Comments on: Twitter : Where Are The Normal People? http://www.simplyzesty.com/social-media/twitter-normal-people/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=twitter-normal-people Building your brand through social media Wed, 08 Feb 2012 21:29:00 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: The “Normal” People Are Starting To Tweet http://www.simplyzesty.com/social-media/twitter-normal-people/#comment-32973 The “Normal” People Are Starting To Tweet Mon, 21 Nov 2011 15:15:26 +0000 http://www.simplyzesty.com/?p=2691#comment-32973 [...] over two years ago, I wrote a post called Twitter: Where Are The Normal People? in which I got quite a lot of flak in the comments and on Twitter itself. The point that I was [...] [...] over two years ago, I wrote a post called Twitter: Where Are The Normal People? in which I got quite a lot of flak in the comments and on Twitter itself. The point that I was [...]

]]> By: Is Twitter about to hit a similar growth spurt to Facebook's? http://www.simplyzesty.com/social-media/twitter-normal-people/#comment-32959 Is Twitter about to hit a similar growth spurt to Facebook's? Mon, 21 Nov 2011 13:06:54 +0000 http://www.simplyzesty.com/?p=2691#comment-32959 [...] over two years ago I wrote a post called Twitter : Where Are The Normal People? in which I got quite a lot of flak in the comments and on Twitter itself. The point that I was [...] [...] over two years ago I wrote a post called Twitter : Where Are The Normal People? in which I got quite a lot of flak in the comments and on Twitter itself. The point that I was [...]

]]> By: Sidrah Zaheer Siddiqui http://www.simplyzesty.com/social-media/twitter-normal-people/#comment-32720 Sidrah Zaheer Siddiqui Tue, 15 Nov 2011 07:26:00 +0000 http://www.simplyzesty.com/?p=2691#comment-32720 The first time I used Twitter back in early 2009, instantly I fell in love with the site. I was just wondering why the whole world is not using it. And within the next few months, the world started using it and has not stopped since. I think the site was bound to be great. The concept is amazing. The first time I used Twitter back in early 2009, instantly I fell in love with the site. I was just wondering why the whole world is not using it. And within the next few months, the world started using it and has not stopped since. I think the site was bound to be great. The concept is amazing.

]]> By: Paul http://www.simplyzesty.com/social-media/twitter-normal-people/#comment-1481 Paul Mon, 21 Sep 2009 21:47:04 +0000 http://www.simplyzesty.com/?p=2691#comment-1481 I wouldn't really count people I "know" purely on Twitter as friends. If I've had significant contact in person or via the phone then I might call them friends, but a brief exchange on Twitter really doesn't count for me. I wouldn’t really count people I “know” purely on Twitter as friends. If I’ve had significant contact in person or via the phone then I might call them friends, but a brief exchange on Twitter really doesn’t count for me.

]]> By: Daniel Sullivan http://www.simplyzesty.com/social-media/twitter-normal-people/#comment-1471 Daniel Sullivan Mon, 21 Sep 2009 14:10:58 +0000 http://www.simplyzesty.com/?p=2691#comment-1471 Sinead, where here was it said that all bloggers were IT people? I suspect that people are saying that X was said and reacting to that instead of responding to what was actually said. Sinead, where here was it said that all bloggers were IT people? I suspect that people are saying that X was said and reacting to that instead of responding to what was actually said.

]]> By: Niall Harbison http://www.simplyzesty.com/social-media/twitter-normal-people/#comment-1470 Niall Harbison Mon, 21 Sep 2009 12:40:30 +0000 http://www.simplyzesty.com/?p=2691#comment-1470 Yeah pretty sure Bloggers can and do come from all walks of life. It takes a certain type of person to Twitter or Blog but they certainly can't be pigeon holed into chefs, or techies or journos etc. Generally a large percentage of people just have no interest in having their voice heard and prefer to have their thoughts kept private. Sinead I would agree with the research as it just seems like blogs are popping up all over the place in Ireland these days and it has moved well beyond tech at this stage Yeah pretty sure Bloggers can and do come from all walks of life. It takes a certain type of person to Twitter or Blog but they certainly can’t be pigeon holed into chefs, or techies or journos etc. Generally a large percentage of people just have no interest in having their voice heard and prefer to have their thoughts kept private.

