| Comments from Poll | |||
| Your Twitter Username | Will Twitter Go Mainstream? | On what basis do you think so? | Leave your email to get notified of the results |
| betsydrager | I think it is already mainstream! | People are using Twitter for different reasons than FB. Defining "mainstream" may be the issue | betsydrager@gmail.com |
| Nikobert | I think it's gonna be about half a year. | Now some of my friends have started to use twitter and they're spreading the word. Let's say this summer Twitter is gonna be mainstream :) | nikobert@gmail.com |
| Yes, it will become mainstream in a couple of years. | While one could argue that the actual number of Twitter users is comparatively small, the fact is that the technology to access twitter comfortably from anywhere is becoming increasingly available to the masses (smart phones with large screens and data flat rates). As the mainstream media start utilizing Twitter as both a source and a distribution channel for news, Twitter will be brought to the attention of old-media consumers. This will undoubtedly increase its popularity and push it into the mainstream. I see this process happening within the next two years, give or take. | ||
| TomNocera | Yes, 12 -16 more months | My basis is Twitter's usefulness, its ease of use (no need to build an entire website) its security, its networking capability, its format, its army of experienced evangelists, the high level of intellect of its early adopters, the number of apps it is spawning, the potential it has to do good globally as a dissemination point for information on an almost instantaneous basis. Also, because of human nature. | ancestraltravel@yahoo.com |
| everyone i know is using Twitter. If not, I get them to join :) | I think it is already mainstream! | It was mainstream ages ago, probably from the beginning. Millions of users. Nothing exclusive about the content. I'm baffled that anyone would ask this question or that anyone would answer anything other than it's already mainstream. | |
| mavawa | Yes, it will become mainstream in a couple of years. | a lot of attention has been given to Twitter in the traditional Dutch media in the last couple of weeks | marc.van.waardenburg@gmail.com |
| Yes, it will become mainstream in a couple of years. | As iPhone type devices become more common, a quick way to get answers and stay in touch will be needed. I believe that twitter is that way. | ||
| I think it is already mainstream! | most high-profile people seem to use it | ||
| nlupus | Yes, it will become mainstream in a couple of years. | It's already happening as more and more celebrities are walking in. Huge increase among Russian twitter users last days as one (!) famous person just mentioned it in their LiveJournal. | nlupus@gmail.com |
| Melodysk | Yes, it will become mainstream in a couple of years. | @wossy and @stephenfry and @schofe have exploded Twitter onto the masses ;) | Melodysk@Icebaymals.co.uk |
| MadCatUSA | I think it is already mainstream! | There has been a HUGE explosion in followers I've picked up in the last couple weeks, and I'm *nobody*. With all the celebs that are using Twitter, it's already there. | madscrib@yahoo.com |
| pauletteensign | I think it is already mainstream! | Ease of access - minimal learning curve | paulette@tipsbooklets.com |
| Happytown09 | I think it is already mainstream! | The number of businesses that are already on twitter and how twitter is being used. A great marketing tool. | joe@whitmore.com |
| stormbasiat | I think it is already mainstream! | ? | |
| Unlikely. I just do not see the masses taking Twitter up like they take up Facebook | twitter is for advanced users | ||
| I think it is already mainstream! | most people i know already know about it and have chosen whether or not they want to use it. | ||
| Yes, it will become mainstream in a couple of years. | for twittering. celebrities and regular people/ | ||
| daveredfern | Yes, it will become mainstream in a couple of years. | I am hearing it mentioned on the BBC - people will soon be checking it out. Just need to get over the 'what the heck is this?' barrier. | |
| mfacenet | I think it is already mainstream! | Companies are paying far more attention to the content generated by twitter users whereas they pay mostly attention to advertisement on Facebook and the like. In the end Twitter has already become a new form of Instant Messaging and the like and will only keep growing. | |
| Unlikely. I just do not see the masses taking Twitter up like they take up Facebook | Needs to be integrated into something like Facebook to leverage mainstream. | r.sedley@cscape.com | |
| Not in The UK | Since Twitter stopped supporting SMS to UK mobile numbers, thus exposing a huge hole in its business plan, it has alientated a significant number of users. Don't forget that when they did support SMS to UK mobiles they chose a number charged at international rates by all but one of the cellphone providers. | ||
| necenzurat | I think it is already mainstream! | yup is already mainstream... didn't you noticed | |
| angiesandy | I think it is already mainstream! | I see Twitter growing in popularity each day. I think people, young and old find it easy to use which is a key to it's success. | |
| Yes, it will become mainstream in a couple of years. | n/a | ||
| npalefsky | I think it is already mainstream! | Twitter has already taken off in the past 2 months, I find it already part of many people's daily lives. | |
| MandyCharlton | Yes, it will become mainstream in a couple of years. | I think with all of the recent celebrities hopping on board and more mentions of twitter in the mainstream media Twitter is on the cusp of becoming an enormous social media animal. | mandy@mandycharltonphotography.com |
| DaveNF2G | It might have outlived its usefulness. | Twitter was designed as a business productivity and networking tool. Having become available to the masses, it has been transformed into a giant multithreaded chat loft. To remain useful to the original target audience, tools need to be developed to isolate business users from casual social users. Also, the sheer volume of tweets and followers can bring Twitter to its knees on a daily basis. Not desirable in a productivity tool. | dave@nf2g.com |
| Unlikely. I just do not see the masses taking Twitter up like they take up Facebook | The value proposition is pretty limited for most people, especially when compared to other venues. For casual users, Twitter ends up being basically a duplicate of Facebook status, with no additional value added. To take it beyond that requires a significant time commitment (to follow others), and I don't think most people are willing to do that. | ||
| @rfburnhertz | I think it is already mainstream! | It's the hottest, fastest growing thing on the web. It's mentioned daily in various Tech blogs etc... Media outlets from MSM's to talkradio use it daily. It is the fastest way to keep up with breaking news. I can get many news stories via Twitter before I see the same story on Drudge or the MSM | |
| socialnate | I think it is already mainstream! | The fact that google dominates the globe! | |
| yayneabeba | I think it is already mainstream! | If the major networks and some spammer in Pakistan tweet more than the founders, then it is mainstream | |
| misterkevin | Unlikely. I just do not see the masses taking Twitter up like they take up Facebook | Twitter offers a limited subset of FB functionality and its user base reflects that. Twitter appeals to the IM'ing and texting crowd and will grow as those features root in our culture. (come to me next time you write a survey question; this one has problems with the response options) | mrkevin@hotmail.com |
| @jrholmes | Unlikely. I just do not see the masses taking Twitter up like they take up Facebook | The problem is that Twitter is most valuable to those with large numbers of followers. This is either due to the publicity that they can gather or the "instant" answer to questions (like this poll). The followers in many instances are doing so to gain extra info on those "celebrities" or because they mistakenly perceive that the celebrity is listening to them. This is an asymmetric relationship that would not be appealing to the mainstream. | |
| Yes, it will become mainstream in a couple of years. | ... | ||
| lastres0rt | I think it is already mainstream! | My Dad and Sister both have feeds too -- that's mainstream enough! | |
| marty0518 | Twitter is in the process of going mainstream as we speak. | Most major brands already have a presence on Twitter with old media taking active notice. CNN anchor @ricksanchezcnn has been a pioneer and others are following his lead. | marty0518@hotmail.com |
| mhouston | I think it is already mainstream! | over the last year or so the number of users has increased drastically and it is referenced in the traditional media(tv) frequently | |
| Unlikely. I just do not see the masses taking Twitter up like they take up Facebook | Many (most?) people are not interested in the constant chatter that be Twitter. Facebook is a more controlled explosion. | ||
| MichelFaas | Yes, it will become mainstream in a couple of years. | In a couple of years all mobile phones have mobile internet. | faas.michel@gmail.com |
| SeanJA | Yes, it will become mainstream in a couple of years. | As long as it can find a way to unobtrusively monetize its user base, it will become mainstream no problem | sean.sandy@gmail.com |
| erik_werner | Yes, it will become mainstream in a couple of years. | Like most technologies, adoption will be proportional to the amount of education there is in the marketplace. As twitter and twitter-like technologies developed, they will be superceeded by other technologies and adoption will eventually follow the same expoential curve as is seen with 1.0 technologies. | erik@erikwerner.com |
| gennyfer | I think it is already mainstream! | Twitter has so many good reasons for people to use it that if it isn't fully mainstream yet it is on the cusp and tipping soon. I predict it will become essential for people to be cutting edge to the hour on news info in whatever subject they are working with and Twitter creates a dynamic environment to obtain that kind of information and disseminate it. Students and professionals in most fields will need to use Twitter to be successful. | gennyfer@hanveys.net |
| anstarrdrea | it's mainstream, it an underground sorta way. just like the rave scene in the 90s and the rockabilly scene now. big, but not walmart shoppers big. | the fact that celebrities talk about twitter and that people are writing books and blogs daily about twitter, just to sell their name. it's blowing up and fast. it hasn't hit the mid west yet or small town, so yeah, maybe not gratifying enough for the average web user. so. it may never be facebook big. but that's a good thing. | anstarrdrea@vzw.blackberry.net |
| I think it is already mainstream! | So many people are on it, and staying in touch is great! The media networks may talk about it like it's something "new" that's just starting out, but Twitter passed that point a long time ago. Twitter <3 | ||
| sonicdeath | Yes, this Summer | 18% compunded monthly growth rate puts Twitter at 12M users in April growing at 2M a month after. | ron@donttalkplay.com |
| richandcreamy | Yes, but it will be a long time. Right now, it is too far from the needs of the average web user | Remember Friendster? We're in that period where you still have to explain what it is and that's a 10-15 min conversation. Mainstream won't sign up until they have at least 5 of their own friends sign up for the service too. | |
| Yes, but it will be a long time. Right now, it is too far from the needs of the average web user | I dont know many people who use twitter. I mainly use it to follow other people. | ||
| north100 | Yes, it will become mainstream in a couple of years. | ...hopefully sooner. It's an incredible resource who's potential is not yet fully realized. I'm trying to recruit everyone I know! | lo@north100.com |
| iFloris | Yes, it will become mainstream in a couple of years. | More and more people in my social circle are picking up on Twitter. Also, the fact that Washing machines and plants are twittering about their status tells me something about a possible new medium in the broadest sense of the meaning. Slowly but surely, people are beginning to see the advantages and fun that is potent in Twitter. Twitter may need to evolve a bit more first, but it might just as well take of hugely as it is now. I'm waiting patiently to see where it's going! | info@virtualflo.com |
| I think it is already mainstream! | just look at @britneyspears ! | ||
| Yes, it will become mainstream in a couple of years. | First, the blogarati are flocking there, second it works, third companies are starting to use it as a competitive advantage. | doctordns@gmail.com | |
| seawatcher1 | I think it is already mainstream! | once you use Twitter it becomes part of everyday life. Much more interesting than Facebook, where else can you follow family & Stephen Fry? | jennifer.home@clear-connect.com |
| outnleftfield | I think it is already mainstream! | i w8 until it was ms 2 become active..jic it was all hype! | |
| I think it is already mainstream! | Broadcast media as we know it is losing ground....social media is becoming the "go to" place for "breacking news" | corym@sonic.net | |
| mikedesjardins | Yes, it will become mainstream in a couple of years. | The ability for business leaders to follow industry experts, competitors, and thought leaders in bite-sized chunks is how Twitter is changing the way we get market intelligence. Why would I read the paper, that's what I learned on Twitter yesterday. | miked@virtusinc.com |
| christywild | Yes, it will become mainstream in a couple of years. | because, much like facebook and myspace, you need time for people to hear about it, whether by word of mouth or media coverage...but it will happen...it's a lemming effect. | wildchild@nevernormal.com |
| DrBlockbuster | I think it is already mainstream! | The rate of growth and so much twittering going on! | vince@blockbusterbooks.co.uk |
| grimviolins | Yes, it will become mainstream in a couple of years. | I have a feeling it will become more mainstream later this year, but I don't think the world is ready. I've seen how a few casual web browser friends of mine have abused it.. And then quit because they didn't understand why nobody would randomly friend them like in myspace. They basically used the twitter mobile updates as text messaging. 100+ messages between 3 people in under an hour. Drove everyone nuts. They didn't understand it. | |
| Da | Unlikely. I just do not see the masses taking Twitter up like they take up Facebook | Being part of a syncrounous - public - conversation requires high commitment and motivation. The mainstream public will go on with facebook and messenger, not twitter. However, it's not a bad thing - different tools for different audiences / conversations / topics / etc. As an aside, I much preferred Apple when it wasn't mainstream, or certain bands before they became mainstream, so let's hope that twitter remains for specific niches. | fabiodebe@gmail.com |
| Jimmypons | Yes, but it will be a long time. Right now, it is too far from the needs of the average web user | I think it will yo main stream when everybody have smartphones with data plans. andrea 3-4 G gets normal use | Jimmypons@gmail.com |
| mediagonebad | I think it is already mainstream! | Twitter is mentioned on the major cable news channels and on at least one of my local TV news channels, 10TV in Columbus, Ohio. | mediagonebad@gmail.com |
| theneener | Unlikely. I just do not see the masses taking Twitter up like they take up Facebook | I think mobile Facebook has the better chances of going mainstream since people can not only view statuses but pictures and video all in one site. I think people are better acquainted with FB and might not be willing to try a service that may seem like a stripped-down version of FB and texting. Almost all the computer techs I work with use FB but none of them use Twitter and have no desire to use it. On the flip side, I have seen many organizations and businesses pick up on Twitter for marketing and customer service. While I think it is above and beyond the call of duty, I cannot fathom all businesses jumping on that bandwagon because they will simple not "get it." | |
| yjsoon | Yes, but it will be a long time. Right now, it is too far from the needs of the average web user | - | |
