Conferences | Musings | Social Networking | Web 2.0
If you Tweet, will anybody hear it?
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I think that many people (myself included) that share sites like Twitter at conferences inadvertently do our attendees a disservice. In the effort of attempting to demonstrate how wonderful, simple, powerful and dynamic it is, we make it seem much more effortless than it really is.
For example… How many times per day do you see somebody say, “Give a shout out to the people in Nepal who are attending my presentation about social networks about using the Luge to teach physics!” And then 30-40 people reply with a hearty “Hello”. So attendees believe all it takes it to toss a tweet out there, and dozens of responses will pour in.
What isn’t necessarily shown, or may just be glossed over, is the fact that it takes TIME and EFFORT to gain a few hundred followers. And without having a critical mass of people to message out to, your odds of getting a response from a general tweet are VERY small. If you have 40 followers, more than likely none of them are actually online at the same time as you. And even if they are, who knows if they’re checking Twitter? And even if they are, who knows if they’ll see your tweet? And if they do, how many people will see it and ignore it, versus will see it and respond?
For example, if I send out a “Please give these folks a shout out” tweet, I expect maybe about 30-40 responses on a typical school day during normal hours. If it’s a weekend, or in the evening, you can cut that number in half. I currently have about 5000 followers. So at best, that’s less than 1%. At that rate, if you have 100 followers, could you realistically expect an instant response from even a single person? I’m not sure… It depends on who is following you.
That’s not to say that everyone should run out and get more followers. My point is simply, things aren’t necessarily as rosy and simple as we may make them seem during presentations.
I can’t tell you how many times I see a Twitter newbie who has under 50 followers throw out a request like, “I’m trying to find schools that have updated their AUP this year. If you know someone, please tell me.” Then when they don’t get any responses, they get frustrated and may wind up quitting. While I can’t address what may be an issue with persistence, I do think that person has set themselves up for failure.
I really do think you need to follow/be followed by about 100 people at the least for Twitter to begin to be valuable. If you have a dedicated, highly focused group, that number may be smaller, but in general I think that’s a fair ballpark. If you have less than that, you need to be much more aggressive to get responses.
A few suggestions for people who are new to Twitter or have relatively small audiences right now.
1) Repeat. Repeat. Repeat. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with putting a message out there multiple times. If you’re worried about looking like a spammer, reword it. Mention that your STILL looking for information. But it’s entirely possible that people didn’t see your message. So give them another chance. And yet another.
2) Ask some people directly to respond. If you send a tweet that includes @TheirUsername, more than likely they will see it. It may take a day or two before they look for personal replies, but most people WILL see it. Unless they have fairly strict privacy settings, it should work. So if there’s someone you think might be able to help you out, send it directly to them by using this feature.
3) Reach out to the hubs in your network. Let’s face it, some people have more followers than others. Maybe they do a lot of conferences, maybe they just have too much time on their hands. Regardless, they may have a longer reach than you do. So contact them directly and ask them to retweet it for you! I’m extremely grateful to have the audience that I do, and I’m happy to share them whenever someone asks. By doing this, you maybe be able to ensure that your request has been seen by a few thousand people instead of a few dozen. Doesn’t guarantee a response, but it does give you better odds.
Of course, the best solution in the long term is to build up your own community. The only real way to do that is to maintain your own presence, to reach out to others, and to follow people and give them the chance to follow you.
For those of you that do present sessions including Twitter, do you see the same thing happening? Is it just me or is this something you’ve experienced yourself? And if so, how do you address it?
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Kellie80
10/20/2009
Thanks for posting this. I think sometimes Twitter can seem like a clique into which one isn’t welcome. Many of us stay in lurker mode because we don’t get anything back when we do tweet — but, just “hearing” the conversations going on can lead to growth, even when you aren’t actively part of the conversation.
Wesley Fryer
10/20/2009
I definitely agree that directly asking someone publicly by sending an @reply is a good way to get a response. I respond (at least at this point) to all the @replies I receive, and it is easy to retweet questions if its appropriate. This is a way someone’s question can be readily amplified to larger audiences, and it can be a good way to address the issues you highlight here.
concretkax
10/20/2009
Thanks for bringing this up. I agree that speakers often set up unrealistic expectations for twitter. It took me 2-3 months to build up to 100 followers. Of course, I could have been more aggressive, but I am not an outgoing person and I lurked for quite awhile. I wonder if personality(introvert vs. extrovert) affects how quickly you build a PLN?