Sinead I would agree with the research as it just seems like blogs are popping up all over the place in Ireland these days and it has moved well beyond tech at this stage

]]> By: Sinéad http://www.simplyzesty.com/social-media/twitter-normal-people/#comment-1465 Sinéad Mon, 21 Sep 2009 11:37:12 +0000 http://www.simplyzesty.com/?p=2691#comment-1465 There was a piece of research conducted by DCU in 2006 which found that blogging in Ireland was dominated by members of the IT industry, but in the last 3 years this has shifted significantly (going from over 90% to only 30%).   Yes it might still be “wholly unrepresentative of the wider national population” but it still doesn’t make it right to describe all bloggers as IT people and is an interesting statistic to look at when considering future trends. There was a piece of research conducted by DCU in 2006 which found that blogging in Ireland was dominated by members of the IT industry, but in the last 3 years this has shifted significantly (going from over 90% to only 30%).
 
Yes it might still be “wholly unrepresentative of the wider national population” but it still doesn’t make it right to describe all bloggers as IT people and is an interesting statistic to look at when considering future trends.

]]> By: Daniel Sullivan http://www.simplyzesty.com/social-media/twitter-normal-people/#comment-1462 Daniel Sullivan Mon, 21 Sep 2009 11:11:55 +0000 http://www.simplyzesty.com/?p=2691#comment-1462 Sinead, if the numbers were exclusive to one another then 47% of bloggers being from the tech or media worlds would be wholly unrepresentative of the wider national population. Again, I'll beat the drum of there being no online communities. There are communities of people who are online but no online communities. There is no twitter or blogging community. As for rationality, tweeting and being on twitter are not necessarily the same thing. There would appear a significant listener population on twitter who aren't much interested in tweeting themselves but are inclined to follow. The lurker/listener phenomena has been known about from much early research work on various bulletin-boards. Sinead, if the numbers were exclusive to one another then 47% of bloggers being from the tech or media worlds would be wholly unrepresentative of the wider national population.

Again, I’ll beat the drum of there being no online communities. There are communities of people who are online but no online communities. There is no twitter or blogging community. As for rationality, tweeting and being on twitter are not necessarily the same thing. There would appear a significant listener population on twitter who aren’t much interested in tweeting themselves but are inclined to follow. The lurker/listener phenomena has been known about from much early research work on various bulletin-boards.

]]> By: Sinéad http://www.simplyzesty.com/social-media/twitter-normal-people/#comment-1459 Sinéad Mon, 21 Sep 2009 10:05:47 +0000 http://www.simplyzesty.com/?p=2691#comment-1459 Some of the comments here suggest that most Twitter users are bloggers, and have some involvement in either the IT or the media sector, but from my own research on Irish bloggers I found that there was no link between being involved with IT and the inclination to blog. In fact, I found that only 30% of Irish bloggers were coming from the IT industry and only 17% were coming from the Media sector.   So where do the rest fit in? Geeks? Social misfits? Normals?   These are totally different categories/descriptions from “publishers” or “marketer” etc. and are unfair speculations with regard to personality types. Besides, most research has shown that extroverted people are just as attracted to computer mediated communications as introverted ones. Also, being a geek these days is far more “normal” than it’s ever been and it’s meaning has dramatically changed too.   Members of online communities often make the assumption that they have a thorough understanding and awareness of the online landscape and who travels through it. However, Twitter is not an ideal landscape to navigate in an attempt to discover individuals outside of your own community, so it’s even easier to make assumptions like the ones above.   Is it not more rational to assume that those who tweet have something to say, and those who don’t, don’t? Some of the comments here suggest that most Twitter users are bloggers, and have some involvement in either the IT or the media sector, but from my own research on Irish bloggers I found that there was no link between being involved with IT and the inclination to blog. In fact, I found that only 30% of Irish bloggers were coming from the IT industry and only 17% were coming from the Media sector.
 
So where do the rest fit in? Geeks? Social misfits? Normals?
 
These are totally different categories/descriptions from “publishers” or “marketer” etc. and are unfair speculations with regard to personality types. Besides, most research has shown that extroverted people are just as attracted to computer mediated communications as introverted ones. Also, being a geek these days is far more “normal” than it’s ever been and it’s meaning has dramatically changed too.
 
Members of online communities often make the assumption that they have a thorough understanding and awareness of the online landscape and who travels through it. However, Twitter is not an ideal landscape to navigate in an attempt to discover individuals outside of your own community, so it’s even easier to make assumptions like the ones above.
 
Is it not more rational to assume that those who tweet have something to say, and those who don’t, don’t?

]]> By: Niall Harbison http://www.simplyzesty.com/social-media/twitter-normal-people/#comment-1458 Niall Harbison Mon, 21 Sep 2009 09:26:56 +0000 http://www.simplyzesty.com/?p=2691#comment-1458 Yes John I can confirm having seen you up close and personal that you are indeed normal Yes John I can confirm having seen you up close and personal that you are indeed normal

]]> By: mcawilliams http://www.simplyzesty.com/social-media/twitter-normal-people/#comment-1455 mcawilliams Mon, 21 Sep 2009 08:47:10 +0000 http://www.simplyzesty.com/?p=2691#comment-1455 I am normal! I am normal!