| popdaddy | Yes, but it will be a long time. Right now, it is too far from the needs of the average web user | I'm defining mainstream as 50 million worldwide active users (1 tweet per day). Twitter has a wide variety of uses, many of which require an investment of time (months) to reap rewards. It's an acquired taste, especially for personal use. Business use (brands) can find utility more quickly. The killer "app" for Twitter will be something that makes its utility obvious at the outset. Some similar, for example, to http://www.kosmix.com/ | rgheadrick@gmail.com |
| yjsoon | Yes, but it will be a long time. Right now, it is too far from the needs of the average web user | - | |
| AFashionista | Unlikely. I just do not see the masses taking Twitter up like they take up Facebook | I think people are joining twitter just to see what all of the buzz is about but are stumped with out to unlock its full potential. Facebook's rich interface allows people to connect and share with friends and family. Twitter is a much more down and dirty application that has amazing potential if you understand how to utilize it. | |
| Trimpot | I think it is already mainstream! | The mainstream media has joined Twitter. | |
| ptamaro | I think it is already mainstream! | Twitter has real-world impact, generates traffic, buzz, etc. You know it's mainstream when you hear folks talking about it on TV... | ptamaro@gmail.com |
| Yes, it will become mainstream in a couple of years. | Increased media mentions by so-called celebs. People will experiment based on that fact and then increasing numbers will start to 'get it' and then the growth will be huge. Twitter - I hope your servers can cope! | daffy1233@hotmail.co.uk | |
| Tuttel | Yes, it will become mainstream in a couple of years. | First of all, it depends on the country/continent. Europe will be slower, since the majority is still only English. When there are decent settings in respect of using it on a language and/or geographic basis it will become huge. | betutteld@tuttel.com |
| BrandonFranklin | Unlikely. I just do not see the masses taking Twitter up like they take up Facebook | The average person isn't ever going to get any real value out of Twitter unless they're into social networking already. The value proposition isn't obvious enough to justify average people putting any serious time into it, as opposed to something like Facebook where they can poke around and talk about pictures of each other etc. Twitter is more about networking and less about socializing, and that fact will keep it out of the true mainstream. | brandon.franklin@gmail.com |
| reflejandome | Unlikely. I just do not see the masses taking Twitter up like they take up Facebook | facebook is more fun | |
| milton72 | Yes, it will become mainstream in a couple of years. | I think people are talking about more and more and businesses are catching on. it probably would go mainstream in less than a two years. I wouldn't be surprise if businesses start paying for a special service on twitter. | |
| wigbill | Yes, it will become mainstream in a couple of years. | Not many British | wigbill@googlemail.com |
| karyva | Yes, but it will be a long time. Right now, it is too far from the needs of the average web user | It's difficult for people who are not information addicts or who doesn't like to talk to strangers to understand what Twitter is about. I've tried to explain to my friends what Twitter does and how can you use it and they don't get it. | kary.va@gmail.com |
| idiotonuni | Yes, but it will be a long time. Right now, it is too far from the needs of the average web user | Too simple on the web interface. They need to embrace the tools that make twitter useful. | |
| 24smart | Never. This will never get past a small niche of the web | I asked my neighbour, a regular guy, hard working father, doin' email and some websurfing what he thinks about Twitter. He doesn't know it. Let aside that there are still 60% without Internet Access. | alex@24smart.com |
| Zuggy | Twitter Medium will be, but not Twitter | I think mircoblogging by itself will never go mainstream, but will become a feature of other social networking sites. I think the only way microblogging may remain it's own social service is if interoperability with other microblogging service is created | |
| nicholasjon | Unlikely. I just do not see the masses taking Twitter up like they take up Facebook | I see people my in parents' age group starting up Facebook pages but not Twitter streams. Twitter doesn't solve any problem for them that isn't already covered (status updates / etc) by Facebook. | |
| Kittyburgers | Unlikely. I just do not see the masses taking Twitter up like they take up Facebook | It's too cumbersome, and far too tedious for most users to bother with. | |
| Trapcast_brant | Yes, it will become mainstream in a couple of years. | It's a dynamic community. I think it will catch on within the next couple years. These things take time. | |
| zorbadgreek | I think it is already mainstream! | Politicans, national news agencies, and celebrities are on it. | |
| bryanwebster | Yes, it will become mainstream in a couple of years. | Mashups and other ways of using Twitter are being invented all the time and the sheer amount of data it is now generating makes it useful for businesses | email@bryanwebster.co.uk |
| Rayke | I think it is already mainstream! | CNN mentions Twitter on an almost regular basis, Barack Obama is the #1 user on Twitter, and other "mainstream" celebrities have their own, legit, Twitter accounts. (Britney Spears, Jimmy Fallon, etc) And while I will agree that a majority of "Twitter Celebrities" are merely internet superstars, the network as a WHOLE, in my opinion, is the second most popular social network we have next to Facebook. | rayked@gmail.com |
| I think it is already mainstream! | People love a tool that can be used effectively for any purpose...without having to use a different tool for different outcomes. It's simple, easy to use, easy to access from any source you have...not dependent on high speed internet access, upgrades to computer, purchasing new software to run...etc...plenty of plug in's devloped or being created to expand it's usefulness... Numerous businesses already adopting this method of communications. I am following both national and local Red Cross... Only obstacle I see for continued growth is if they decide to sell off to one giant established company.... Love their develop the business model as you go mindset! PBS avoided advertiser/corporation money influence...on what they could air..hope Twitter does too! DJ | ||
| I think it is already mainstream! | It is already promoted on CNN and Election08 | vanwes@yahoo.com | |
| Unlikely. I just do not see the masses taking Twitter up like they take up Facebook | It really has no useful purpose. | ||
| dakota_oneill | I think it is already mainstream! | I think twitter already is, if not pretty close to being so. | o.neill.kid@gmail.com |
| Clay_Harrison | Unlikely. I just do not see the masses taking Twitter up like they take up Facebook | Technology is seen, like Twitter, what will it do for me. The masses don't see a return on it. | Nightcrawler13@gmail.com |
| It's already mainstream in certain segments | The traditional description of "mainstream" is too ambiguous. Today, traditional markets are fractured, which means mainstream doesn't necessarily represent "critical mass" across a wide array. So yes, it's already mainstream, but you have to qualify it. | Tweet@OlyBLOG.com | |
| Jersey2Bronx | I think it is already mainstream! | I have been tweeting for a little over a year now. In that time, I've gone from struggling to explain to friends just what the hell twitter is to watching them bicker amongst each other over who has a twitter account and who doesn't. Beyond my personal social circle, I've also noticed that Twitter is becoming more and more popular as a marketing tool. Both Obama and McCain used twitter to push their message during the election, and now several companies and enterprises are following suit. For quite some time, we've heard how companies would use Myspace and Facebook to market themselves within the social-networking circle, and while that is true, I don't believe that marketing dream has been fully realized. The internet has been around long enough for us to train ourselves to ignore online banners and flashy "click here" buttons. We just want to go on, check out messages, send our "friends" a comment or two, and log back out. Twitter, on the other hand, provides companies with the opportunity to send a quick, brief (by design), mostly inobstrusive "soundbyte" to opt-in customers. Its a direct-marketing dream, and companies are starting to realize this. In short - twitter is just creeping over the border into mainstream-ness, and its about to explode. | shamelessinnj@gmail.com |
| gdeeds | Yes, it will become mainstream in a couple of years. | IT is already mainstream in some regions, e.g. USA, but not all over the world. Many countries still haven't even heard about it. | ismailfayed@yahoo.com |
| gagan | Yes, it will become mainstream in a couple of years. | - | |
| eduguy101 | Yes, it will become mainstream in a couple of years. | There are many other services that compete with Twitter, giving the mainstream many choices | joedamato3@gmail.com |
| Yes, it will become mainstream in a couple of years. | It needs to be combined with another established mainstream social network. | david@dpwilliams.com | |
| markrsmith | Yes, it will become mainstream in a couple of years. | It's used by the web savvy now, but commercial interests are starting to show up. | markrsmith@gmail.com |
| KaRmAChAnG | Yes, it will become mainstream in a couple of years. | Just now, not everyone knows about it, it needs to be spread about more by word of mouth or through peoples blogs, etc | karmachang@mac.com |
| I think it is already mainstream! | Major influencers are already promoting it, and sign up rate last year was huge. | james@indeliblebranding.com | |
| BOK | Yes, but it will be a long time. Right now, it is too far from the needs of the average web user | As long as Twitter is not MSN-like (icons and stuff), it 'll take more time. | |
| courtenaybird | Yes, it will become mainstream in a couple of years. | Twitter will go fully "mainstream" once it partners and integrates with an existing mainstream site, such as Facebook or Google/Gmail. | courtenaybird@gmail.com |
| CoronadoCookie | Yes, it will become mainstream in a couple of years. | It is a natural progression. As more & more people join Twitter, they tell family, friends and colleagues about ti who then join and it goes on and on. | |
| Yes, it will become mainstream in a couple of years. | I don't think it is mainstream now, but it will be by the end of 2009. It will not take 2 years. | ||
| robertleemyers | Unlikely. I just do not see the masses taking Twitter up like they take up Facebook | most people just aren't that narcissistic. fact is, most people's lives are interesting only to themselves. of the 100 people I closely follow, I can't imagine that I will be that interested in them 3-5 years from now. certainly not as much as I enjoy their posts today. | robert_myers@earthlink.net |
| mpppg | Yes this year | Four key factors propelling twitter to mainstream now. 1.) Mumbai - twitter acknowledged in mainstream media as key source of critical info. 2.) Inauguration. 1st tech prez had gozillions of twitter followers - many brand new. 3) Facebook link in. As twitter's presence on Facebook expands, watch folks flock over. 4) Many mainstream news orgs are now twittering - making twitter a very efficient way to get the latest news, and not just a diversion. Therefore, a twitter dabbler will more quickly become a twitter user. | mpguinan@snet.net |
| davidsomers | Yes, it will become mainstream in a couple of years. | Not quite critical mass yet. Many are just now convinced to use Facebook but not yet Twitter. | david.somers@gmail.com |
| Ferreira | I think it is already mainstream! | In the past few weeks a lot of people in Portugal (ranging from journalists to comedians) have started to show up on Twitter. | fjsferreira@gmail.com |
| jamjoen | Yes, it will become mainstream in a couple of years. | Presently, I use facebook to stay in touch, gather views, learn from others and one of the most powerful features is the fb status. Twitter is fb status on steriods :) I was unsure of twitter at the start but becoming a convert. I also believe that mobility is key and twitterberry plays a big part in this. The tools that are emerging each day around twitter eg, Mr Tweet, twitsnear.me ..etc.. are showing how twitter is hear to stay! | jamjoen@googlemail.com |
| Yes, it will become mainstream in a couple of years. | It still has kinks to work out such as making programs and access more secure | tutortom@yahoo.com | |
| comosa | Yes, but it will be a long time. Right now, it is too far from the needs of the average web user | Looking at most of the other Social Networking sites what a lot of people want are pointless apps/plugins. Twitter doesn't offer this so it may never reach the size of Myspace, Facebook and their innumerable new clones. | |
| grgilbert | Unlikely. I just do not see the masses taking Twitter up like they take up Facebook | I believe Twitter is for Internet addicts like myself rather than casual browsers. I've tried to get some of my friends interested in it, but they don't really get it. I hasten to add that I love it, but then I'm a cyberpsychology student and interested in this sort of thing | gillyggilbert@hotmail.com |
| pdbtg | I think it is already mainstream! | It seems to me that the tipping point has already been reached. Facebook offers integration, most cells do as well, and blogs seem so very 2005, don't they? Plus, when mainstream celebrities (think @THE_REAL_SHAQ) begin to use something like this, it's headed toward ubiquity. | andy@pleasedontbethatguy.com |
| DiamonDie | I think it will be mainstream by the end of the year | Twitter is growing very rapidly and there is nothing to indicate that the growth is coming to a halt. Twitter can fit the needs of very different people, including the not-so-geeky type. | maija@writeme.com |
| beshrewd | Unlikely. I just do not see the masses taking Twitter up like they take up Facebook | Twitter's current population isn't mainstream orriented. When the mainstream starts hitting it it will be derived from those already on and likely quit fast. | |
| Phydeaou | Twitter is on the cusp of mainstream. | The simplicity of Twitter and the ability to integrate it to current social networks through apps and html boxes makes it valuable to the Internet community. Twitter's ability to multitask to other social networks and yet is its own social network by itself is also a big driver to adoption by the masses. But the key is mobility. Being able to tweet by SMS or mobile app makes Twitter a great microblog site! | phydeaou@gmail.com |
| WayneS460 | I think it is already mainstream! | My focus is business, investment, and hobby interests. Impressed by the level of knowlede of people on Twitter. Have been receiving excellent level of information in my usage so far in all 3 of my focus areas. | ws002@distregen.com |
| tebriel | Unlikely. I just do not see the masses taking Twitter up like they take up Facebook | Facebook already offers a status update feature similar to twitter. I love twitter and prefer it over Facebook but why would "the average businessman/student" go get another service with less features than the one they already use? | |
| gerryann | Yes, it will become mainstream in a couple of years. | I like Twitter because I get a short post, perhaps with a link should I wish to read more. I don't have apps, cyber dogs, walls, bulletins.. If I want that I go to Facebook . However, people use it and businesses tend to give customers what they want. I hope it doesn't change as I like it as it is right now. I love the simplicity. | illusivethoughts@gmail.com |
| Yes, it will become mainstream in a couple of years. | Yes, but sooner than a couple of years. It is on the verge already. People beyond early adoption social networkers are already beginning to use it for business research and for marketing. That will trigger another growth surge with exponential effects...the next surge will be mainstream. | ||
| Unlikely. I just do not see the masses taking Twitter up like they take up Facebook | Facebook essentially has the same functionality, but it offers the average person much more. That is, the average person at this point in time isn't on the internet to make new connections, but to find and maintain old ones. We're a less experimental generation, I guess. | gladapple@gmail.com | |