I also think people should be taught that they can jump in and out of the twitter stream. I was obsessive about reading every tweet when I started on twitter and this made me want to keep the number of people I followed low. After I realized that twitter was a tool to be used on my terms I increased the number of people I followed and started to “get” twitter more.
concretkax´s last blog ..Wood chips 
Martin Jorgensen
10/20/2009
I completely agree … my followers are an amazing group of professionals, willing to respond at a moments notice. Problem is as you say, many of them are out and about in the world much of the time, and only a small percentage will be available to a shout out. That’s ok, I’m happy to ask twice, or three times … and I’ll always do a morning and night tweet about a new blog post when I put one up.
Great idea approaching those with larger networks to RT your requests, will have to give that a try!
The best way to build your PLN of course, is to be PART of the conversation and contribute as much as you can. Reap what you sow.
Steve
10/20/2009
@Kellie: It’s like any other group. People know each other, and when there’s a group that are actively chatting with each other, it can seem like you’re an outsider. You aren’t, it just takes time to develop a new relationship! And that goes both ways 
Trouble is, when you lurk (nothing wrong with that), you may ‘watch’ someone for several months. Then when you go to interact with them, they may seem like an old friend to you, whereas you may be a total stranger to them!
The social dynamics of Twitter can be fascinating…
Steve
10/20/2009
@concretkax You bring up some great points. A lot of people get discouraged by Twitter because they do tend to get overloaded. And while it seems silly, I think many people do feel a little guilty when they miss tweets from people, and consequently feel obligated to read every one. Obviously, this just isn’t sustainable.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts on this!
Sean
10/20/2009
using hash tags is also a good way to increase you likelyhood of getting a response. I follow two hashtags and regularly respond to people whom I do not follow. I also use hash tags to ask questions when I’m not sure if my followers will be able to help me out.
Also for me my followers tend be be split evenly living in North America, Europe or Australia/Eastern Asia which effectively reduces my chances of getting a quick response.
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Tina Franzen and twittes, twittes1. twittes1 said: If you Tweet, will anybody hear it? – Teach42: Sin Descripción http://bit.ly/2mbAgl [...]
twittes1
10/21/2009
If you Tweet, will anybody hear it? – Teach42: Sin Descripción http://bit.ly/2mbAgl
twittes
10/21/2009
If you Tweet, will anybody hear it? – Teach42: Sin Descripción http://bit.ly/2mbAgl
Robin
10/22/2009
To be most effective Twitter has to be just one piece of the overall picture of what you are doing online. Community participation, blogging, twittering, etc. Whether you are a novice or more experienced, the more venues in which you give and take the more meaningful each will be.
Robin´s last blog ..Beyond Power Point
Mark Dunk
10/23/2009
If you Tweet, will anybody hear it? – Teach42 – http://shar.es/1B0Vs
Terry Freedman
10/23/2009
reat post, Steve: I am all in favour of anything that encourages ‘newbies’ to persist. A few things to pick up on:
1. Sending out the same message at different times is fine simply because of the different time zones. I often tweet an important message 3 times a day, once for fellow Brits, once for folk in the Ameircas and once for colleagues in the antipodes. Nobody has yet accused me of spamming (though I think you have to be cautious and sensitive and sensible)
2. I have found that simply adding ‘Pls RT’ to my tweets has a dramatic effect. I also thank people for retweeting, as I think that’s the polite thing to do. I’m not sure if that has had any effect on people’s willingness to RT, but that’s not the point. I think all these things have to be a 2-way street.
3. That brings me to Robin’s point. It takes a long time to build up a meaningful community, and Twitter is just one avenue. Getting involved, sharing expertise and blogging or podcasting, and getting involved OFFline too — all are crucial IMHO.
Terry Freedman´s last blog ..Checklist: 8 things to check every day in a computer room
Jed
10/24/2009
Currently reading – If you Tweet, will anybody hear it? – by @teach42 http://www.teach42.com/2009/10/20/if-you-tweet-will-anybody-hear-it/
Stephen Lockyer
10/25/2009
A very good article, and one that I can relate to. What is logical, yet not obvious at first with Twitter is that the more followers you have and interact with, the better the experience is. I now have a rather flattering 240 or so followers as @mrlockyer, and get so much more in terms of interaction with them than I did with just 50. I estimate that I get about a 5% interaction rate though, so perhaps there is something to be said for having a smaller group of followers within the same niche.
