Tuesday, September 21, 2010

Why I Prefer Late Night Tweeting

They say Twitter is like a giant cocktail party (but with spammers and SEO specialists.)

It's true.  The analogy even holds as everybody signs off for the night and goes to sleep.

Think of the last gathering where you stayed a little later.   As people filter out the noise volumes drop and you probably noticed a shift in the conversation.  Things become a little more intimate.  People go deeper, share more and connect in a meaningful, authentic way.  (just be careful you don't hang around too long and overstay your welcome.)

This is exactly what happens on Twitter as well.  As the masses begin to sign off your Twitter feed slows down.  People tweet back and forth more and advertise their sites, blogs and affiliate codes less.

And this isn't a rant against people who Tweet too much or the result of a poorly chosen following list or anything of the sort.  It just makes sense.  Anybody who has ever been to a pub or club knows that as the number of people in the room goes up, so does the volume.   

In the digital realm, when the numbers go down, you don't have to shout to hear each other any longer.  And that's why I love late night tweeting.  What are your thoughts?  Do you stay up too late tweeting or do you hit the hay nice and early so you can tweet another day?

3 comments:

  1. I'm guilty of tweeting a lot. lol You may want to unfollow me. hehe

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  2. There's nothing wrong with volume, it's just rare that any two people are going to have their interests perfectly aligned. So say you tweet 10 times...6 or 7 things might be interesting and the others are just noise for me (but beneficial to another follower.)

    Then somebody we both follow replies or re-tweets and the effect is compounded.

    Plus you're not the only person I follow!

    What I'm trying to get at is that it's a natural effect from a large gathering of people. An avalanche of information can be both good and bad. It is what it is.

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  3. I am one that is guilty on occasion of being one of the 'guilty tweeters', and also one to interrupt when see when a few others are having a rowdy conversation - late at night. Do try to keep some of these conversations in DM mode, but others do sometimes do become verbose, with the quietness of other tweets.

    It is like experiences camping I have had, where all other campers are sleeping and a few stay up to sit around campfire. Often conversations get heated or at least difference of opinions expressed, and the quietness of the night (and maybe the choice of beverages) contributes to the intensity.

    It is like being alone on the planet, until reminded we are not.

    Another point is that Twitter is realtime - meaning that except when using hashtags for lists, only the most current is really seen, viewed, and read - by most. As it is impossible to read every tweet, without truly going without sleep and giving up personal hygiene.

    And I agree it can be both a good a bad thing, to have a sudden avalanche of information due to 2 or 3 people having a meeting of the minds. It is what it is - however I am trying to be more respectful of my followers.

    Terrific post.

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