| Unlikely. I just do not see the masses taking Twitter up like they take up Facebook | very few who use facebook know about twitter | jgallivan@cogeco.ca | |
| CottonStar8 | mainstream in 6 mos. | Technology and word of mouth, becoming easier and easier to use the tech... and ppl TALK! I'm already seeing it being referred to in television. It won't be long...The question is, how will ppl use it (abuse it?), when it does go mainstream. | Suztoonz@comcast.net |
| Yes, but it will be a long time. Right now, it is too far from the needs of the average web user | simply not of use for a lot of people - large upkeep required | ||
| I think it is already mainstream! | non-techies are using it, even my mother-in-law heard about it (not from me) | ||
| bc42 | I think it is already mainstream! | When we are looking at a startup being valued at $250 million, I think it safe to say that you have arrived. | briancellis.ellis@yahoo.co.uk |
| kayce_m | Yes, it will become mainstream in a couple of years. | the increase of usage by companies/bots; increase of mainstream media mentions (not limited to news sources). | ikayce-web@yahoo.com |
| thecreative | It will be an invisible service like SMS | It will be an alternative to paying ridiculous fees for SMS. In a few years when everyone has a "smart" phone and data plan Twitter could replace SMS & MMS with TwitPic. | Mrchrispeters@gmail.com |
| osteogenesis | I think it is already mainstream! | too many stalkers in the world! | |
| KatieMaux | Yes, but it will be a long time. Right now, it is too far from the needs of the average web user | I think most people are interested in pictures and how many drinks they had the night before--that is how I see facebook. Twitter offers regular updates on what some one is doing or thinking; personally that is what I like about it. I don't have to filter through pictures and songs and such just for their thoughts. I'm not very familiar with facebook, but my girlfriends were using it the other day on their phone for updates of other friends--which is what twitter is all about. I think it will be awhile before it catches on, but it is convenient for news and those NPR shows I miss while being at work. | kate.maux@gmail.com |
| mangelsdorff | I think it is already mainstream! | That the current growth rate is exorbitant, and that a few "very early adopters" are already leaving. | bela@zeitlupenbaer.de |
| paulcalypse | I think it is already mainstream! | Already NPR and other mainstream new organizations are using Twitter to interact with viewers/listeners. I think Twitter is just starting to break the threshold in regards to being mainstream. But are we ready? | |
| Unlikely. I just do not see the masses taking Twitter up like they take up Facebook | requires too much production and attention on user's part | ||
| maruxz | I think it is already mainstream! | Twitter services and sub-products are developing so fast therefore it is concerning me if not too fast. Some of trends came to our lives very quickly and quickly left. I hope Twitter will have another way of intervenience to our lives. It is all about additional value and simplicity... | maruxz@gmail.com |
| jchanticleer | I think it is already mainstream! | I've seen more than one of my less than technically inclined friends/acquaintances use Twitter already. Granted, they aren't using all the bells and whistles (following on cell phone devices, third party clients using the API, etc.), but they are keeping up with family members and/or co-workers. | |
| Yes, it will become mainstream in a couple of years. | Its the new facebook, just as facebook was the new myspace | ||
| dawn_abraham | Yes, it will become mainstream in a couple of years. | It seems to me that Twitter is growing at about the same pace of face book. It's even on the ABC news now that is a start in that mainstream direction. | adawnabraham@aol.com |
| Unlikely. I just do not see the masses taking Twitter up like they take up Facebook | Seems like you might be able to do the same things with facebook (status updates) | ||
| jfount | Unlikely. I just do not see the masses taking Twitter up like they take up Facebook | Well, I *am* mainstream so I think I have a special perspective on this. :) My experience is that of my RL, 'mainstream' friends, several have set up accounts but almost none have opted to use the service beyond that. The exceptions are someone who keeps a regular blog, and some journo students (the latter fall off the bandwagon after a few months). I think it's fair to say that the vast majority on Twitter are either conducting business OR they maintain a blog. As I see it Twitter is a blogging platform, albeit a special one, and in order to really use and enjoy it, you have to have that impulse to publish what you're doing/thinking/saying. Facebook is/was different, sure it's about communication, but it's also about maintaining a semi-static profile. Twitter isn't like that, it's all about updating. I think it's crucial to remember that on Facebook, you can check in once a week or once a month and still be using the site and getting value from it. If you only checked into Twitter once a week, nevermind a month, you would be getting almost no value from it. Unless you are posting your own updates and you enjoy that, all the other functions (getting news/comments/updates) are replicated in other types of tech (Fbook, email lists, RSS). So no, I don't think Twitter is likely to go mainstream beyond people who find it useful for their job, blog, or other hobby, although I think it will attract those (like me) who are attracted to blogging but don't feel inclined/able to maintain a long-form format like that. I guess I wouldn't be surprised if it took off among young teens (who do have that kind of exhibitionism among them generally) except that Fbook and (ugh) MySpace have more bells and whistles options which are important to that age group. | julie.shoely@yahoo.com |
| Unlikely. I just do not see the masses taking Twitter up like they take up Facebook | Its not a utility... people don't NEED it. Facebook is necessary for communication. But in the same way that blogging won't ever be super mainstream, neither will twitter | lisafarlow@gmail.com | |
| Clint_Petersen | Unlikely. I just do not see the masses taking Twitter up like they take up Facebook | Your service is to simple for many Americans. They want more options and applications (fools). Plus, it is best used via cell phone, and I'm not certain mainstream will reach that tech. peak. | C.ross.petersen@gmail.com |
| therealjustin | I think it is already mainstream! | I don't think there is a person left on this earth who doesn't have a Twitter account. At least it looks that way sometimes. Will it last though is the bigger question. I don't think it will over the long run. Something new and fresh is always waiting for us to explore. | |
| marlouwal | I think it is already mainstream! | Maybe it's not quite mainstream yet, but I think it's on its way...I'd say within months rather than years. I'm hearing about it in communities I would never have expected. It's a painless way to get started in the social media world. It was for me anyway. Thanks, Martha at http://jakeandtycho.com | marlouwal@yahoo.com |
| kreego | Not quite mainstream yet - let alone real foreign exposure. For now USA only | I was invited to join by an English-speaking French citizen a month ago, a guy who works in advertising in France. An encouraging sign, esp. for business Twittering. Most of my contacts are either directly in tech/related jobs, or first-degree removed, like spouses of tech guys. Its coming soon, at least for North America. | charberts@yahoo.com |
| rob_thats_me | Yes, it will become mainstream in a couple of years. | As more and more celebraties hook up with Twitter I think it will become more main stream | |
| cyberczar | I think it is already mainstream! | Rick Sanchez and Barack Obama have brought Twitter into the mainstream. | |
| cmdrcool | Yes, but it will be a long time. Right now, it is too far from the needs of the average web user | I personally use it and see the value, but thinking of my parents and even my sister, I still need a clearer value proposition for them. | cmdr.cool@me.com |
| Unlikely. I just do not see the masses taking Twitter up like they take up Facebook | Whereas facebook "works" straight after you set up your profile (ie add apps, add a few friends), with twitter you are left with a blanks screen... barrier to entry - time taken to get involved in the conversation is too high. | ||
| Unlikely. I just do not see the masses taking Twitter up like they take up Facebook | The masses are pleased by trash, which Twitter lacks. | ||
| SoapDishTweet | I think it is already mainstream! | Companies like Amazon and Zappos, and media outlets CNN and the Wall Street Journal have jumped on the Twitter wagon. If they're not mainstream, nothing is. | |
| VanceWalker | Yes, it will become mainstream in a couple of years. | By the definition given - "average businessman or student will start using Twitter" - it's not there yet. "Years" may be overstatement, though. The "average businessman" uses a fax, email, cell, and text (not as much as my kids, but...). They...we aren't *using* the social media in the same way you do, in the way bloggers do. People who USE social media seem to assume/presume everybody does. I don't believe majority do. | pestmgr-vawalker@yahoo.com |
| twitter/roncallari | within the year | I associate with a lot intellectuals and professionals that still see Twitter as a self-indulgent waste of time. I was included in that mind set until I tested it for a couple of weeks, and found the networking capabilities far superior to most of the social media outlets available today. | roncallari@comcast.net |
| toastedmonk | Yes, it will become mainstream in a couple of years. | the paradigm shift is inevitable. similar to those who questioned whether the t.v. or this internet thing will catch on | boysattva@gmail.com |
| IDisposable | I think it is already mainstream! | My technophobe pastor tweets about the message as a teaser. | IDisposable@gmail.com |
| scribl | Hard to say. | It could depend on how Facebook reacts. I already explain Twitter to my friends and family as a cross between Facebook status updates and wall posts with a character limit. If those elements of Facebook evolve a bit more, it could compete with Twitter, and Facebook already has the audience. | costrin@wustl.edu |
| alumnifutures | The function will go mainstream, but as a separate application. | The function will be embedded in people's sites as a feature, but won't need to stand alone as an app or web service. I just published a whitepaper about Twitter in alumni networks: http://www.alumnifutures.com/whitepapers.html | alumnifutures@gmail.com |
| katrus | I think it is already mainstream! | It's been mentioned in news reports relating to the inauguration. I don't think you can get more mainstream than that. | katrus@gmail.com |
| cp21yos | I think it is already mainstream! | Twitter is a micro-format information flow it turns up in blogs, "traditional" media and it connects disparate social networks and media functions together eg. I blog -> blogging sw tweets -> twitter -> facebook -> facebook friends tweet replies/post comments on FB -> more people join the conversation -> it hits other blogs/soc. nets -> comes back at me with a different skin on it. | info@lensenergy.com |
| Unlikely. I just do not see the masses taking Twitter up like they take up Facebook | My sister, father, etc. are all on Facebook but get too confused by Twitter, which is kind of ironic since Twitter is so simple. For some reason non-Tech just don't understand it. | ||
| WeightLossTips_ | Yes, it will become mainstream in a couple of years. | Just as Cell texting is mainstream, so will Twitter in the next few years. Twitter is the marriage of both worlds- email + cell texting- in being on and available 24/7, further closing the gap between our privacy, interactive modes of communication & distracts or informs our attention span in the shortest time possible! The possibilities for en mass hysteria, both for good or ill are endless. | fmar72@ymail.com |
| Unlikely. I just do not see the masses taking Twitter up like they take up Facebook | I think Twitter will remain an important tool for businesses to use, but will never become anywhere near as Mainstream as sites like facebook are. | kieran.is.god@gmail.com | |
| I think it is already mainstream! | The numbers, Twitter users. | tgearheart@msn.com | |
| Unlikely. I just do not see the masses taking Twitter up like they take up Facebook | At least hope it doesn't become like facebook. | ||
| sivro | I think it's about to go mainstream to 15-30 year olds | My friends are just starting to get into it. Not everyone, but some. And people, other than my tech professors, are talking about it. | |
| ydring | I think it is already mainstream! | Why would it not be mainstream? Of course, it all depends on how you define mainstream :) | |
| zafarali | Yes, it will become mainstream in a couple of years. | i dunno | |
| Zoekmachineguru | Yes, it will become mainstream in a couple of years. | The current growth Twitter.com is experiencing. (Which doesn't include the "traffic" it's getting from Twitter's API) | umitnamli@gmail.com |
| aviputty | Yes, it will become mainstream in a couple of years. | People who aren't techies or into Social Media aren't on Twitter or haven't heard of Twitter yet. | |
| empoor | Yes, it will become mainstream in a couple of years. | More and more not-so-web-savvy people are already signing up, and the process seems to be identical for most social network websites. Even though Twitter has a different way of networking from, say Facebook, the principle behind it all (sharing your life with others) remains the same. | algemeen@nehold.com |
| I think it is already mainstream! | Everyone has heard of it. | ||
| ThomasDral | I think it is already mainstream! | It's a good way to communicatie and to use as a part of your personal brand | tdral01@gmail.com |
| fullfilth | I think it is already mainstream! | It have been use widely, mainstream media already using it officially | faizal@ada2aje.com |
| bizmar | Yes, it will become mainstream in a couple of years. | it highlighted by famous people | |
| cryonix | Never. This will never get past a small niche of the web | Twitter hasn't and doesn't look like it ever will figure out how to market itself. Ads won't work since people use their cell phones (ads+cellphones=FU). Pay service won't work since it already has a huge user base, all of which would be pissed if they had to pay. Twitter can't be an entity of its own. It should have been a feature to something larger. | |
| simontsmall | Unlikely. I just do not see the masses taking Twitter up like they take up Facebook | People are addicted to Facebook as it creates hightened sense of connectedness and ability to maintain our relationships. Twitter is not intimate, personal and direct, it feels much more lonely, whereas facebook is all about being together. It will become more popular, but never mainstream. | hello@simontsmall.com |
| samjamrus | Yes, but it will be a long time. Right now, it is too far from the needs of the average web user | I think at the moment it's only good for users who are at their desks for a long time and can actively read posts. For people that don't have regular access to their feed they will miss out on topics and conversations and quickly use interest | samueljamesrussell@hotmail.com |
| Yes, it will become mainstream in a couple of years. | I see more and more people tweeting, but, I don't see alot of people putting out their account profile information yet. | ||
| apple4me | Yes, but it will be a long time. Right now, it is too far from the needs of the average web user | the more mobile access the more Xability there is | ratnet@gmail.com |
| Frank_n_run | I think it is already mainstream! | Twitter is the best! :D | info@mydomix.de |
| I think it is already mainstream! | Because people like Stephen Fry and Jonathan Ross are talking about it on the BBC | garry@garfielduk.co.uk | |
| doroengel | I think it is already mainstream! | I think, someone have to pay for it.. its getting to big, who will going to pay and how? ;-)) | |
| Yes, but it will be a long time. Right now, it is too far from the needs of the average web user | the issue for twitter is how it gets Mom & Pop businesses to buy into it. Also it appears that young people prefer using images and video with their comms not just words | laurence@exigent-uk.com | |
