Can We Save Twitter From Ourselves?

Canyon ItaimbézinhoTwitter is not a communication channel, it is a platform that allows each of us to create and evolve our own custom communication channel.

If Twitter is not working for communication, it is not a problem with Twitter. As a platform, Twitter is developing and our behavior reflects its infancy, with the full spectrum of human behavior on display.

The societal norms for Twitter have yet to be established. The fact there are so many posts on Twitter etiquette is proof. A Google blog search for “Twitter Etiquette” returns 32,000 results, to just 11,000 for “Dinner Etiquette”.

If Twitter is no longer an effective channel, like Kary Delaria postulated in Three Reasons Twitter is Beginning to Suck, the problem stems from how people are building and evolving their own communication channels on Twitter.

With the introduction of Triberr, the communication channels created on Twitter are becoming more complex, with multiple channels woven firmly together.

Looking forward, this is the key question I see for Twitter, and any developing platform that allows you to build your own communication channel (such as Google+).

What Will Normal Be?

As self-serving promotional behavior pervades Twitter (and yes, I am guilty of some of this myself), what will the new normal behavior be? What will the broadly accepted “Twitter Etiquette” become?

Although each of us create our own channel, we cannot completely avoid the influence of the platform norm. As the norm shifts towards self-promotional and away from conversational, it impacts the communication channels each of us have built on Twitter.

Like in politics, it is easy to identify the extreme right and left, but the silent majority is critical. As each of us builds our channel on Twitter, the middle is key. Building your communication channel without reaching into this middle majority is not feasible for most people.

Your Turn

Is the normal behavior on Twitter shifting, towards self-promotional and away from conversational? Can you compensate for this by adjusting the channel you have built on Twitter, or are these changes pervasive?

Discuss your view below or with me on Twitter.

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