Twitter, Twits, Tweeps and The Types.

Twitter. Who would’ve thought micro-blogging could be such a huge success? Jack Dorsey, Biz Stone, Evan Williams and others from Odeo did. A lot of people ask me, “what is twitter?” I either have 2 answers.

1. It is like the SMS of the internet, usually referred to as the internet.
2. You heard of Facebook right? (They answer yes). Well, it’s basically the same thing as updating your status. But in this case, everyone can see it. (Ooohhhhhhhhhh!!!!! They say.)

Twitter in itself is a very powerful social networking tool. A business cannot have a the same presence online any more without a Twitter account. The share of voice can now be attributed directly to the social networking sphere. How much of an impact are you making online? Via my Linkedin account, I come across an article by Joel Comm. Joel is the New York Times best selling author and social media expert. It says so on his site and Linkedin. It’s a straight forward article about the general 14 types of Tweets. Whether a newbie or expert, you and I are bound to fit in one or more of these categories.

The Mundane: Simply put, these are the folks who twitter about almost every little detail of their lives. They like to twit about their pictures, where they are at, where they are going, who they are with. “The Mundane” twitters IMO are probably the most boring and do clog up the screen. I have to admit though, I am guilty of this sometimes. You just gotta complain about a company here and there.

The Communicator: Twitter allows you to respond instantly. Here, that’s all it is. The public reply so everyone can see and “hear” what you are saying.

The Inquisitor: By default definition, this is the one who asks many questions. Questions that they know and willingly still ask because it is going in the space of the interweb. Will someone answer them?

The Answerman: This is the inquisitor’s hero! A quick look and you will see The Answerman’s tweets usually start with @nametoreplyto.

The Sage: Hmmm…I don’t know what to Tweet today. How about a quote or word of the day? Yep.

The Reporter: We all have these in our circle. Tweets about drama, gossip and breaking news. Remember when Jacko passed away?

The Linker: Ha! This by far I relate to the most. Got something to share with the world. Then post a freakin link! Another quick look you will see usually resembles something like http://tinyurl.com/nb458.

The Kudo: This is the nice guy/girl. The one where 90% of their tweets start with @nametoreplyto and followed with a compliment. Everyone has to have them in their circle. They make you feel good!

The Critic: Everyone is a critic these days. I was posted how Virgin America has cool planes, but horrible customer service…twice. Because they do.

The Giver: Re-tweeters. That is all.

The Advocate: Everyone is an advocate on Follow Fridays. Folks tell people who to follow and watch.

The Benefactor: Affiliate marketers have taken over this category. You are either seeing free stuff links or a “good” deal on something.

The Marketer: Ah hah! The cream of the crop for me. If you are into digital marketing, Twitter is your friend and lifeline to your web savvy target audience. Ask Dave Chappelle.

The Spammer: No one likes spammers. Do I really have to explain this?

Again, this is just a short list from Joel’s article. For more details, click here for the original article.