| roho2007 | Never. This will never get past a small niche of the web | most people will not see the benefit in sending test messages to basically an undefined number of people | |
| Unlikely. I just do not see the masses taking Twitter up like they take up Facebook | It's an American phenomenon and like many technologies, not fullly supported outside the USA. If those who run Twitter can grasp the global aspect of this wonderful product, there is a chance it might to mainstream. America needs to understand tha there's more to the Net than itself. | jm@now.net.nz | |
| No. | Mass users want the easy solution - for twitter you need some sort of brains. | luscia@web.de | |
| craigkillick | I think it is already mainstream! | Mentioned on mainstream TV channels and take-up from traditional Facebook group of friends. I do think most people will drop off pretty quickly though. | craig@craigkillick.co.uk |
| I think it is already mainstream! | Stephen Fry has more than 60,000 followers! | ||
| mrjaredjames | Yes, it will become mainstream in a couple of years. | So many people are on it, however, so many more people have yet to see its power. They soon will tho. :D | |
| Yes, but it will be a long time. Right now, it is too far from the needs of the average web user | tech people who are not web fanatics wont give it a second try any time soon | ||
| I think it is already mainstream! | already some hotshots (Britney Spears, Barack Obama) are using it and integration with other websites are working great. | ||
| jnievele | I think it is already mainstream! | As soon as spammers start to hit a platform, it has arrived in the mainstream | |
| ChaosSpeeder | Yes, but it will be a long time. Right now, it is too far from the needs of the average web user | There are too many communication platforms. The average user hates the noise. | claassenandre@googlemail.com |
| GNW_Paul | Yes, it will become mainstream in a couple of years. | Its getting close. People have heard of it. It's a good product. #TCOT and others will co-evolve with Twitter to be one of the big news items of the 2010 elections. | |
| Yes, it will become mainstream in a couple of years. | More and more people I know who aren't "net geeks" are signing up for Twitter. I think it'll take a few years but for me Twitter has replaced IM. I think it'll continue to do that for more and more people. | ||
| swizec | I think it is already mainstream! | It's already mainstream because all geeks have at least heard of it and right now it seems being a geek is somewhat popular. So, what all geeks know must be mainstream. | swizec@swizec.com |
| billhilton | I think it's starting to snowball. | Right now it's getting lots of big media references, at least over here in the UK. There are more and more famous Twitter users and some very famous evangelists - it wouldn't surprise me if @stephenfry was solely responsible for the rate of growth in the UK. It'll probably never as big as Facebook, mainly because I think its appeal is slightly limited to users with higher education levels: lack of fully-integrated photo sharing and tacky apps a la Facebook might limit its growth further down the social scale. I'm not being snobbish there - I just think that's the way it will pan out. | billhiltonmedia@gmail.com |
| spot23net | I think it is already mainstream! | Nearly every well made page is offering the latest news as twitter feed today. I am trying to use it also otherways round: Using Twitter to keep homepages up to date with the latest infos of the world! | sandrastaub@hotmail.com |
| Unlikely. I just do not see the masses taking Twitter up like they take up Facebook | Most people don't know what it's for. The more mainstream it gets the more it will change. ie spammers | ||
| kenobius | Yes, it will become mainstream in a couple of years. | Russian livejournal users came to twi | kenobi@kenobius.ru |
| Unlikely. I just do not see the masses taking Twitter up like they take up Facebook | It's too geeky: you have to install separate tools to make it useful. Also, the metaphor doesn't scale. It's difficult to 'follow' 600 people on Twitter, but easy to maintain links to 600 people on Facebook. | julian@woowar.com | |
| I think it is already mainstream! | It is hyped too much | ||
| dwangbuis | Unlikely. I just do not see the masses taking Twitter up like they take up Facebook | I think mobile internet should be more wide-spread before Twitter can soar. Only then Twitter will actually be able to contribute something essential to news feeding and social networking and stuff. | |
| dworni | Yes, it will become mainstream in a couple of months. | More and more in newspapers. | david@fruehjahr.ch |
| antneyb | Unlikely. I just do not see the masses taking Twitter up like they take up Facebook | My choice reflects a hope - I suspect it may get mainstream with some clever marketing. That said, I hope that the masses do not take up Twitter as much as they have other sites. Part of the fun of Twitter is investing the time to work out who to follow, what to tweet etc - I am hoping this is past the average, light social media user. | antneyb@gmail.com |
| jamesfk | never mainstream perhaps but will become a lot more popular | Perhaps too much of a niche for the facebook or myspace crowd - but plenty of people that would have a use for it have yet to sign up. | |
| Lapa77 | Yes, it will become mainstream in a couple of years. | Because more and more people are signing up to Twitter every day | |
| oriste | I think it is already mainstream! | I has happened already! You only need to follow the public timeline for a few minutes to come to that conclusion. | |
| Unlikely. I just do not see the masses taking Twitter up like they take up Facebook | not enough people have web access for their phones here in australia | ||
| Torry25 | I think it is already mainstream! | I think the mobile applications like the various clients on the ipone helped twitter to become that large as it already is. Additionally that Barack Obama used it for his campaign and some news channels adopted it brought a large amount of new twitter users. | |
| PolarZen | Yes, it will become mainstream in a couple of years. | It's difficult to invite my friend to use it. | sompol82@gmail.com |
| No, | the problem is that Twitter is a nice to have no a must have | mg.planeta@gmail.com | |
| fabulousmuscles | I think it is already mainstream! | reading about it on newspapers and seeing it mentioned on chatshows | |
| rudolf_kiefer | Yes, it will become mainstream in a couple of years. | it allows coaching a person who is working with you in a simple manner, it opens learning opportunities, but to become mainstream it needs to be used in other languages | rudolf.kiefer@gmail.com |
| cmic | Yes, it will become mainstream in a couple of years. | Because the market is ready ;-) | ev@cmic.ch |
| Yes, but it will be a long time. Right now, it is too far from the needs of the average web user | I think the key to success will be the spread of smartphones and the availablity of Twitter apps for phones. | ||
| mrblackett | Unlikely. I just do not see the masses taking Twitter up like they take up Facebook | I don't think so. Most people say 'is that it?' whenever I explain Twitter. Facebook is popular because of the diverse range of apps. Twitter is a bit of a one-trick pony. I prefer it to Facebook because of it's elegance but you can't get away from the very simple fact that people like vampire games. | |
| I think it is already mainstream! | It's on the Colbert Report and the President of the United States uses it. How is that not mainstream!??! | ||
| Yes, but it will be a long time. Right now, it is too far from the needs of the average web user | I don't think it has reached critical mass yet. | ||
| dughall | Yes, it will become mainstream in a couple of years. | Increasing exposure in the media recently in the UK | dughall.mccormick@kirklees.gov.uk |
| johnkappa | Yes within a year | Internet moves quickly! | |
| kwylo | Yes, it will become mainstream in a couple of years. | All the cool things are now on Twitter | |
| merylpixelmagic | I think it is already mainstream! | I'm watching the geeks and the big brands take up Twitter rapidly... if it's not already considered mainstream, it will be within the year. Where the big brands and the g33kb0is go; so shall follow the masses :) | meryl@pixelmagic.co.za |
| Yes, it will become mainstream in a couple of years. | More and more people taking it up, more and more awareness. People want to be up to speed with the 'latest' trend, as they did with facebook. | alexandra.smith@virginmedia.co.uk | |
| DeedeeRose | Yes, it will become mainstream in a couple of years. | As Net access spreads to mobiles then twittering becomes easier | |
| pet3r | I think it is already mainstream! | I am following less than 200 people, but even on that small sample I know that several of them are followed by their parents (age >50-60) who are active on twitter. Didn't experience this on my own skin yet, but several tweets mentioned overhearing conversations on twitter on the street by random people at coffee / grocery shopping / nursery / random place (i.e. not necessarily at a tech hub meeting place). Celebrities (Britney Spears) / politicians (Barack Obama) / marketers / whoever that cares about PR takes twitter seriously. The fact that they know about it is noticeable in itself - and the serious usage just augments this. 3rd round of funding would be hard to grab (mainly in the current economic climate, and at $250m valuation) if guys that know better than me wouldn't think twitter is a serious game. Still I would need a new bullet point - not 100% mainstream yet, but it won't need a couple of years either. | peter@rubyrailways.com |
| lirmac | Unlikely. I just do not see the masses taking Twitter up like they take up Facebook | I found out about Twitter by reading graphic design blogs, and joined to follow the designers and bloggers I admire or who interest me. But what got me hooked when I started using Twitter is (for want of a better word) the gossip, the genuine, real-time first-person narrative. I found myself fascinated to learn that a car alarm was going off in New York City, or see a photo of a special cup of mocha snapped in Texas. Twitter filled in the gaps that have formed as blogs become more professional, formal and mainstream, restoring the human touch. So far, so good. Then I started talking to my friends about Twitter. Most of them use Facebook, an ugly site I joined reluctantly to stay in touch with my international diaspora of 'real life' friends. Facebook provides a lowest common denominator known to 'everyone' - SM's answer to Microsoft Word, if you will. I find it rather prosaic and dull. When I tried to encourage non-design friends to join Twitter they didn't see the point. One of Twitter's great advantages - its real-time tweets - can also be a disadvantage for denizens of the GMT zone such as me. Mainstream users in Europe (or other non-US anglophone zones) need a good reason to connect to a network which is largely out of temporal sync with them. For me the ability to talk with (or at least overhear) creative peers provides the extra incentive that fails to draw my 'mainstream' friends. If Twitter does go mainstream I hope it keeps the flavour that has drawn me to it – well designed, creative, fun, and (dare I say it) filled with Mac users. | hello@designedbylir.com |
| justmesqui | Unlikely. I just do not see the masses taking Twitter up like they take up Facebook | not every one wants to blog, and people who do, they dont want to micro blog. its just not for every one like facebook or digg is | |
| maguado00 | Yes, it will become mainstream in a couple of years. | The growth rate will slow down, but will remain up for the next year, and will be a must on the web probably before 2012 | maguado@gmail.com |
| taferguson | I think it is already mainstream! | Seems that I see Twitter being mentioned in sources such as NY Times and other, older mainstream media. | taferguso@usa.net |
| pgoat | I think it is already mainstream! | It's on the news nonstop. Everybody has a twitter page. If *I* am using it, it has got to be mainstream already; I was way late to the Myspace and Facebook games. | mina.ford@gmail.com |
| Yes, it will become mainstream in a couple of years. | Twitter will become people's source of breaking news, covering events live, not only by reporters but also by citizen 'reporters'. It is already being used that way and it will be more so sooner or later! | rosa@whitelionessmedia.com | |
| LauraLee17 | I think it is already mainstream! | Well, the WSJ is on Twitter, so I think that's pretty mainstream. | lauraleebrandon@gmail.com |
| kvbuckley | I think it is already mainstream! | I am here; therefore, twitter is mainstream. | kathleen@kathleenbuckley.com |
| phoenix2000us | Yes, it will become mainstream in a couple of years. | When the web started people said "ok - a web page, but what can you DO WITH IT?" | |
| Yes, it will become mainstream in a couple of years. | I think it will end up being integrated with other essentials such as facebook. | ||
| Unlikely. I just do not see the masses taking Twitter up like they take up Facebook | But if it does, it will fail. I strongly doubt Twitter's scalability. | ||
| flyaarmy | I think it is already mainstream! | There is not a day that goes by, You do not hear something on some talk show about the Twitter... It's rollin like wild fire! | FlyAArmy@gmail.com |
| kaihellyeah | I think it is already mainstream! | Twitter pops up in the media more and more. | |
| Wheeze_nl | Yes, give it a few months | Usage | |
| errantry | I think it is already mainstream! | good news | |
| joemsak | I think it is already mainstream! | Fox News reporters saying "tweets" on the news at the inauguration day ceremony | joe@joesak.com |
| kindohm | I think it is already mainstream! | Major news networks are already using it. Major news network = mainstream. it's not exactly an undergroup app at this point. | |
| jamisonhiner | Yes, it will become mainstream in a couple of years. | Gots to make money | jamison.hiner@gmail.com |
| I think it is already mainstream! | It has gotten more popular over the past few months | ||
| fabricius | Yes, but it will be a long time. Right now, it is too far from the needs of the average web user | My family and friends doesn't know nor understand Twitter - I even let Twitter update my Facebook status, but they still don't get it. I only have geek acquaintances and ditto celebs on Twitter. | |
| Wingdom | Yes, it will become mainstream in a couple of years. | I have some friends that have never heard about it, but then I also have a couple, the last people who I would have guessed, that just signed up for it. Twitter is on its way to breaking out, but who knows how soon. | |
| kylemroz | Yes, it will become mainstream in a couple of years. | I have been seeing more non-tech friends using it, than I would have guessed. | |
| Javache | Unlikely. I just do not see the masses taking Twitter up like they take up Facebook | Facebook has integrated all features that make Twitter unique in a more non-geek way. I see from my friends that they are adopting it very rapidly. Twitter will remain a channel for the more technical-minded and a place to follow public figures, something not really possible in Facebook | pieter.debaets@gmail.com |
| staceychadwell | I think it is already mainstream! | It has grown significantly over the last year. People are discussing how to do business on Twitter, developing tools for it, and use it as one of their contact methods. | coachchadwell@gmail.com |
| yokonative | Yes, it will become mainstream in a couple of years. | Its gaining popularity quickly. Major youtube personalities, major news stations, even the president! Just give it some more time, It will be a household word in no time. | timothy.c.purdy@gmail.com |
| naidle | Unlikely. I just do not see the masses taking Twitter up like they take up Facebook | Many will fail to see the benefit of Twitter as there is critical mass of connections before it's useful. Facebook solves this by users bringing their current social network to a digital format. | |
| Yes, it will become mainstream in a couple of years. | It could become mainstream soon, but if Facebook is truly the "mainstream internet social network site", it's a bit hard to see that right now, as Facebook has about the same basic functionality as Twitter does. On the other hand, MySpace was insanely popular before Facebook suddenly became insanely popular, having users fleeing from one to the other. It's hard to tell! | ||