Stephen Lockyer’s last blogpost… Innovation versus Risk in the classroom
Stephen Lockyer´s last blog ..Innovation versus Risk
Sandi Adams
10/26/2009
thanks for this post, even when you have been on twitter and making the effort to build your network, you can sometimes feel like a loner.
Great thoughts! Hey and I just wonder how you like the new wii plus!! LOL
Sandi Adams
10/26/2009
I feel like this some days! "If a Tweet falls in the forest and no one is there does it make a sound?" http://bit.ly/24bTGa
Sandi Adams
10/26/2009
I feel like this some days! "If a Tweet falls in the forest and no one is there does it make a sound?" http://bit.ly/24bTGa
Sandi Adams
10/26/2009
Please RT-I feel like this some days! "If a Tweet falls in the forest and no one is there does it make a sound?" http://bit.ly/24bTGa
Melissa Edwards
10/27/2009
Currently reading – If you Tweet, will anybody hear it? – by @teach42 http://bit.ly/V0MrS
Lisa Thumann
11/3/2009
You bring up some great points Steve. These are things that I have been thinking about as I have been doing Twitter demos and workshops.
I have actually stopped doing shout-outs (though I still respond to them when I see them) and have instead started taking questions from the group and Tweeting them. This (hopefully) brings us to find educators to follow. When I see folks that I know who are trying to build their networks, I’ll RT their question hoping to get them not just an answer, but perhaps to increase the size of their network.
Of course it’s that whole – if a tree falls in a forest and no one is around to hear it -did it really make a sound? I talk with the teachers about reciprocity. Lurking is okay to a point. But you always have something to contribute. Just share what you are reading our checking out that day.
Chad Lehman
11/10/2009
This makes a lot of sense and what you’ve said is certainly true. I have retweeted things several time to help get more responses – mostly at different times of the day to try and get more interaction.
I think what’s also happening is that people are retweeting questions without even being asked. I’ve seen that happening in my case. It seems the network is looking out for others by doing this, and I think it’s great. I don’t think it hurts, either, to pass on tweets looking for information to a particular user. I saw a tweet about a topic and forwarded it on to someone I knew had good resources on that topic.
Chad Lehman´s last blog ..My First Presentation Experience
Patty Windsor
11/10/2009
Blog post: If you Tweet, will anyone hear it? http://bit.ly/sd0jT good thoughts on they dynamics of twitter conversations.
Patty
11/10/2009
There is a group using Twitter for a chat venu. They have a poll ahead of time as to the topic. Tuesdays at 7PM EST. Select a topic at http://twtpoll.com/zupmvp. Use Tweetdeck and search #edchat. This way you don’t have to be following someone to get a response.
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11/13/2009
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Mike Sammartano
11/20/2009
Are your tweets (or mine) going unheard? http://tinyurl.com/yb3bqdb
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Selena Ward
11/28/2009
When I presented Twitter at my last conference, I tried to be totally honest about my experience. I told them it took 3 months to get into it and 6 months to really build a community. I even shared the heartbreaking story of sending out my first Twitter request and getting 0 responses. I got positive feedback from those that had already tried Twitter, but weren’t hooked yet.
Selena Ward´s last blog ..Am I normal?
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12/16/2009
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Nice post! Very complete and detail information. That’s what I need! Well done!
Lee Kolbert
12/19/2009
Interesting post, Steve. I always encourage Twitter Newbies to click through people they respect and look at who they are following and start building their network of a few hundred people right away. I try to explain how stupid Twitter will seem if you only follow very few people. I do sometimes ask for “shout-outs” during presentations, but like Lisa, with a question. I don’t think there’s much wrong with that as long as you explain that this is a potential benefit to having a lot of followers and (at least in the beginning) only by following a lot of people can you increase your own followers.
