Tweet

Life in the Stream

Guest post by: Rebel Brown

Article Overview: Our audience is speaking to us, but are we listening? Twitter is.

Life in the Stream

I watched the Super Bowl at home last night. I'm sick with a flu bug so I stayed away from the party rather than playing the role of Typhoid Rebel. Wow! What an eye opening experience that was. Not because of staying home alone. And not because of the game - which was great. The WOW was because of what I learned.

It all started out simply enough. I was Tweeting with a couple of gal friends as the coin was tossed, then the game began - and then the ads started.That's when the fun began.

It wasn't the game that everybody was commenting on. It was the ads! And what comments they were. OMG! My Twitter stream went from this powerful, positive information-filled environment to a running stream of sarcastic comments whose seeming purpose was to diss every advertising firm involved. When did we become so hard to please? It's a football game!

But then I noticed some other comments - from people who loved the first round of ads, and the next and the next. Positive, upbeat, heart-filled and supportive. These people also commented on the game itself, interacting with a light-hearted, upbeat spirit - like they were at a real football game. They were reveling in the celebration. It was such fun to share the game and the whole experience with them!

That's when it hit me.

Twitter is a real time audience feedback mechanism!

I created two new TD columns for these sets of Tweeps - added the folks who were online and active. I also added a third column - for all the folks who were on Twitter but who hadn't said a single word about the game so far.

I watched those three columns between plays, and I learned so much!

* The cool Tweeps - the ones who were dissing everything in sight - pretty much kept on doing just that. No matter what was happening. They dissed the ads, the plays, called The Who a bunch of old men who needed to be in nursing homes. Sarcasm must be the new chic???

* The happy Tweeps - the ones who were enjoying the game - commented about everything that was happening, straight from their hearts. They liked some ads, didn't like some ads and discussed why and why not. They didn't try to be important or cool - they were having fun AND providing real feedback on every $3M spent. And BTW - the guys tended to like pretty much the same ads, across the board. Imagine that.

* The hard-working Tweeps kept focused on their normal, every Sunday afternoon kinda Tweets. Not one of them mentioned the game, ever. And yes, they were in the US.

* A fourth category came along about halfway through the game. The women who were offended by Bridgestone and GoDaddy and other ads they felt were chauvinistic. This stream grew larger and more vocal by the end of the game. Another audience segment speaking their truth!

So what's my point?

Huge audiences are alive and speaking on Twitter. Every audience demographic we could imagine is active on Twitter! I filtered 4 profiles last night - but there are infinite possibilities.

I felt like I was in the Matrix!

We can now access the most powerful, real-time feedback ever available. Even better - it's unfiltered, uninfluenced and the raw truth. Well at least in most cases. We do need to consider the source.

In Twisten Carefully, I wrote about an HBR article that suggested Twitter needed more 'Important' information'. I disagreed. Twitter as filled with rich, in depth information, there for our taking.

Today, I see it's even more powerful. What do YOU think? Tweet me @rebelbrown :)

Related Articles
  Ever hear of the term Value Stream Marketing?
  How do you determine value?
  DO YOU KNOW MUCH VALUE YOU PROVIDE? IF NOT, HOW CAN YOU BE MORE EFFECTIVE?
  Why would you use Value Stream Mapping
  One Home Based Business Income Opportunity Tip, That Will Skyrocket Your Residual Income!
  You Must Have Multiple Income Streams in Your Home Based Business
  Draw your Value Stream Map in Excel
  HOW DO YOU MEASURE THE VALUE YOU ADD?
  How to Get More Clients Without Spending a Cent!
  Eenie Meenie
  Searching For Ways To Earn Multiple Streams Of Income Online?
  3 Internet Home Business Ideas To Create The Ultimate Income Stream
  Is your Value Stream Mapping backwards?
  The 4 Keys to Referral Success
  Using Value Stream Mapping Software
  How You Can Create Wealth With Streams of Internet Income
  Building a Lean Healthcare Value Stream
  There Are Several Benefits Of Starting An Online Home Business
  6 step process to Lean Marketing
  STEPPING STONE GOALS

Article Tags: defying gravity, market research, marketing, strategy, SuperBowl, Twitter



Related Forum Posts
The Second Life Platform - Greetings! I'm not sure how many of you have heard of or are sensitive to Second Life and its related entities. However, Second Life is a fantastic platform to mimmick real life business operations in a real currency based economy. There are plenty of successful stories for creative individuals, but I'd highly suggest doing your research and appreciating Second Life for what it is, and what it isn't.
Re: The Second Life Platform - [quote="JBunion":fhe23fsu]Greetings! I'm not sure how many of you have heard of or are sensitive to Second Life and its related entities. However, Second Life is a fantastic platform to mimmick real life business operations in a real currency based economy. There are plenty of successful stories for creative individuals, but I'd highly suggest doing your research and appreciating Second Life for what it is, and what it isn't.[/quote:fhe23fsu] Hi JBunion, I've heard about the site. So are you currently a member? And more importantly, have you tried to open a store front in that virtual world?
Re: Charge what you're worth - [quote="Tami Szabo":292ze3jd]People will pay you what you ask. Very few will ever up the price. You are the one who decided what you are worth. The key is that we believe our services are worth the price we are asking.[/quote:292ze3jd] Hi Tami, You're absolutely right. In "Think and Grow Rich", Jessie B. Rittenhouse says "For Life is a just employer, He gives you what you ask, But once you have set the wages, Why, you must bear the task. I worked for a menial's hire Only to learn, dismayed , That any wage I had asked of Life, Life would have willingly paid" (Napoleon Hill 35). I think the same can be said when setting prices on eBay or Craigslist, especially when people are trying to haggle you.
Re: Favorite Christmas movies - [quote="OmnivoreInk":1rxsgr0t]I do have to say I've never liked[i:1rxsgr0t] It's A Wonderful Life[/i:1rxsgr0t]. He spends all his life having his hopes and dreams shattered, feeling miserable, and its only at the end of his life that he can look back and realize how many friends he has, etc. But that doesn't change the fact that up until that point he was miserable![/quote:1rxsgr0t] I love the sentimentality around watching that movie with your Mom! Chtistmas is made up of all those sentimental things. "It's A Wonderful Life" is all about perspective, much in the same way that Scrooge is 'realigned' in Charles Dickens' "A Christmas Carol" - which I listen to on CD every year (sometimes twice!) Happy Christmas Everyone! Regards Martin
Second Life - Real $? - hi Mayra - have you actually made money from Second Life? Is it something can actually do as a business?


Share this article with your friends. Fund someone's dream.

Leave a comment below or share on the left and you'll help support entrepreneurs in Africa through our partnership with Kiva. Over $50,000 raised and counting - Please keep sharing! Learn more.

Newsletter

Get advice & tips from famous business
owners, new articles by entrepreneur
experts, my latest website updates, &
special sneak peaks at what's to come!

Name:
Email:

Popular Articles

3 Health Insurance Misconceptions

Five keys to business success

Stay Employed In A Down Economy

Suggestions

Email us your ideas on how to make our
website more valuable! Thank you Sharon
from Toronto Salsa Lessons / Classes for
your suggestions to make the newsletter
look like the website and profile younger
entrepreneurs like Jennifer Lopez.