| I think it is already mainstream! | CNN is on it.... | ||
| Unlikely. I just do not see the masses taking Twitter up like they take up Facebook | the masses won't learn to speak in only 140 chars. | ||
| resohio | I think it is already mainstream! | It's on the cable news channels. Most everyone I know knows about it. | lams330@sbcglobal.net |
| stevenkop | Yes, it will become mainstream in a couple of years. | It is an interesting way to meet people in your network without shaking hands. The most interesting is that you get to know people by interest (what they are doing). Because it is open you also have a social control. | steven.kop@productivitypartners.nl |
| I think it is already mainstream! | MSM reporting about it. Bussiness collars all over the place. Spam started. People using it in other ways then the medium is made for making it almost unusable (chatting to each other f.e.). | ||
| amandaelend | Unlikely. I just do not see the masses taking Twitter up like they take up Facebook | If Twitter and Facebook team up, Twitter is golden, but I don't see that happening, since Facebook already has the tools to overpower Twitter. | aelend@gmail.com |
| elroyjetson | I think it is already mainstream! | It would happen much faster if Facebook would buy them and integrate it with status updates | |
| HazzW | I think it is already mainstream! | I think it was mainstream when Obama started using it. In the UK Twitter was talked about on popular BBC 1 show, 'Friday Night with Jonathan Ross'. More celebs are using it too. Won't be long till it becomes properly mainstream. | |
| thoughtfarmer | Unlikely. I just do not see the masses taking Twitter up like they take up Facebook | twitter is where we all get together and pat ourselves on the back about how cool and with-it we are. it's one of the best social media apps out there, but no chance of it ever having the penetration of instant messaging or Facebook -- at least not in its current form. | |
| Unlikely. I just do not see the masses taking Twitter up like they take up Facebook | Because twitter could so easily be replaced by something very similar in the future. Such is social media and such is the internet. | ||
| PerlStalker | Yes, it will become mainstream in a couple of years. | I don't think it will have the appeal of MySpace/Facebook but I think a significant number of people will get into it over time. | |
| Shayna | Unlikely. I just do not see the masses taking Twitter up like they take up Facebook | Most non geeks won't see the point or keep up with it. | |
| Yes, but it will be a long time. Right now, it is too far from the needs of the average web user | It's growing so fast and was in the media for the last months... and will be in the media in the future... and the barrier is lower than with blogging. | ||
| medebe | Yes, it will become mainstream in a couple of years. | The incredible buzz it has on technology podcasts, its exposure on large media outlets like CNN (witness Rick Sanchez), and its usefulness as a global news search tool. | paezjunk@gmail.com |
| k3n13 | I think it is already mainstream! | The rate at which Twitter has grown in the last few months, I feel its definitely going to go mainstream. In fact its very close & everyone's talking about it. | kenroy.rodricks@yahoo.com |
| techtravel | Unlikely. I just do not see the masses taking Twitter up like they take up Facebook | I think that the average web user is not willing to spend too much time to twitter | techtravel@mac.com |
| iwfx | I think it is already mainstream! | I think it is already mainstream. It changed the definition of the mass media concept along with blogs and youtube. | absurdica@absurdica.org |
| mrpuffin | Unlikely. I just do not see the masses taking Twitter up like they take up Facebook | The main potential adopters of Twitter are the younger crowd. They already have Facebook, and Twitter is basically Facebook status updates without any toys. I can't see most young people giving up the toys. | james@dykstra.ca |
| I think it is already mainstream! | I do work with a web savvy group of folks in a large organization- but most of my friends "know of" twitter and have thought about using it. | ||
| @Fat_Tony930 | Yes, it will become mainstream in a couple of years. | Facebook is peaking right now, this will begin to take over as the next thing. Still hard to get friends to make the leap from FB to Twitter. | |
| On the verge of mainstream | If you look at the bios of most folks on Twitter they have something different about them, whether they are techno-fans or artists/writers. However, I think the fact that it is now coming up in the headlines of the news, being talked about on programmes like Jonathan Ross show, will make Jo Public curious enough to join. As far as family and friends go, I talk about Twitter to most family and friends because it IS now very much a part of my daily life. The fact that it doesn't have silly applications to detract from the status updates makes it a much cleaner, less time-wasting social network to use and brings me personally the one thing I'm interested in - what other people are up to. You can alter the percentage of status updates you get on Facebook but it makes little difference and one is still flooded with photos, daft application and game requests etc. At least with Twitter you can choose whether you want to go and look at someone's pictures on Twitpic. Finally, the credit crunch is keeping people at home and that means more computer/TV time. This will also inevitably lead to an avalanche of newbie-twitterers. | Janet@fullerlove.com | |
| jrep | Unlikely. I just do not see the masses taking Twitter up like they take up Facebook | The unique value of Twitter is only available to those who spend all day at a computer. "The Mainstream" need either queued messaging, or presence indication. | jack@netgate.net |
| tec2030 | I think it is already mainstream! | Many people in the media, celebrities, and politicians are using it. | tec3297@gmail.com |
| john_lam | I think it is already mainstream! | Lance Armstrong is on twitter. | |
| InkyTinx | I think it is already mainstream! | Just seems to be growing everyday | |
| warki | Yes, it will become mainstream in a couple of years. | I think it's going to be mainstream soon. Twitter is gaining more and more popularity due to "events" like the Hudson river catastrophe. People get in touch with Twitter more often. | mark.twisselmann@t-online.de |
| kaigani | Yes, it will become mainstream in a couple of years. | I think it will go mainstream with the caveat that this depends on Twitter, the business, not changing the core service in an effort to monetize it. | kaigani@yahoo.com |
| Unlikely. I just do not see the masses taking Twitter up like they take up Facebook | Ehrm, just a feeling. | ||
| eileenski49 | I think it is already mainstream! | I think it is a great tool to get your message out there and have a following if you so desire. | get39@wowway.com |
| Unlikely. I just do not see the masses taking Twitter up like they take up Facebook | the service is a skeleton itself; too many additional sites/apps/add-ons to get things the way people would like... | ||
| jymsym | Maybe, it depends... | Eventually. As Google, Apple and Blackberry products become totally normal everyday gizmos more people will Tweet. Will it go mainstream? Hard to say as at that point there may be something even more addictive! | twitpoll@acornservice.com |
| Spitfire042 | Yes, but it will be a long time. Right now, it is too far from the needs of the average web user | Twitter is most in it's element for the user who is updating while on the go. This begs for a Smartphone, and the desire to put yourself out there for anyone to see. That coupled with the fact that there is no easy way to explain the point of Twitter to someone who's never heard of it - goes right over their head. | spitfire42@bellsouth.net |
| scottbourne | Maybe sometime in the distant future. | Blogging, RSS and podcasting have been around longer than Twitter and THEY aren't likely to be mainstream anytime soon. This stuff has to be as easy as TV or radio to go truly "mainstream." | |
| NikLP | I think it is already mainstream! | Twitter will continue to gain momentum as more media coverage has proven. Take for example the number of UK "celebs" that are now using it, and the massive 974% usage increase in 2008 (http://tr.im/ctxu) The great stumbling blocks for Twitter are potential increases in spam, and their own business model, I think. The stumbling block for the users remains that a lot of people simply don't "get it". I would be very interested to get a timeline of when people registered versus when they started "using" twitter. I myself had the account for some months before I became au fait enough with it to actually do something useful, and I'm aware of a good few more like me. Twitter is a valuable application and, correctly used, has a bright future - if not in its current guise, then at least as a concept. | subscriptions@gmail.com |
| katiecat | Yes, it will become mainstream in a couple of years. | It's nearly there! | |
| aidilfbk | Yes, it will become mainstream in a couple of years. | I have recommended Twitter to some friends and they found it to be quite useful. | |
| Yes, but it will be a long time. Right now, it is too far from the needs of the average web user | It's not easy to explain simply. I'm on it and I still don't feel like I "get" it. Even so, it's highly addictive. That may ensure its success regardless of whether average web users get it or not. | keithm@gmail.com | |
| Unlikely. I just do not see the masses taking Twitter up like they take up Facebook | Too much traffic generated by "Social Media Gurus" following each other...Twitter is great tech spoilt by a BIG clique all licking each others bottoms. Loic le Who ? | sandy@yoyogames.com | |
| Never. This will never get past a small niche of the web | The average joe doesn't feel the need to constantly be updating their every detail. | ||
| oaknd1 | Unlikely. I just do not see the masses taking Twitter up like they take up Facebook | I teach a university level tutorial on the Creative Suite Applications to Graphic Design students. In two semesters of the class, exactly one student has used Twitter and he was a Computer Applications major sitting in on the course. I was shocked by this because i would think my students would be the target audience for Twitter. | |
| I think it is already mainstream! | it's pretty easy to talk to my friends and family to use it. even my mother (who isn't very computer savvy at all) has an account. she uses it mainly to read my sisters' and i's accounts, but every once in a while she'll also chime in. i've gotten about 20 or so people that i know, or who read my blog to start, just by talking/writing about how awesome it is. mothers/fathers/friends/pastors/blue collar/tech savvy and everyone in between. i like to compare it to the Status Updates of facebook minus everything else that's time consuming and distracting. it's starting to hit mainstream now, will only explode even more in popularity in the coming months. | abelara@gmail.com | |
| jaredirish | I think it is already mainstream! | The number one followed Twitterer is the commander-in-chief. Plus twitter scooped the entire media on that plane crash in the river. | |
| Yes, it will become mainstream in a couple of years. | Based on my interactions with the average user. | dnollan@gmail.com | |
| Not sure | Depends on new features or tools that are added - privacy concerns may keep it from being used like Facebook. Good for networking, branding and marketing puropses but if you are not into that, you may loose interest. | cindy.ferrell@gmail.com | |
| HIRH | I think it is already mainstream! | It was mentioned on the TV show "Brothers and Sisters". | hbenish@comcast.net |
| hurryupnbuy | Yes, it will become mainstream in a couple of years. | its already such a big hit and with the growing dependence and usage of smart phones/pocket pc's, twitter's popularity will keep increasing. | jkyc82@gmail.com |
| tshelton | Yes, it will become mainstream in a couple of years. | Hollywood celebrities using twitter will draw in their fans who will draw in their friends -- mainstream is closer than you think | tshelton@theconversationgroup.com |
| fanbab | Yes, it will become mainstream in a couple of years. | I think the growth of celebrity users and company users will drive the growth. Many of my friends are early adopters and they are here, but many of them are bleeding edge social networkers. The idea (illusion) of having a personal connection with celebrities or feeling that companies are listening and responding to consumers will pull many more users in. | pdavisny@yahoo.com |
| ehooton | I think it will be mainstream this year. | It seems so close to being mainstream already with my friends, but I think that within the year, the friends I have that don't use it will start to. | redheadrev@gmail.com |
| Unlikely. I just do not see the masses taking Twitter up like they take up Facebook | I think twitter just works with always connected persons and i don´t see common people doing that | carlos@cuasante.com | |
| jonsedar | I think it is already mainstream! | A great deal of new people have joined in 2009. They like the fact that Twitter is a maleable halfway house between a Facebook status, a personal IM, a blogpost etc etc | jon.sedar@gmail.com |
| kkbokovay | I think it is already mainstream! | I'm on Twitter and I'm as mainstream as it gets! http://www.kkbokovay.com | kkbokovay@gmail.com |
| weepy | Yes, it will become mainstream in a couple of years. | it's slowly entering the public's consiousness | jonahfox@gmail.com |
| jonball | I think it is already mainstream! | In the UK it is all over the mainstream media - including ITV1's This Morning even - http://is.gd/gzZp - that's as mainstream as you can get! | jonball@cix.couk |
| deanus | I think it is already mainstream! | It's getting a lot of mentioning on television and radio, and many celebreties are twittering already and the numbers are growing. | dean@deanharkness.co.uk |
| SoundSystemSDC | Yes, but it will be a long time. Right now, it is too far from the needs of the average web user | I think today it is skewed too much to the young people - it is definitely not a representative cross-section of society. | |
| Yes, it will become mainstream in a couple of years. | My boss has just got an account...and if he has one it MUST be going mainstream!! | jennyellwood@yahoo.co.uk | |
| Unlikely. I just do not see the masses taking Twitter up like they take up Facebook | IMO twitter won't go mainstream the way FB did, for many reasons. Abstract : - twitter usage isn't self explanatory - twitter helps building a "second circle" network that mainstream user don't use - twittering demands a synthetic thinking expressed in plain words More analysis (for thoseof you that can bear reading a French guy in english) First, most of the "mainstream people" around me don't understand by themsevles the utility of Twitter. FB provides lots of content and third party app that may be seen as useful, but it need'nt those features when it begun. FB, on its basics principles, was self explanatory => I file infos about me on a page and build connections with peole who did dthe same, based upon actual/past/proposed relationships. And I can maintain a status to tell the world about what I'm doing, no harm done if I don't. Twitter, for your mainstream user, is nothing but a stand-alone FB status app. And you have to start the networking thing all again. Twitter don't give you any hint of what you could really make out of it. Still twitter keep on asking you the same question "What are you doing?". The newcomer won't give much a thought about answering it because : 1) He's surely already doing it on FB 2)He will think of things like "who will give a sh*t anyway" and "dude, it's kinda of creepy having people I don't know taking interest in it" Twitter will go mainstream if instead of asking people what they're doing it give them a hint of the tremendous things you can do with answers (that may include pics, link sharing, news blogging, live services...) Now you've to consider another real twitter function : the conversation. I consider twitter for being the best tool ever to have casual discussions with the outter circles of my social world. Twitter allow me to discuss briefly with people that don't happens to be close friends or coworkers but "connaissances" or specialists from whom I casually take advice while giving some myself. Twitter is a perfect network builder if you can manage a win-win relationship with someone you hardly know. The first obstacle lies in the capacity of mainstream folks to take interest of building such a network . Those who will try still take the risk of annoying more experienced users like they did in IRC or boards earlier before, ending in mainstream people being kept aside by advanced users. Twitter's discussions, in order to be efficient, clearly demand manners and respect of digital etiquette that most of users didn't acquire on boards (despite the many reminders) and wont a fortiori acquire in a 140 signs environnement. I have little faith in people behaving properly enough to feel at ease on twitter Last but not least, most of the people I follow on twitter use plain words within the 140 signs limitation. That means that most of us are making an effort to write normally under constraint, thinking of how to shrink and twist information to be efficient (it seems that I have failed to do so here, sorry if I'm a bit long). This exercice de style could represent the final barrier for the mainstream user that may end in twittering in involuntary lolspeak to be concise. And, if it wasn't enough you can add the language barrier too (even if may not speak a proper english, I try to tweet in english and use my own language, french, for everything that won't ring a bell to an international follower, especially lately) | dj.ph@gtplay.com | |