Lee Kolbert´s last blog ..10 Online Educational Sites for Kids
lornacost
12/19/2009
RT @courosa: RT @teach42: If you Tweet, will anybody hear it? – Teach42 http://j.mp/16JRmj
Silvia Tolisano
12/19/2009
RT @courosa: RT @teach42: If you Tweet, will anybody hear it? – Teach42 http://j.mp/16JRmj
Dana Woods
12/19/2009
RT @courosa: RT @teach42: If you Tweet, will anybody hear it? – Teach42 http://j.mp/16JRmj
yamasas
12/19/2009
[twitter] If you Tweet, will anybody hear it? – Teach42 http://bit.ly/50BphV
David Peter
12/19/2009
RT @courosa: RT @teach42: If you Tweet, will anybody hear it? – Teach42 http://j.mp/16JRmj
Gerald Aungst
12/19/2009
RT @courosa: RT @teach42: If you Tweet, will anybody hear it? – Teach42 http://j.mp/16JRmj
Jay Salikin
12/19/2009
I am in the process of building my PLN now. It has been months, but I am slowly getting out there. One hint I do, is if I shout out and no one answers, I immediately show how to do a Twitter search to try to get the info (as in the AUP example). This article has great advice!
Emory Maiden
12/19/2009
RT @courosa RT @teach42: If you Tweet, will anybody hear it? – Teach42 http://j.mp/16JRmj
Ann Leaness
12/19/2009
I love how you describe Twitter and have often experienced what you have described. I often feel like I am shouting into a great big void. Is anyone out there? Can anyone hear me? Twitter is a strange and beautiful place. Sometimes it leaves you feeling alone and other times it is a haven with great conversations. The conversations take time and a willingness to take a risk. Sometimes people do feel like “old friends” when you watch them interact for a long period of time. When you do start to interact with these “old friends” it can be a very strange experience. Some recognize what is happening and are very welcoming and others, not so much. that is just the nature of the network I guess. One thing that is always constant about Twitter is the unending supply of resources. Thanks for sharing.
Ann Leaness´s last blog ..Cannonball!!!!!!
Ann Leaness
12/19/2009
RT @teach42: If you Tweet, will anybody hear it? – Teach42 http://j.mp/16JRmj – My comment blocked as spam 
Joe Fahs
12/19/2009
RT @courosa: RT @teach42: If you Tweet, will anybody hear it? – Teach42 http://j.mp/16JRmj [comments enhance an excellent article]
Tzvi Pittinsky
12/19/2009
RT @teach42: If you Tweet, will anybody hear it? – Teach42 http://j.mp/16JRmj
LisaRead
12/19/2009
RT @courosa: RT @teach42: If you Tweet, will anybody hear it? – Teach42 http://j.mp/16JRmj
Matt Grawitch
12/19/2009
RT @courosa: RT @teach42: If you Tweet, will anybody hear it? – Teach42 http://j.mp/16JRmj
Ed Allen
12/19/2009
Great post. I have been on twitter for a little over a year. I have grown my network slowly, around 400 followers now. It has been a tremendous resource, but I have learned not to expect a response to every question I post. It takes time, but I said, it is an in credible resource.
Ed Allen
12/19/2009
RT @TeachaKidd: Reading: If you Tweet, will anybody hear it? – @Teach42 http://j.mp/16JRmj
Claire Thompson
12/19/2009
RT @courosa: RT @teach42: If you Tweet, will anybody hear it? – Teach42 http://j.mp/16JRmj
Ann Carnevale
12/20/2009
Best thing this newbie to Twitter has read! – RT @teach42: If you Tweet, will anybody hear it? – http://j.mp/16JRmj
Tom Perran
12/20/2009
RT @anncarnevale: Best thing this newbie to Twitter has read! – If you Tweet, will anybody hear it? – http://j.mp/16JRmj Good advice!
Steven W. Anderson
12/20/2009
RT @tperran: Best thing this newbie to Twitter has read! – If you Tweet, will anybody hear it? – http://j.mp/16JRmj Good advice!
marcelamomberg
12/20/2009
RT @web20classroom RT @tperran: Best thing this newbie to Twitter
has read! – If you Tweet, will anybody hear it? – http://j.mp/16JRmj
Nancy Ehrlich
12/20/2009
RT @teach42: If you Tweet, will anybody hear it? – Teach42 http://j.mp/16JRmj
Cassie Herd
12/20/2009
RT @web20classroom: RT @tperran: Best thing this newbie to Twitter has read! – If you Tweet, will anybody hear it? – http://j.mp/16JRmj …
Chuck Bell
12/20/2009
RT @web20classroom: RT @tperran: I found this 2 be helpful information. If you Tweet, will anybody hear it? – http://j.mp/16JRmj
Becky Gallagher
12/20/2009
RT @web20classroom: RT @tperran: Best thing newbie 2 Twitter has read! – If u Tweet, will anybody hear it? – http://j.mp/16JRmj Good advice!
