When people started saying how useless a social platform Google+ had become, I couldn’t disagree with them. I’ve watched the promising social network site deteriorate over the past two years, wondering if Google would just cut the cord. But then one day, people started saying that Twitter was dead, writing eulogies for it and everything. And I sat there reading each word, thinking to myself, “What the hell are these people talking about?”
Photo: Sattalat Phukkum/Shutterstock
Twitter isn’t dead. At least, not for the travel community. As a business tool, perhaps. It barely contributes to website traffic — Twitter is working on that. But the platform’s real staying power comes from its community members. In my opinion, this is the piece that’s holding G+ back but that will keep Twitter going for quite some time.
My experience as a social media manager helps me recognize that Twitter is the simplest social-media platform a person or company can utilize. It’s completely free, and while the Twitter ad program is trying to monetize its users, it doesn’t work the same way Facebook’s ad program does (i.e., it doesn’t clog my newsfeed with irrelevant posts about engagement rings, Taco Bell, and Home Depot). No one really has to “compete” on Twitter, because each tweet has such a short shelf life, it’s really just the luck of the draw that it’s seen to begin with.
is Twitter really dead? Slowly dying? I brought the question to the travel community — via Twitter.
Without Twitter, travel networking would be very different. It provides the sense of community travelers often lack while on the road. It’s the easiest way to stay connected — send out a concise message to your followers, maybe add some keywords, and wait for the responses, favorites, and RTs to pour in. On a recent trip to Norway, I was able to connect with locals, and other travelers, all from tweeting out messages using the hashtag #Oslo.
Twitter’s real strength lies in its monthly / weekly / daily chats. This is where people come together to answer a series of questions on a particular topic, followed by a hashtag denoting their participation in the talk. It’s a chance for travelers to discuss their favorite locations, post photos of foods they’ve eaten, or describe their dream round-the-world itinerary.
This comes in handy, because most travel industry people are freelancers. We might work from home, or find ourselves in a new location each week. We don’t have office cohorts we can gossip with, or who care to even know about our love for travel.
So that social need is fulfilled via Twitter. We can find people with similar interests much faster than through Facebook. We can keep people up to date with our travel plans easier than by maintaining a blog. We can share with the world our real-time emotions and receive instantaneous feedback, just as though we were talking face to face.
So is Twitter really dead? Slowly dying? I brought the question to the travel community — via Twitter. Here are some of their responses:
@KatkaTravels @MatadorNetwork No, Twitter is very much alive,
In d spotlight, vibrant & will thrive.
Though 140 chrctrs, tweets survive!
— Anita (@anitaexplorer) May 2, 2014
@KatkaTravels no! Use it for breaking news, keeping tabs on commute, meeting travelers on road & more! Need more than 140 char to explain!
— Katie Aune (@katieaune) May 2, 2014
@KatkaTravels it’s also still the 3rd highest referrer to my blog after google and Facebook
— Katie Aune (@katieaune) May 2, 2014
@KatkaTravels @MatadorNetwork Not dead, but certainly not very relevant in the grand scheme of things. Horrible click through rates.
— Michael Hodson (@GoSeeWrite) May 2, 2014
@KatkaTravels @matadornetwork no! It’s a perfect space for travellers to swap tips & knowledge, make contacts & learn about a destination.
— Flora The Explorer (@FloraBaker) May 2, 2014
@KatkaTravels @matadornetwork news wise, the immediacy can get you out of trouble or alert you to what’s going on in a location.
— Flora The Explorer (@FloraBaker) May 2, 2014
@KatkaTravels @MatadorNetwork I still think Twitter is the best implementation of social messaging, rss, and world news.
— Ryan Brown (@JustChuckinIt) May 2, 2014
@KatkaTravels @MatadorNetwork We don’t believe #twitterisdead. News and content being delivered real time in 140 characters.
— Biznobo (@Biznobo) May 2, 2014