I've made the jump and started using
Twitter in earnest in the last few weeks. I wasn't sure about it at first, I thought it seemed like it might maybe be just a fad for tech bloggers, desperate politicians, and luvvie radio/tv celebrities keen to show their tech credentials. I suppose I failed to understand its potential usefulness as part of a general online presence - until I started using it, that is.
Twitter is a service that lets you post sms-length 140 character messages ("tweets") to your so-called "followers", people who subscribe to your little missives. As a follower, you get a stream of headlines as people go about their day. People share everything - links, what they had for lunch, philosophical musings, political feelings, literary quotes, where they're going for a drink etc. You'd think this would just give you a load of chatter and noise, but what you get is surprisingly interesting and relevant (I'm wondering if I will feel the same once the novelty has worn off, but for now I'm enthusiastic.)
There are people who twitter well, and people who do it badly. The major mistake seems to be to fill your Tweets with purely marketing-oriented babble. Of course I know you want to sell me stuff, but please at least give me some interesting factoids in between your shameless commercial plugs. For DJs this translates into you not only telling me about your forthcoming gigs or your various Beatport releases. Sure that's all very cool, and honestly I wish you the best of luck, but by the tenth subsequent Tweet on the same subject I've actually given up caring and stopped following you (let's face it you probably already spam me enough via email/Facebook/Myspace already!) I won't mention any names, but I will definitely like you more if you Tweet about other things :-)
As for those who do it well, check out
Funkagenda,
Dave Seaman and
Imogen Heap for starters. What works for me is they don't just talk about their current CD release, but about their general interests, food, travels, studio processes, jokes, favourite bands, whatever - and they sound like human beings (which seems to be an important point to bear in mind whenever you indulge in online conversation, or indeed any kind of conversation). So go ahead, tweet about that
Sunday Roast you're cooking - I might even go and buy your next single.
I also dig the fact that you can integrate Twitter with Facebook and Myspace (and other networks) via
Ping.Fm or via dedicated applications within FB/MySp. This is really cool since it enables you to automatically synch your updates across Twitter/Facebook/Wherever. I've found that since I've been using Twitter, I've been updating far more often, which translates into more interactivity and stickiness on my Facebook/Myspace pages. Yes of course, I could have been doing that anyway, but the fact is I wasn't, and Twitter woke me up to that. My Facebook profile in particular is far more lively as a result.
So what of it's actual usefulness? Even though I've only just started using it, I can see that it can be integral part of anyone's online presence and personal professional brand, whether you work in music, advertising, or whatever. Used in conjunction with Facebook, Myspace and whatever other social networks you're on, it's another great way to make yourself heard online...
PS: Here are some useful links about Twitter, online music marketing, and online marketing in general:
How to Twitter: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123638550095558381.html
Some suggestions on how to behave in the Twitterverse.
Personal Branding: http://mashable.com/2009/02/05/personal-branding-101/
Mashable on setting up your online personal brand.
What Would Google Do?: http://www.buzzmachine.com/what-would-google-do/
Very zeitgeisty book on applying Google's business ethics to absolutely everything.
New Music Strategies: http://www.newmusicstrategies.com/
Andrew Dubber's blog about the music biz in the internet age. Essential reading.
And finally you can find me Twittering on about fine cuisine, airport experiences, books, and, yes, gig dates, at:
http://www.twitter.com/moussaclarke