| omgalec | Yes, but it will be a long time. Right now, it is too far from the needs of the average web user | Too many people see twitter as a service in which they make mundane updates about things they are doing, not many understand that it can be a tool of correspondence and discussion about topics of interest for them. Also, I think the mode of correspondence on twitter is too foreign to most mainstream as they're used to making posts on the respective 'walls' of ones they are trying to keep in contact with, ala facebook and myspace, and wouldn't be used to reaching out to people by posting on their own 'walls' | |
| bigskycreative | Yes, in less than year | Twitter is picking up an huge amount of momentum. I definitely predict mainstream, but in less than a year. | akite@shaw.ca |
| robbkruse | Yes, it will become mainstream in a couple of years. | I live in rural Iowa, although I have followed tech. through college and via blogs. Many neighbors and family members have no idea what twitter is. I do have other family members my age, early 20's-30's that do know what twitter is and we follow each other that way. | |
| jjjobst | Never. This will never get past a small niche of the web | Most people don't really care that my kid just burped up his avacado ice cream sundae. | |
| wdonohue | Yes, when mainstream media figures out Twitter's IRL analog | I think the IRL analog is overheard comments, as in office and conference hallways, as well as parties. If you hear something interesting, you can stop and join in, or just listen from the periphery. The model I'm using is a low-bandwidth backchannel that regularly pops out interesting bits of data, or opportunities for conversation that I wouldn't otherwise have access to. | |
| I think it is already mainstream! | if it's been on TV, it's become mainstream | ||
| clompers | Unlikely. I just do not see the masses taking Twitter up like they take up Facebook | I suspect growth is slowing down as many people not already using Twitter just aren't interested in this form of communication. | |
| In <2yrs it will morph into something while simultaneosly go mainstream | My experience in the Internet space in the 90s watching similar technologies | monique@conversify.net | |
| bratling | I think it is already mainstream! | Not only are major corporations catching wind of it, more and more of my own clients are coming to me asking about Twitter now! | rmohns@mac.com |
| mayads | I think it is already mainstream! | Its hitting the UK and comes down to good old europe. | |
| novelgal | I think it is already mainstream! | I have seen tweets from people in all walks of life. I personally am pleased to see strong representation from the arts, but many other users are from the business world. I have seen tweets from students and stay-at-home folks, as well. | sandynork@comcast.net |
| Yes, it will become mainstream in a couple of years. | Adoption by media - the tipping point has begun. | ||
| andymooseman | Yes, but it will be a long time. Right now, it is too far from the needs of the average web user | I think it will take a bit of time. Myself, like a lot of other first time users, took a while to "get it" Once i overcame that hurdle & understood Twitter, i was hooked. On that basis i think others may well be the same. | andygunton@hotmail.com |
| Yes, it will become mainstream in a couple of years. | I have to confess, my thoughts on this are largely informed by the learned members of my PLN who collectively seem to predict twitter 'taking hold' in a couple of years. But the fact that I have a Personal Learning Network on Twitter, and that this accounts for my take on informed opinion, speaks more eloquently than I am able about the movement of Twitter toward mainstream, one me at time, at least. | matthewggale@googlemail.com | |
| khabaroff | Yes, it will become mainstream in a couple of years. | Don't know | khabaroff@gmail.com |
| mrmikeyb | Yes, it will become mainstream in a couple of years. | It's not entirely mainstream yet... one more year for it to be integrated with more devices. It will be the defacto mobile social networking site. | mikeymail@gmail.com |
| cross27ryan | Yes, it will become mainstream in a couple of years. | It's easy to use, it's instant, and anyone can update their status from almost anywhere. | ryanownby@aol.com |
| Yes, it will become mainstream in a couple of years. | Word of mouth and established industry/entertainment leaders and companies/manufacturers starting to use it as a vehicle of communication with clients. | mschrager@mail2leo.com | |
| Yes, it will become mainstream in a couple of years. | it has the elements of facebook that people find the most interesting (statuses, "wall" type postings), but incites larger scale discussions with people who aren't necessarily in your specific network, which enables it to expand | black_rider88@yahoo.com | |
| I think it is already mainstream! | I'm using it! | dave@sparksinteractive.co.nz | |
| weblylwebster | Unlikely. I just do not see the masses taking Twitter up like they take up Facebook | Just because we're geeky doesn't mean that everyone is. | |
| fcuignet | Unlikely. I just do not see the masses taking Twitter up like they take up Facebook | i think we can not rely on this single way mean of communication. so we will prefer facebook i think. But i hope to mistake | fcuignet@mac.com |
| saralwin | Yes, it will become mainstream in a couple of years. | Are you kidding me? Of course it's going to be mainstream... There are apps & programs being created in order to implement Twitter with other mainstream sites. & these apps/programs are great! People all over the world are using it, and for different things! Even I use mine for business and personal. :) It's getting there. | sara.lwin@gmail.com |
| Yes, it will become mainstream in a couple of years. | I see the popularity of Twitter growing each day and more and more people are mentioning it. The US Air/ Hudson River incident was great PR for Twitter. | ||
| Yes, but it will be a long time. Right now, it is too far from the needs of the average web user | Every time I mention Twitter to my IRL friends, they have no idea what I'm talking about! I think Twitter (for now, and for a while) is only for people who live at least part-time on the internet. | windexcleansall@gmail.com | |
| Yes, but it will be a long time. Right now, it is too far from the needs of the average web user | Once handheld internet ready devices saturate 60% to 70% of the market is when twitter will really take off. | ||
| jeanneendo | It depends what "mainstream" is defined as | Mr Tweet, It certainly is becoming more popular! I'm not sure how 'mainstream' is defined in this context. P.S. I'm interested in seeing the results. Just please don't spam me. I already get too much email! :) | endendo@frontiernet.net |
| Unlikely. I just do not see the masses taking Twitter up like they take up Facebook | NO useful search function | ||
| gsmaverick | Yes, it will become mainstream in a couple of years. | I think twitter has a usefulness about it that rivals anything I've ever used, it just fills such a nice gap, and allows you to be in control of how you use it. | gavin.schulz@gmail.com |
| Unlikely. I just do not see the masses taking Twitter up like they take up Facebook | Don't see the timeline. Facebook went mainstream straight away when it opened it's door for non-university users. Twitter has always been available for the masses, but is still not mainstream. Why would it ever? | ||
| jakenoble | Unlikely. I just do not see the masses taking Twitter up like they take up Facebook | I don't know anyone else in RL that uses it! | |
| Jeffnfun631 | I think it is already mainstream! | Twitter has become the Social News RSS aggretator of our time. I use it for breaking news mainly | Jeffnfun631@yahoo.com |
| MichaelHarper | Never. This will never get past a small niche of the web | Minority (non-racial) populations always think they paint with a bigger brush than they actually do. Living in Manhattan, people all the TIME act like EVERYONE votes Democrat (or has gay friends, or makes alot of money, or doesn't go to church, etc, etc). Likewise, geeks always think that everyone twitters (or blogs, or has a smartphone, or posts photos immediately to Flickr, etc, etc). But they don't. And we shouldn't need the whole world to salute the twitter flag for us to feel comfortable using it. | michael@mikeharperny.com |
| iamtimhardy | Yes, it will become mainstream in a couple of years. | Twitter is going to be the next Google. Nuff said. | tim@ctecec.com |
| Yes, but in the short term only for people college age and up. It will take much longer for high school kids and cliques to see the value of twitter and a communication and expressive tool. | I am a high school student, and not one person in my high school has even heard of twitter, let alone used it. When informed, they mostly fail to see the need for twitter and compare it to Facebook status. They fail to see twitter's power as a connection and communication tool rather than a notification (which is where FB status falls). Twitter would be great if I could use it to communicate with the majority of my school in and outside of school. | ||
| lorisimms | Yes, it will become mainstream in a couple of years. | One year ago I first heard of Twitter, checked it out and couldn't see the point. Six months ago after hearing others talk about PR uses, I checked it out again. I have seen the use grow rapidly in that time. | loriksimms@gmail.com |
| optimus_optimus | I think it is already mainstream! | is part of my online life; great tool to exchange ideas and connect. | |
| Yes, it will become mainstream in a couple of years. | the rate of adoption of new social media is accelerating exponentially people resist at first, then discover it is fun for the curious and those who like to share and connect | anoramcgaha@yahoo.com | |
| climberusa | Yes, it will become mainstream in a couple of years. | The rate at which it is growing and it's growing usefulness as the community and sub-communities grow. | jeff.claeson@gmail.com |
| I think it is already mainstream! | Spreading information is much faster on twitter than on any other site. Networking is made easier, communication is fun. More and more people are coming to twitter. Crash of the airplane - first on twitter, then on other media... amazing!!! #Darktoronto was another example how people were informed by twitter not by classic media. Great tool not only to connect, but to get informed as well!!! | sisape@azet.sk | |
| I think it is already mainstream! | There are already courses and seminars for business people and entrepreneurs teaching them how to use Twitter to generate profits by increasing the quality of their relationships with clients. If Dell and Starbucks have Twitter People, I think it's mainstream. | ||
| copetersen | Yes, it will become mainstream in a couple of years. | It is a new way of communicating and networking - changing human behavior takes years. The many Twitter apps have made Twitter a bit more accessible, this will continue. | cop@progressionpartners.com |
| http://twitter.com/richardbowden | Yes, it will become mainstream in a couple of years. | Give it another year and we should see that now familiar SM tipping point when it hits a certain volume and BANG! The volume goes through the roof. The question should then be, will it still be appealing? | |
| Mtfirefox | I think it is already mainstream! | because it's in the news all day.. for one. for two I get to send out messages about my new links.. lol All your life you looked for what will work for you to make your life simple right? Well look no more.. I will show you simple as it gets.. Just click here http://maverickmmm.hope4uall.com | mtfirefox@charter.net |
| JuliaRosien | Yes, but it will be a long time. Right now, it is too far from the needs of the average web user | "Long time" is an ambiguous term - especially on the Internet. It hasn't reached it's tipping point yet, but if/when it does, I'm pretty sure it will create the same flood as FaceBook. | juliarosien@rogers.com |
| Yes, it will become mainstream in a couple of years. | In certain parts of the world it is mainstream, especially in big cities but in countries like Switzerland it's still small. | richard@main-vision.com | |
| bruinsma | Never. This will never get past a small niche of the web | You have to be a screen and web addict! My experience is that people not addicted to the web just don't get it. | bram@hellyes.nl |
| @peacewonk | Yes, it will become mainstream in a couple of years. | instant sharing of info means that people can orient themselves to the things they need to thrive.... | peacewonk@gmail.com |
| tinearaujo | I think it is already mainstream! | Brasil | esteouaquele@gmail.com |
| Nailhead | I think it is already mainstream! | Twitter has been mentioned on radio and TV. I mean, CNN has a twitter account, the President of the United States has one. How much more mainstream can it get? | nailhead@gmail.com |
| trcwest | I think it is already mainstream! | well i have been using it for about a year now and it has only boomed for mee recently as more of more normal mates and even my web mates are getting onto it.. | info@trcwest.com |
| Unlikely. I just do not see the masses taking Twitter up like they take up Facebook | Twitter is a great communication platform. However, until it's opened and standardized like email is today, there is a technical limit to how wide spread it can become. | ||
| petervizel | I think it is already mainstream! | 5 yrs ago MMS was a mystery Now??:)) | peter@amcmarketing.hu |
| seanrosenthal | Yes, but it will be a long time. Right now, it is too far from the needs of the average web user | More practical and mainstream applications are still needed for the average web users to gravitate towards Twitter | |
| Yes, it will become mainstream in a couple of years. | d | ||
| KariHoltz | Yes, it will become mainstream in a couple of years. | It's become a wonderful networking tool for various businesses already. | dogwooddreams@gmail.com |
| tcbrown88 | Yes, but it will take awhile longer, maybe less than two years. | I hear more and more people talk about it, but many folks don't understand what it is. I'm also seeing regular references to Twitter in the MSM. | |
| believeinbirth | I think it is already mainstream! | I have my finger on the pulse of American and know these things. | beth@believeinbirth.com |
| Unlikely. I just do not see the masses taking Twitter up like they take up Facebook | To work Twitter requires a certain commitment from the user. I'm not sure the masses will. | ||
| Yes, it will become mainstream in a couple of years. | It's growing so rapidly! | solidreid@gmail.com | |