Cathy Brophy
12/20/2009
RT @tperran: RT @anncarnevale: Best thing this newbie 2Twitter has read! If uTweet, will anybody hear it? – http://j.mp/16JRmj Good advice!
Ann Lusch
12/20/2009
web20classroom
RT @tperran: -If you Tweet, will anybody hear it? – http://j.mp/16JRmj Helpful, encouraging me to persist.
EdTechSandyK
12/20/2009
Good insights on building a network: If you Tweet, will anybody hear it? http://bit.ly/6Q9ayu (via @twttimes) #twitter #edtech
Kevin Creutz
12/20/2009
RT @EdTechSandyK: Good insights on building a network: If you Tweet, will anybody hear it? http://bit.ly/6Q9ayu (via @twttimes)
Paula White
12/20/2009
Good post! If you Tweet, will anybody hear it? – @Teach42 http://j.mp/16JRmj Thanks @teachakidd for sharing!
vtdeacon
12/20/2009
RT @paulawhite: Good post! If you Tweet, will anybody hear it? – @Teach42 http://j.mp/16JRmj Thanks @teachakidd for sharing!
vtdeacon
12/20/2009
RT @paulawhite
Good post! If you Tweet, will anybody hear it? – @Teach42 http://j.mp/16JRmj this is so true of the teachers at my school
SandraFoyt
12/20/2009
RT @paulawhite: Good post! If you Tweet, will anybody hear it? – @Teach42 http://j.mp/16JRmj Thanks @teachakidd for sharing!
TJ Tappen
12/20/2009
RT @paulawhite: really good. If you Tweet, will anybody hear it? – @Teach42 http://j.mp/16JRmj Thanks @teachakidd
ChristineMM
12/20/2009
Interesting RT @paulawhite Good post! If you Tweet, will anybody hear it? – @Teach42 http://j.mp/16JRmj RT @teachakidd
monika hardy
12/20/2009
RT @TeachaKidd: Reading: If you Tweet, will anybody hear it? – @Teach42 http://j.mp/16JRmj #unboxed
Keith
12/20/2009
Great reminders here! Also helps those of us who don’t yet have a following/large PLN, feel better about where we are in the process.
Thanks!
seanlancaster
12/20/2009
i am one of those guys who has made a request and received no response and i have about 90 followers. i am fine with this limitation. i know that i need to follow more people to get more followers, but it feels overwhelming trying to keep up for the folks i now follow. Alec Couros has over 60 posts in less than the last 24 hours, for example. i have 26 more folks i follow. nobody would argue that following 27 people is a lot, but it is if you aren’t a full time committed Twitter user. i suppose if i checked in many times a day that i’d keep up better, but i can go 2 days without checking in and then there is A LOT of information to skim through. certainly manageable, but not if i add 70 more people to follow; not without skipping much. at that point i’d have to make Twitter a bigger commitment and check in more often to try and keep up.
i try and only keep my posts to my profession (ed tech) and the people i follow are in my field. that works just swell helping me learn about new resources, etc. i also have a second twitter account where i have more followers. i only follow a few comedians on that account and a few friends, but having Rainn Wilson (Dwight on The Office) mention me in a tweet, because of something funny i wrote, instantly gave me an extra 100 followers, so that’s a strategy for gaining followers as well. ;~)
LeeAnn
12/21/2009
RT @vtdeacon: RT @paulawhite
Good post! If you Tweet, will anybody hear it? – @Teach42 http://j.mp/16JRmj this is so true of the tea …
monika hardy
12/21/2009
@InnovativeEdu found it by @teach42 http://tinyurl.com/yb3bqdb
onion_papa
12/21/2009
http://tinyurl.com/yb3bqdb
If you Tweet, will anybody hear it? – Teach42
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