If You Want REAL Conversation, What’s Wrong With Twitter?

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In MY day, Twitter was fun

Seriously, it was! And it was unlike any other way to communicate. After joining Twitter early in 2008, I quickly began to enjoy meaningful conversations with people from all over the world. It was refreshing, exciting and energizing.

It didn’t take very long, though, for savvy marketers and business people begin exploiting the opportunity of this new world. My Twitter stream rapidly filled up with promotional links and nonsense. As the new marketing tactics took root in the network, my direct messages began filling up with spam links and random requests. The original conversational culture faded, then disappeared. What’s wrong with Twitter these days is that it has become a “what can you do for me” community.

What's Wrong With Twitter

Sadly, I decided to back away- not completely, but to a safe distance.  Twitter had become congested, noisy, and full of marketing speak. I started to push my own stuff and spend more time promoting my own brand. And I really missed the old days. I mostly missed the lasting connections borne of random conversation.

At conferences, some of us “old timers” have lamented about how we miss the original Twitter. What could we really do about it? Are we just too stubborn to accept the natural evolution of things? Maybe Twitter was destined to eventually become more like a billboard and less like a coffee house. We’ve done well to stay connected through well-run Twitter chats like #blogchat with Mack Collier and #CXO (Customer Experience Optimization) with Natasha Bishop. But those are limited to a specific hour every week when you may or may not be available.

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A sanctuary away from the din

I’m really excited about the this brilliant idea author Tom Martin (The Invisible Sale) came up with and very glad he decided to share it with the world.

Tom has created a place where there is always a topic to discuss. It’s called #daychat, and Tom would like it to be seen as a sort of embassy on Twitter. But bear in mind- there are rules, which Tom outlines here.  These rules are designed specifically to deter spammers and professional Twitter nuisances. So anyone who truly wants to connect will be able to engage away from the usual din of self-promoting tweets.

Here are just a few of the rules that make #daychat unique:

  • No hashtag abuse – it’s not about using the hashtag to promote.
  • No links! Can you handle this one? Anyone who has seen a hashtag abused by an over-aggressive promoter will understand why this rule is in place.
  • No retweeting tweets. Yes, it could be challenging, but the idea is to keep the hashtag easy to follow and clean.

So won’t you join in the real conversation? The hashtag #daychat will serve as a guide. It’s a safe place to share ideas and make valuable connections. It’s spam free. And it’s what Twitter used to be all about.

What's Wrong With Twitter

I’m excited to see where #daychat goes, and plan on hopping in and out of some great conversations along the way. If you’re interested in joining or want to know more about it, check out Tom’s original post about #daychat and then set up your own search. I look forward to chatting with you there!

Republished with author's permission from original post.

Jeannie Walters, CCXP
Jeannie Walters is a Certified Customer Experience Professional (CCXP,) a charter member of the Customer Experience Professionals Association (CXPA,) a globally recognized speaker, a LinkedIn Learning and Lynda.com instructor, and a Tedx speaker. She’s a very active writer and blogger, contributing to leading publications from Forbes to Pearson college textbooks. Her mission is “To Create Fewer Ruined Days for Customers.”

1 COMMENT

  1. I completely miss the old twitter too. However, I have been trying to have conversations with people that matter.

    Another thing that i do is not to follow everyone and dont aim to have 100’s of 1000’s of followers. I am happy with whoever decides to follow me and at the same time, I only follow people whom i really want to.

    I also use twitter lists to differentiate between the folks whom I dont necessarily follow but would love to have a conversation with based on their topics of influence.

    I shall try out #daychat and would love it if this becomes an effective medium to chat up with people..

    Thanks for sharing this idea with all of us.

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