to lots of people after finding out about it via Twitter.

    @Adrian Popescu – it certainly has had a profound affect on lots of people.

    @jennydecki – Popeye’s Chicken wasn’t on the list because noone mentioned it :) I only used answers that people gave. If we do it again, I will be looking for that example from you :)

    @juliepower – I love the fungus analogy :)

    @Samuel Lavoie – thank YOU for commenting and keeping the conversation going!

    @Crazy Blogging – just like any social media tool or platform: It’s all about how you use it and what you give back…

    @firetown – definitely have to keep the ‘goofball’ quotient down to a minimum (just like in life)

    @ShannonRenee – thanks, that really means a lot…

    @Mazda – glad you enjoyed it!

  29. John Sabia on June 26th, 2008 12:34 am

    Great presentation- I just started using twitter and my first impression of it was why do I care what people are doing and why would people write about everything their doing? Then, I started following people that were having serious discussions and realized that it can be a great tool for up to date information, discussions, opinions, etc. and an opportunity to be in the same room with people that you otherwise would not have the opportunity to.

  30. Matt Leonard on July 6th, 2008 11:06 am

    Great post. I think Twitter is a great tool that can be used as a timewaster if you have that luxury. It’s interesting to see the different uses developing ie promotion, reputation management, etc.
    @mjleonard

  31. Sonali Sengupta on July 7th, 2008 12:35 am

    Twitter is simply great.

  32. Mexabet on March 21st, 2009 5:36 pm

    Twitter when used correctly can be an effective channel to connect with the right people who matter in our fields.

  33. RohitK on April 14th, 2009 6:10 am

    Great work Chris. Ur style is different from others. You are using Twitter And giving all people's feedback is great. I want to say that twitter is also helping me to do my networking. So that I can change jobs without any problem(just joking)

  34. swimming pool pump on February 9th, 2010 2:54 pm

    Probably an improvement that could be had is streamlining the process of acquiring rights to produce more materials, but that does not mean price ? just the speed and the efficiency by which such rights might be acquired.

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