| Dan2k3k4 | Yes, it will become mainstream in a couple of years. | Twitter has grown a lot in the past year or so when I first joined the network. I think it's almost mainstream, many people don't want to join because they don't want to read about status updates like: "going to shop, back in 2" or "going to sleep" - but once people start to realise the power of Twitter then it'll be mainstream. Twitter just needs to add some options to manage different groups of people to follow at once, for example having them as tabs on the twitter page with your custom groups like: Best Friends, Game Friends, News Tweets, Blog Tweets etc. - that way you won't have one page displaying all those tweets together which should make it more user friendly. That, and maybe improve the servers and have some sort of 'get started - add these twitters' part in the registration so you can add 'helpful' tweeters while you register an account. Anyway, I think it'll be mainstream in a year. | Dan2k3k4@gmail.com |
| go_nasty_nats | Yes, it will become mainstream in a couple of years. | If it went mainstream NOW, we'd never be able to be ourselves any more. Letting us be FREE with our thoughts (meaning NOT filtering the bad words...lol) ensures Twitter of being the TRUE "last bastion" of free speech left in the world. And after all, isn't that what we're all about??? Freedom from censorship of our thoughts?? | |
| kelvinzhao | I think it is already mainstream! | twitter connects people together, share everything to each other. Many people already take twitter as part of their life even addict in it. Mainstream? Many people spend much time on it, it is mainstream. | kelvin.zhao@gmail.com |
| AceArtemis7 | I think it is already mainstream! | everyone i know is using Twitter. If not, I get them to join :) | |
| savvypublicist | Yes, it will become mainstream in a couple of years. | There are still a number of savvy professionals that still have not embraced social media and don't understand the business value of Twitter. Most are focused on ROI--they want quantifiable results for using Twitter but, once they realize that social media success can't be measured using traditional marketing metrics but still creates massive opportunities and results, they'll embrace Twitter as one of their networking and business development tools. | mediasavvy@thesavvypublicist.com |
| Yes, it will become mainstream in a couple of years. | Twitter user, I see the potential it has | ||
| I think it is close to being mainstream | I think twitter is close to becoming mainstream because I am using twitter and I am not one to be among the first to try out new technology. Also, itcn be quick and easy to use - no mandatory pictures , for example, and it has more substance than I anticipated. As current users make this discovery and tell others about it twitter will get closer to being mainstreamed. | giftforallseaso@att.net | |
| Mainstream in 8 months | It's growing, but I think that it hasn't reached the point where it's as user friendly as facebook. | ||
| jesseeichner | Yes, it will become mainstream in a couple of years. | Seems like it has a lot of potential | jesse@jmeartists.com |
| lalliexperience | I think it is already mainstream! | It feels like when the internet was "new". Every TV show has their own "page" and now I'm sure the TV commercials will be next. | stan@vailaz.com |
| scottycline | Yes, it will become mainstream in a couple of years. | I feel Twitter is far too interesting and simple to not become mainstream. | |
| farrhad | I think it is already mainstream! | Twitter is growing by leaps and bounds. It is the best thing that has happened to the internet since Google, IMO. | comments@letssermo.com |
| I think it is already mainstream! | Once people Start writing songs about Twitter - http://www.twittersong.tk then it's gone mainstream! | ||
| open_minds | I think it is already mainstream! | Once people Start writing songs about Twitter - http://www.twittersong.tk then it's gone mainstream! | |
| Anie83 | Yes, it will become mainstream in a couple of years. | It's very compatable with different websites and a great new communication tool for people to keep in touch who might not have before. | |
| suecartwright | Yes, it will become mainstream in a couple of years. | A surprising amount of people I meet at local networking events know little of or are sceptical about Twitter. Great opportunity for me to take centre stage and talk about the benefits. I think there will be an increasing surge of interest as word gets out and hope Twitter has good contingency in place for growing numbers and more intense use over the next couple of years :) | sue@unisey.com |
| @annttkerr | Yes, it will become mainstream in a couple of years. | Twitter is gaining more widespread publicity from the media and more celebrities, corporate businesses, television channels & newspapers have Twitter accounts. Twitter is such good fun and soooo addictive that users are spreading the word amongst colleagues, family & friends. | akparties@hotmail.co.uk |
| helgethomas | who can say? | I think, predictions for the future were difficult at all times in history. And mostly they were wrong. Each mainstream (cars, railways, telephone, computing etc.) we ever had, was not predicted, it developed. | mail@helge-thomas.de |
| I think it is already mainstream! | More businesses and media are using it, plus newspapers and other traditional media are telling stories about it. The general Web user isn't sure what it is, but the more it is talked about and the more companies important to them use it, the more likely they will be to give it a try. | ||
| I think it is already mainstream! | cvbyxcvxcv | ||
| sdufaux | Yes, it will become mainstream in a couple of years. | Numerous twitt app available, more and more people (=connections or "friends"), ease to use: in expansion! | sdufaux@gmail.com |
| mijlee | Unlikely. I just do not see the masses taking Twitter up like they take up Facebook | I just don’t think Twitter fills a gap in most peoples life like Facebook does. | |
| mislav | I think it is already mainstream! | Even cats use it (sockington and friends) | |
| I think it is already mainstream! | We already see corporates using this. | vjaybarve@rediffmail.com | |
| Aggregation tool will dominate | I think Twitter has set the precedent with microblogging, and I believe the trend will catch on. I just don't think Twitter as the medium of microblogging will be the dominant medium in the coming years. | laneconsultancy@gmail.com | |
| I think it is already mainstream! | I am doing a research project on Twitter use and the response has been overwhelming: http://konstanzealexbrown.wordpress.com/2009/01/18/micro-blogging-knowledge-in-the-cloud/ All the stats I have since found point to the fact that Twitter fills a rhetorical need. That will not go away but rather spread more as ppl loose fear of social media. | konniebrown@gmail.com | |
| Unlikely. I just do not see the masses taking Twitter up like they take up Facebook | * | ||
| _McLaughlin | I think it is already mainstream! | as my daughter sees it - first there was MSN - then there were facebook groups - now there is twitter. | 1rickmick@gmail.com |
| Yes, but it will be a long time. Right now, it is too far from the needs of the average web user | I think one thing that would help the cause is when social tools like 'ShareThis' add Twitter to the list of tools/sites you can use to share interesting content. Even on this site, I can't share this post directly to Twitter, that's a huge barrier to mainstream adoption. | monzalisa@yahoo.com | |
| Yes, it will become mainstream in a couple of years. | How couldn't it? | ||
| jansegers | I think it is already mainstream! | It's the most vividly actualized mass medium available and thus economicly speaking important: Wall Street brookers have to follow it ! | |
| rachelbabble | Yes, but it will be a long time. Right now, it is too far from the needs of the average web user | As the response says, I think Twitter is far from the needs of the average web user. | |
| rickybuchanan | In a weird way, I hope it never does. | I think if Twitter were as big as Facebook it would lose most of what makes it special. I use Facebook to follow people I already know, but on Twitter I meet new people and find out about new stuff. If Twitter were so big that it turned fr | |
| agrabher | Yes, it will become mainstream in a couple of years. | The internet gets more and more local and I think that it is only a question of time for the first cellphone providers to have twitter apps on their mobiles... Then it will be mainstram | |
| acroll | Yes, it will become mainstream in a couple of years. | Geeks use it now; Facebook status codes are a viable alternative for mainstream users, which slows adoption | |
| marketingveep | Yes, but in less than 2 years. | When Twitter is perceived (by the mainstream) as a way to plug in selectively, it will hold more appeal. Otherwise, the avg businessperson interprets it as just loud noise. If people knew how it can eliminate out-of-network mobile texting charges, and I bet they'd move faster. | kellischmith@sbcglobal.net |
| Yes, but it will be a long time. Right now, it is too far from the needs of the average web user | First trial is easy. Twitter's too complicated to get started after signup. Benefits to non users are also unclear. Supporting services that make Twitter more interesting or convienent are fragmented and difficult to set up. | jdd@wxs.nl | |
| bone2pic | I think it is already mainstream! | I think it's mainstream because even those who don't use it, know what Twitter is :) | cameronnat@gmail.com |
| ricardo.hdz | Unlikely. I just do not see the masses taking Twitter up like they take up Facebook | Full Twitter services (as receiving replies on the phone) are not available in many countries, as here in Mexico. | |
| ricardohdz | Unlikely. I just do not see the masses taking Twitter up like they take up Facebook | Full Twitter services (as receiving replies on the phone) are not available in many countries, as here in Mexico. | |
| r5416 | I think it is already mainstream! | It has tons of exposure. http://tech4000.blogspot.com | r5416@yahoo.com |
| chrstnsn | Unlikely. I just do not see the masses taking Twitter up like they take up Facebook | I think it's a tricky thing right now. The people I see join, including myself, are initially confused how to use this tool, and take a while to get into it, and find where they are comfortable. While there are "rules" for using Twitter being generated by bloggers everywhere, there are so FEW rules (one rule, 140 chars) for participation, making it intimidating to join and hard to sustain those who don't figure out what it is they are there for. I think it requires a proactive person to make conversation/twittering happen for them. And that alone will make it hard to retain many members that join out of the mainstream. For people not into the meat-and-potatoes of this form of social media, txting and instant messaging works just as well. In my mind, if Twitter can be "duplicated" by other forms of communication, then it won't have a strong-hold on the mainstream. I don't think Twitter will go away any time soon, but I bet it'll stay a 'niche' form of social media for the really dedicated web-hounds and bloggers. Hard question - good poll! | amanda.r.christianson@gmail.com |
| SGCInc | Yes, it will become mainstream in a couple of years. | I think it is "pre-mainstream", if that makes sense? It certainly has had enough exposure to advance it from being a niche, yet not popular enough to categorize it as mainstream. It will only be a matter of time. | |
| andy | Yes, but it will be a long time. Right now, it is too far from the needs of the average web user | Most people just don't see what use it has. In fact, unless you understand the "device updates" feature, and follow just the right people, it can be kinda retarded. Hard to explain to people in a minute or less. | andym801@mac.com |
| marcosnobre | Yes, it will become mainstream in a couple of years. | RSS is hard to "regular" people, Twitter allows to keep updated with ease. | marcosnobre@yahoo.com.br |
| AshTR | Yes, it will become mainstream in a couple of years. | A while ago, you couldn't find many of famous people or users that you find today. Local news stations even have Twitters now. I think it might only be a year or so until it truly is mainstream because of all the variety you can find on Twitter. | OutwarLackey123@gmail.com |
| @overlandsi | Yes, but it will be a long time. Right now, it is too far from the needs of the average web user | It's still in the "Innovators" phase of its product life-cycle, with not a lot of people understanding it or seeing the need. As with all things the more people that add it, the more it grows. Celebrity endorsements in the UK are growing, Jonathon Ross, Russel Brand, Stephen Fry and so forth. Until everyone, or at least more people, have twitter on their phones and their Facebook profiles then it will be a slow growth. Only 1 other of my friends has twitter, and no I'm not old, I'm 22! | saxy.si@gmail.com |
| FranchiseKing | Yes, but it will be a long time. Right now, it is too far from the needs of the average web user | Only a tiny % of population even know what Twitter is. | |
| bryanclark | Unlikely. I just do not see the masses taking Twitter up like they take up Facebook | I for one, love Twitter, but I don't think the masses will ever truly understand and appreciate the brilliance through simplicity approach. | |
| Yes, it will become mainstream in a couple of years. | It takes a little time for even an excellent new innovation like Twiier to establish itself. It is doing well at the moment but must remain independent. | messagetoclive@googlemail.com | |
| Yes, it will become mainstream in a couple of years. | It takes a little time for even an excellent new innovation like Twiier to establish itself. It is doing well at the moment but must remain independent. | messagetoclive@googlemail.com | |
| susieblackmon | Yes, it will become mainstream in a couple of years. | With more closings of hardcopy newspapers, and more mention of Twitter on the TV news channels, more and more people will become curious about 'this Twitter thing' and soon learn the Twitter value. Etc. | susie@susieblackmon.com |
| brianswisher | I think it is already mainstream! | There's a Coke commercial I saw that played in movie theaters during the holidays that mentions Twitter. Once references are made by advertisers as big as Coca Cola, voila, it's mainstream. | |
| jmccloud | I think it is already mainstream! | The attention it got from the US presidential campaign made it mainstream. | jmccloud@me.com |
| philbowen | Yes, it will become mainstream in a couple of years. | I am sincerely hoping Twitter becomes mainstream soon, I feel at the moment though it is only occupying a small corner of the social internet experience scene and is being held back by Facebook and Myspace etc, I was facebook user but wanted to reach out and meet new people without having to go through the "add old school friends and then do nothing" and battling with the annoying appication badgering that these sites confront the user with. Twitter is my ideal replacement and I enjoy interacting with the new people I have met on it. I aso think if more mobile phone companies included Twitter application possibilites in their handsets it may help to push Twitter forward more. Sadly we all know it will be held back as it would affect text sales etc. Here's hoping! | pacifier@btinternet.com |
| 0wl | Depends what you mean by Mainstream | Maybe Twitter is already mainstream - but it does depend what you mean by mainstream. Business users as well as personal? Trouble is, it is not yet organised enough imho for business use. | owl@owler.com |
| Yes, it will become mainstream in a couple of years. | Because those who use it LOVE it, and can't shut up about it, until the get others to love it too!! | kai6579@yahoo.com | |
| drfu | I think it is already mainstream! | I've heard Twitter mentioned on the news and at least three commercials. | corbob1@hotmail.com |
| Yes, it will become mainstream in a couple of years. | I'm starting to see mainstream websites with TwitterThis boxes | dvdberg@me.com | |
| I think it is already mainstream! | the world is a slow learner | ||
| I think it is already mainstream! | It already fits your definition of mainstream. | ||
| monoclemonkey | I think it is already mainstream! | Twitter is becoming the swiss army knife of web apps. So many peole use it for so many different things in so many different ways. A 140 character textbox is redefining the way we look for news, communicate with people & a multicast way of staying in touch. | monoclemonkey@gmail.com |
