It goes without saying that Twitter is one of the most used social networks today – everyone knows about it, and billions of people are using it. In fact – Twitter is so popular you can probably find an account for almost anything.
Think about your day-to-day life – can you follow it all?
- The company that makes your alarm clock…yup!
- The cereal you eat for breakfast…most likely!
- The car you drive to work in…100%!
- The company you work for…I’d say 80% chance!
- The woman who prepares your Starbucks…if you ask, probably!
- Starbucks…yes!
- The man working in the cubical next to you…again, just ask!
- Your boss…probably!
- The restaurant you go to for that lunch meeting…if they are smart!
- The client you had the meeting with…if you ask!
- The company the person you just met with works for…another 80% chance!
- The radio station you listen to on the way home…definitely!
- The fast food place where you pick up your dinner…of course!
- The company that made the shoes you wear at the gym…most likely!
- Your workout buddy…oh – you already follow him/her? Hahaha.
- The company that made the TV you watch in the evening…sure thing!
- Your significant other…another person you’re already following, right?
- Your children…depending on their age, but my guess would be yes.
I think by now you get the point! Since social media is ingrained in each of our lives, it’s not surprising that there is now a voice behind almost everything. Now – the real question is how do each of these people/companies use Twitter, and should you be following them?
Well – a little while ago I found a cute little infographic created by @ngonews that outlines different types of Twitter profiles. After reading it and considering its’ contents, I decided that I agree, mostly because I was able to go through my personal Twitter account and find some of each type (except one).
Here are the profiles outlined:
- The Newbie: This type of account you want to take the time to understand. They are quick to join but unsure what to do and are most likely a parent, friend or another family member. Their tweets are mostly “pointless” and their motivation for being on Twitter is mostly curiosity.
- The Brand: Brand accounts are for observing – since they are there to promote themselves or their services – primarily to increase awareness. They join to use as a marketing tool, and to keep in touch with customers (or friends), and the “social” part of their account is to make you feel like they are not using you – and their other followers – as advertisers.
- Smore: A.K.A “social media whore”. These people want everyone to know what they are doing in their professional life – and use every type of technology to achieve that goal. They use Twitter to plug articles they have written on other platforms, and often are self-delusional about how much people care. They are on Twitter to make money and gain a larger audience.
- The Bitch: Pretty easy to place this Twitter user – as they are the ones always voicing their opinions about anything and everything, most of which is negative. As the name indicates, they are mostly women, and their goal is ultimate “shock value”. They are using Twitter simply to get reactions out of people.
- The Maven: A maven is an expert in a certain field who uses Twitter to promote their work and build a network or like-minded people. They are often insightful, fascinating and an invaluable resource (if you are interested in their field). Their motivation for using Twitter is to be recognized as an expert.
- Mensch (or Observer): This Twitter user, as the name states, often only observes until they find people who need their expertise, at which point they help them locate the answer. This type of user is motivated by wanting to help others and is someone you can always go to for help.
So – now that you know the difference between the each Twitter profile you can go through your “day” and figure out who you want to see on your feed. I find this especially interesting because each person will decide to follow completely different kinds of accounts. Although to me “the bitch” is not someone I want to follow, to others they are interesting and even entertaining. Personally, I prefer the maven’s and observers, with a few newbies and brands thrown in the mix.
Anyway – I hope this was helpful, or at least somewhat interesting for you to read. Perhaps you can now go through the list of people you follow and think about whether they are adding the type of value you want to your feed.
How would you label my twitter account? Which profile am I? @mandirv
Looking forward to your judgment. Hahaha.