]]> By: ROSEMARY MAC CABE » Twitterific http://www.simplyzesty.com/social-media/twitter-normal-people/#comment-1453 ROSEMARY MAC CABE » Twitterific Mon, 21 Sep 2009 08:02:43 +0000 http://www.simplyzesty.com/?p=2691#comment-1453 [...] an addendum, check out this interesting debate going on at Simply Zesty. And above all, get on Twitter – you don’t know what [...] [...] an addendum, check out this interesting debate going on at Simply Zesty. And above all, get on Twitter – you don’t know what [...]

]]> By: Anton Mannering http://www.simplyzesty.com/social-media/twitter-normal-people/#comment-1448 Anton Mannering Sun, 20 Sep 2009 21:05:48 +0000 http://www.simplyzesty.com/?p=2691#comment-1448 Anyone who uses any new tool without at least observing what others are doing first (if not taking instruction) and then proceeds without caution is a fool and deserves the results. Imagine using a hammer that way!!! I would suggest this is an indicator of a business that has far bigger problems than it's misuse of twitter. Anyone who uses any new tool without at least observing what others are doing first (if not taking instruction) and then proceeds without caution is a fool and deserves the results. Imagine using a hammer that way!!!
I would suggest this is an indicator of a business that has far bigger problems than it’s misuse of twitter.

]]> By: Daniel Sullivan http://www.simplyzesty.com/social-media/twitter-normal-people/#comment-1447 Daniel Sullivan Sun, 20 Sep 2009 19:40:41 +0000 http://www.simplyzesty.com/?p=2691#comment-1447 Daragh, the problem with the use of words like normal is that they have rather correct meanings in the world of maths from which they come but have often come to be understand as meaning something else when in fact they don't. Average is another word that gets misused. And average and normal aren't the same either. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Normal_distribution So what is normal is that which is clustered around the middle of a distribution. The distribution could be made up of interests, income, age, educational background, musical tastes whatever you like. Since people are made up of a variety of unique characteristics it is actually quite hard for anyone to be 'normal' for all measurable behaviours and activities along with other characteristics. So to be normal you need to like what most other people like and do what most other people do, and using twitter is not something that most people other than yourself are doing. Hence, you are not normal, nor am I. Almost no one is completely normal but when it commons to twitter as in this case, with most people not using it then they are by definition normal and those of using it are not normal. My apologies for the pedantic nature of the reply but I'm an engineer not a sociologist and some words really do mean what they mean. Daragh, the problem with the use of words like normal is that they have rather correct meanings in the world of maths from which they come but have often come to be understand as meaning something else when in fact they don’t. Average is another word that gets misused. And average and normal aren’t the same either.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Normal_distribution

So what is normal is that which is clustered around the middle of a distribution. The distribution could be made up of interests, income, age, educational background, musical tastes whatever you like. Since people are made up of a variety of unique characteristics it is actually quite hard for anyone to be ‘normal’ for all measurable behaviours and activities along with other characteristics. So to be normal you need to like what most other people like and do what most other people do, and using twitter is not something that most people other than yourself are doing. Hence, you are not normal, nor am I. Almost no one is completely normal but when it commons to twitter as in this case, with most people not using it then they are by definition normal and those of using it are not normal.

My apologies for the pedantic nature of the reply but I’m an engineer not a sociologist and some words really do mean what they mean.

]]> By: Niall Harbison http://www.simplyzesty.com/social-media/twitter-normal-people/#comment-1445 Niall Harbison Sun, 20 Sep 2009 19:01:01 +0000 http://www.simplyzesty.com/?p=2691#comment-1445 Ah the steep learning curve is that it can go massively wrong for some people at the start just coming in to sell, sell sell and plenty of people get called C*nts for taking their first steps and making small mistakes. What gets me the most is that every client we speak to these days wants to only talk about Twitter as if it is some sort of magical tool that will fill sell all their products. There is so so much more to social media than that and you are right that no point talking if nobody listening :) Ah the steep learning curve is that it can go massively wrong for some people at the start just coming in to sell, sell sell and plenty of people get called C*nts for taking their first steps and making small mistakes. What gets me the most is that every client we speak to these days wants to only talk about Twitter as if it is some sort of magical tool that will fill sell all their products. There is so so much more to social media than that and you are right that no point talking if nobody listening :)

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