Twitter's new retweet feature has holes

The other day I woke up to find Twitter's new retweet feature attached to my home page. Twitter has unveiled this to make retweeting another user's tweets easier while in their web interface. It also allows you to track who retweets that message going forward.


After trying out the feature, I got to talking with ghostlikeswayze, a friend on Twitter, about all the issues we saw with Twitter's retweeter. He and I agreed that it takes a real part of being social out of this social media tool. The retweet feature doesn't let you change the original tweet in any way. You can't add your opinions, praise, disagreement or anything else. All you can do is retweet the exact message to spread the word.

Twitter is designed to share opinions and thoughts with people who are following you and therefore should be interested in what you have to say. Doesn't the rigid copy and paste of the retweet feature go against this very principle?

I'm partial to using Tweetdeck's retweet feature because you do have the ability to alter the message. I would also prefer copying and pasting certain parts into a message if I am using the Twitter web interface.

We decided that if you don't like the new retweet option simply send a message out on Twitter with the hash tag #RTRevolt. I know I already have.

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What are Twitter lists and Why Should You Care?

Twitter's new feature, which allows for the creation of lists has now been live for about a month. Many Twitter users still don't know what Twitter lists are, how to use them or why they may be important.

What are Twitter lists?

This feature allows you to group any number of users together into a common list. If you want to connect all the funny people you follow or all your coworkers, you simply create a list. Lists can be either public or private, but the default is public. TheNextWeb.com provides a great recap of how to actually create a list.

Anyone can create one or as many lists as they want, which may turn the feature into more of a circus than an organizational tool at some point.

Why should you care?

These lists will enable users to filter the massive number of tweets coming through their stream. The user can follow the lists alone, so they focus on specific people and ignore others.

Lists also allow users to promote or tip their hat to other people on Twitter. Creating a list enhances the likelihood that your other followers will see that person if they're interested in the list title.

As you probably expected, third party applications have already been created around this new component of Twitter. The most prominent thus far is Listorious, which points you in the direction of lists that would interest you. Simply type a list name, user name or tag and you will be directed to a list of lists (haha funny right? no? okay).

Marketers have jumped on the use of lists. They are creating lists to get their companies or clients noticed. The more savvy marketers are even creating lists highlighting their brand's most avid and supportive followers to engender them into the brand even more. This is a great tactic to use while lists are still new, shiny and growing in popularity.

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My wedding is keeping me from social media

I got engaged a couple months ago. I had been dating my then girlfriend for over six years and knew that it was the right time, right place and absolutely right girl. What I didn't fully grasp was how much time and energy planning the wedding would take.

With the time it takes to select a band, narrow down catering options, pick invitations and all the other components I have to cut time spent elsewhere. For me it was a difficult, but also simple choice.

I wasn't going to be able to cut time from work. Social media growth and brand adoption of social media strategies means more work. I can't cut time with family, dogs and friends because they are simply too important to me. I don't want to cut exercise time because it is important for me to be healthy and I have a marathon scheduled for several weeks from now.

This ultimately means that I have to reduce the amount of time I spend with my personal social networks. I spend less time tweeting, on Facebook, writing blog posts, joining in on discussion boards and posting video/photos.

It got me thinking what additional things happen in people's lives would keep them from participating in online communities as much as they would like? Are other people willing to sacrifice time spent doing other activities for the sake of social media?

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Issues with starting social media in a reluctant company

I spoke with a client this morning who is the primary advocate for building a corporate social media presence and the only one with any authority in his department. The conversation about strategy and execution turned into an airing of greivances and frustrations with the corporate infrastructure.

This client is a true believer in creating a corporate blog or blog network that can promote thought leadership, share white papers, engage potential consumers and really just generate conversation.

There are two primary issues within his company:

• Time constraints


• Executive support

He wants to include other experts in his company in the blogging process. He would love to see guest posts, comments and proliferation of messaging by his valued team members. Unfortunately, they all claim a lack of time as to why they don't want to contribute in any way. He is having a very difficult time convincing them that social media is beneficial for the promotion of the company services, as well as the individual's expertise. These people want immediate rewards, which he can't deliver yet because there isn't enough traffic.

The other issue is a lack of executive support. This client thinks that the experts would be more likely to participate if the other executives pushed them to do so and were vocal about the value of social media.

These are both real issues that people face while trying to start a social media endeavor in a company that has been otherwise reluctant to undetake one. Often times a truly compelling argument isn't enough because people want immediate dividends. Unfortunately if you are out alone on a limb, you may have to stay there until you can deliver the slightest of measuable, positive results. Don't give up on the compelling argument idea though. There are great case studies and results out there for all industries so look for proof of concept before taking on a company.

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