| juliankross | Yes, it will become mainstream in a couple of years. | It's mainstream when my mother is aware of it. She may not need it's use, but those like her must be aware of it. I think it will get there just as myspace and facebook did, through exposure from both the 18-34 demo and the businesses they support. | |
| When 50-something business men and women are using Twitter, it's mainstream, or almost there. | |||
| Twitter is mainstream, or nearly so...but hopefully never in the pejorative MSM way! | |||
| Currently social media has captured the SME market and is used on a B2B or B2C basis. Much of it requires personal rather than automated reply. As more businesses use the like of Ecademy and Social Median, Twitter will grow and with it will come mainstream use | |||
| woohoo i think its almost mainstream! | |||
| Twitter is in no way mainstream, 4 million unique visitors in December isn't nearly a dent in the global population of over 6 billion. | |||
| No new comment | |||
| Heck i can shpw off or watch others do their stuff. mainstream? looks pretty mainstream 2 me. there r all kinds of everyday ppl here | |||
| Yes, I believe it will. Look at the growth that has occurred | |||
| And more to come. | |||
| The success of Twitter depends on the mobile equipment people use. Cell phones are on their way out. As more people move to smartphones (iPhone, Blackberry, etc.) more people will discover Twitter. If smartphone growth explodes, so will Twitter. Twittering via straight SMS is good in a pinch, but is not nearly as compelling as the feature rich Twitter clients available for the iPhone and Blackberry now. | |||
| I thought it was! | |||
| When Twitter is discussed at some length on a Sunday morning TV cooking show "Something for the weekend" it has reached critical mass and is defiantly snowballing into the mainstream world. | |||
| Yes, it's headed there right now. Websites are pushing it as a way to drive their own traffic, and small businesses are doing the same, which means larger businesses are starting to consider it. As reporters have started using it, they've been mentioning it on air. At this slow but ramping pace, it will be ubiquitous soon enough. | |||
| The first time you see an ASCII art tweet, you'll know it's gone mainstream and is in danger of getting "MySpace"ed. | |||
| I really hope twitter will go mainstream here in sweden too! :D | |||
| Radio and TV in the Netherlands use twitter to interact with their listeners/viewers.. If Twitter is not mainstream already, it will be soon.... | |||
| Still needs expanding. Limited service (on cell phones anyway) in the UK. Still needs refining. Simpler for us old codgers. | |||
| Its not mainstream. It's not intuitive enough for those who are not technically proficient. And it's very nature is pointless to the vast majority of people. At the moment its a way to PR yourself. It needs to have some kind of point to go mainstream. | |||
| It's hard to say. I am a 20 something who has grown up with the social web. I feel very comfortable there as do many of my peers. However, in discussing twitter with my boyfriend (also in his 20s) he just thinks "it's creepy". There is still that stigma around sharing and building community with people you may not know in person. It is still viewed as odd even by some millennials. | |||
| Twitter was referenced on "Brothers and Sisters" a mainstream us show on a major network. That has always been my benchmark for beginning to go mainstream, referenced outside it's normal sphere. | |||
| When Twitter develops a more user friendly interface and more robust privacy controls, it will go mainstream. There is power in Twitter but there is no 10 second explanation for non-users; and the difficulty of finding like minded folks to follow (and be followed by), prevents mainstream usage. While many have signed up for accounts, many of the accounts have little to no activity. | |||
| Twitter doesn't seem to have made as big inroads in Canada as it has south of the border, but I think it is only a matter of time until it, or at least the concept of micro-blogging, catches on in a big way here. | |||
| It probably will (I think, maybe, who knows...) | |||
| Oh come on...it's already there. | |||
| Twitter definitely isn't 'mainstream' yet, but it's heading in that direction. Evidence: my Mum joined two days ago! However, I don't think it will break through to mainstream adoption until it has been significantly improved to make it more usable, especially for new users. I've almost lost faith in the Twitter company to do this (what are they spending their $22 mill on?) and think it could happen once its bough out by, say, Google. | |||
| It's not necessarily the dent in the global population as much as unique visitors per month/year. | |||
| With many business adding a twitter account (not by any means all being used to full advantage within their own business model) I think it's definitely getting there. Rather, Twitter is being positioned as the next mainstream social media outlet. | |||
| In due time people. | |||
| Twitter is growing by up to 10,000 new accounts per day - http://tinyurl.com/73nwe9. It's only a matter of time. Twitter is very unique and offers solutions to everyone. You can make twitter what you want it to be. | |||
| I'll be interested in reading the results of your mainstream poll. | |||
| I'm here; twitter is already mainstream. | |||
| The question is less whether it will GO mainstream than whether it will stay mainstream. And it will only stay mainstream if enough people find it worth their time and effort. There's no reason why they shouldn't but equally there's no reason why a different application shouldn't come along and displace Twitter. | |||
| Time will tell | |||
| When Twitter posts an IPO then it will be mainstream. | |||
| Gotta be close...when you can say "Are you on Twitter?" and everyone who isn't says "Nope" instead of "What's that?"...then we're mainstream, baby. | |||
| I'd say from all indications that Twitter is already in the mainstream, but mainstream needs to be re-defined. | |||
| Because of broad proliferation of Social Networking, fragmentation of traditional media, and new users, like my children aged 11 and 7, finding what interests them easily on the internet and through other media streams, I don't think you can define 'mainstream' as "the average businessman or student starting to use the service". | |||
| There are truly multiple mainstreams, and people may move between them or stick solidly in the one in which they find themselves comfortable. Twitter in many ways helps drive this, but I think it will become vastly more widespread, crossing over into several streams. | |||
| Conversation with my 83 year old mother: | |||
| Mom, have you heard of Twitter? | |||
| Honey, I do read the Times, you know | |||
| You should try it | |||
| Oh, I don't know... | |||
| Mom, that's what you said about the *internet* | |||
| I think the right question is "How twitter will go mainstream?" | |||
| Don't look to user, try to consider global growth :) | |||
| Don't think Twitter is in any way mainstream yet... but when delightful papers like the Daily Mail are moaning about how mundane it is, it can only be a matter of time. But that's a good thing... | |||
| I think that Twitter is approaching the tipping point that Malcom Gladwell talks about in his book. I believe by the end of 2009 Twitter will have become mainstream in the UK | |||
| I think we're on the cusp of being there. Very timely poll, given my blog post on the topic yesterday - Why Average Joe (and Jane) should be Twits too http://tinyurl.com/bz5uwo | |||
| Its hard to say if Twitter will become another mainstream soc-net tool. I can see students using it to stay in touch and up to date but I have a hard time seeing how a businessman could make good use of it. In fact, I know of several stories where a PR person has gotten in deep, hot water for Twittering about personal feelings and their client was most peeved about it (the flack made disparaging comments about the client's HQ city). | |||
| But then, I'm at Stage 5 of the six stages of Twitter and haven't yet made a business connection via Twitter. | |||
| Professional networking has never been easier with Twitter. We've met so many young professionals in our own city that we never would have met otherwise and have been able to grow professional relationships. Just as in any other public sphere... you're an idiot if you "vent" on it. | |||
| The rate at which Twitter has grown in the last few months, I feel its definitely going to go mainstream. In fact its very close & everyone's talking about it. | |||
| I think it will continue to grow. We use it to inform realtors in our company and clients/followers of price reductions, new listings, and sales...and other newsworthy events. | |||
| Will Twitter go mainstream? I don't know. Will micro-blogging become a commonplace communication tool in some form? I definitely think so. As many more of us work from home, remote locations or whilst travelling, it is replacing the "over the partition" conversations we used to have in offices - and becoming a much more powerful form of them. In the UK we were treated to @stephenfry and @wossy discussing Twitter @wossy's prime-time TV chat show on BBC recently, and most major newspapers have subsequently run articles. So it's profile is increasingly hugely. Personally I don't think it's mainstream yet - but on the other hand given that tweeters tweet about such a huge variety of topics (e.g. @twhisky held an online whisky tasting for Burns night yesterday!) you could hardly call it "niche" either. | |||
| Twitter will have to become important and hold the interest of the average user to become mainstream. Twitter is essentially a magazine that you create on your own by following influential Twitterati and reading the links that they post. Twitter is smart because it is simple. | |||
| On the other hand I think that Twitter has opened the floodgates to a new type of medium that could be embraced by large organizations to be implemented into their culture. I wouldn't count on the average user making your free service financially viable. | |||
| The ease of communicating with groups of people at once will make twitter a huge boon for businesses. And once they start offering deals and specials in their tweets full saturation will occur. | |||
| I also expect to see individuals use multiple twitter accounts to focus content on specific groups of people, as in a personal account for close friends and family and social account(s) for more broad subjects. | |||
| Twitter will become main stream as soon as main stream media begins to use it more prominently. The plane crash into the Hudson may have been the turning point since the first accounts of it and the first photo of it where posted on Twitter by a regular Twitter user. | |||
| Remember when ecommerce was beginning? It didn't become "main-stream" until the news outlets started talking about it and in a positive manner. | |||
| What I think is going to happen soon is that most news outlets who already get blogs and have blogs will see Twitter as a way to quick hit with fast happening news events and then expand on it later in an article and/or blog post. Right now, Twitter is just a toy to most ppl but the more people see it being used in an adult worthy manner, the more mainstream it will become. In the eyes of most people, news is as adult worthy as it gets. | |||
| Twitter was mentioned on Brothers & Sisters last Sunday. I was twittering when I heard it! | |||
| Twitter's decision to can SMS updates to the UK, Canadian & Australian markets showed a huge hole in their business plan. With that kind of lack of planning and forethought (witness the alternative SMS providers coming forward) questions must be asked about Twitter's strategic planning and financial management. Since canning UK SMS updates Twitter has become an irrelevance to me. I have writen more on this at http://blog.planetjamie.co.uk/blog/?p=133 and http://blog.planetjamie.co.uk/blog/?p=140 | |||
| IMO twitter won't go mainstream the way FB did, for many reasons. | |||
| Abstract : | |||
| - twitter usage isn't self explanatory | |||
| - twitter helps building a "second circle" network that mainstream user don't use | |||
| #NAME? | |||
| More analysis (for thoseof you that can bear reading a French guy in english) | |||
| First, most of the "mainstream people" around me don't understand by themsevles the utility of Twitter. FB provides lots of content and third party app that may be seen as useful, but it need'nt those features when it begun. | |||
| FB, on its basics principles, was self explanatory => I file infos about me on a page and build connections with peole who did dthe same, based upon actual/past/proposed relationships. And I can maintain a status to tell the world about what I'm doing, no harm done if I don't. | |||
| Twitter, for your mainstream user, is nothing but a stand-alone FB status app. And you have to start the networking thing all again. Twitter don't give you any hint of what you could really make out of it. Still twitter keep on asking you the same question "What are you doing?". The newcomer won't give much a thought about answering it because : | |||
| 1) He's surely already doing it on FB | |||
| 2)He will think of things like "who will give a sh*t anyway" and "dude, it's kinda of creepy having people I don't know taking interest in it" | |||
| Twitter will go mainstream if instead of asking people what they're doing it give them a hint of the tremendous things you can do with answers (that may include pics, link sharing, news blogging, live services...) | |||
| Now you've to consider another real twitter function : the conversation. I consider twitter for being the best tool ever to have casual discussions with the outter circles of my social world. Twitter allow me to discuss briefly with people that don't happens to be close friends or coworkers but "connaissances" or specialists from whom I casually take advice while giving some myself. Twitter is a perfect network builder if you can manage a win-win relationship with someone you hardly know. | |||
| The first obstacle lies in the capacity of mainstream folks to take interest of building such a network . | |||
| Those who will try still take the risk of annoying more experienced users like they did in IRC or boards earlier before, ending in mainstream people being kept aside by advanced users. | |||
| Twitter's discussions, in order to be efficient, clearly demand manners and respect of digital etiquette that most of users didn't acquire on boards (despite the many reminders) and wont a fortiori acquire in a 140 signs environnement. I have little faith in people behaving properly enough to feel at ease on twitter | |||
| Last but not least, most of the people I follow on twitter use plain words within the 140 signs limitation. That means that most of us are making an effort to write normally under constraint, thinking of how to shrink and twist information to be efficient (it seems that I have failed to do so here, sorry if I'm a bit long). This exercice de style could represent the final barrier for the mainstream user that may end in twittering in involuntary lolspeak to be concise. And, if it wasn't enough you can add the language barrier too (even if may not speak a proper english, I try to tweet in english and use my own language, french, for everything that won't ring a bell to an international follower, especially lately) | |||
| Twitter will mainstream. It's the new Yahoo! and a must-be place for news media. | |||
| I love twiter, as a disabled person who had isolated, I love meeting my authors and voice actors who I follow and get to know other people who bringing me out of my funk. I like to look at the handmade items that are posted on tweeter tweets from esty sellers. | |||
| Not quite mainstream. Wait till it hits that tipping point and see the volume jump through the roof. Is that a good thing though? Let me know at http://twitter.com/richardbowden | |||
| Many avenues not tapped. Amber alerts, crime bulletins, store sales, sports updates to name a few | |||
| When it becomes an everyday verb | |||
| I think it will be just as big as Facebook/Myspace, because: | |||
| #NAME? | |||
| #NAME? | |||
| #NAME? | |||
| - how many people I've told about it | |||
| - how easy (and fast) it is to meet people with the same likes (and dislikes!). | |||
| Twitter is simply awesome! | |||
| It is already main stream | |||
| Twitter has to be followed by any self-respecting Wall Street broker ... like it's the world fastest global mass medium |
Sunday, September 23, 2012
Survay on Twitter
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