Twitter Traffic – June 09 - Dec 09

Should we care about this? Does this signal the end of Twitter as we know it?

I hope so, because Twitter really needs to change and there are some signs that it may be morphing into something that might actually be useful for business.

Twitter has taken a number of good steps to encourage user engagement. They have allowed users to create lists of followers. For example, I can create a “friends” list, or a colleagues list. Using the list feature, tweets from my “friends” or “colleagues are separated from my full tweet stream. It makes it easier for me to follow them, reply and re-tweet. It’s not perfect, because the Twitter interface is awful. But, since I can now separate followers into lists of my own making, it makes an unbelievably bad user interface a little more tolerable.

The other step Twitter has taken to encourage user engagement and conversation is add the Twitter trends and Local trends feature. This is a pretty cool feature because it allows a user to see what conversations are trending across all of Twitter, or within your local area. I like it. I like it a lot, as it encourages people to become more engaged on the site and with each other, and that is what social media is all about.

So has Twitter peaked? It certainly looks like it has in the short-term.  Is this the end of Twitter as we know it. I actually hope so, because I think that is a good thing.  This plateau, this peak is going to force Twitter to address user issues and (hopefully) figure out what they want to be when they grow up.

If I were king for day, I would like to see Twitter do the following:

1) Completely redesign the user interface / experience. The current interface, with tweets stacked-up in chronological order, is like reading a roll of toilet paper. It’s too easy to miss tweets that you may want to see. Look at applications like Tweet Deck or HootSuite and copy them. For the most part, these applications get the interface right.

2) Let me select the followers from whom I can receive DM’s. And while your at it, ban auto-DM’s. They are spam – always – in all cases.

3) Expand Twitter profiles to include more demographic information, and give users the option (like Facebook) of filling it in. At a minimum, allow users to add personal interest information (i.e., music, movies, fitness, cooking, health & wellness, etc.) about themselves. And then let me search on that so that I can find followers who share my interests.

There are many other items on my list. This is just the top three. I’ll be curious to see how Twitter morphs over the coming months. It will continue to be a lot of fun to watch!

Isn’t technology wonderful? So here I am, on a Virgin America flight (love this airline, BTW), connected to WiFi for free. Meanwhile, Matt is next to me, ever the art director, shooting great pics like this out the window and then downloading them for us to use. Meanwhile, our client is next to us playing with the latest app and Matt and I are updating various blogs and Twitter accounts. What did we do without all this?

But then that’s how it happens. Life sneaks up on you and before you know it you’re crossing the country to shoot two new ads with crazy-talented people for a fantastic client (I am purposely withholding the client’s name and company as this is some secret stuff that all will be revealed shortly - stay tuned!).

Also in a blink Matt and I are discussing the fact that the agency has evolved - again - into a content creating machine, realizing that it’s all just content. Today on the plane, we are creating content while returning from a shoot where we created more content. TV ads are content. Radio is content. Print, content. Web … well, you get the idea. It’s all content being delivered on various vehicles - today it’s TV, YouTube, Radio, microstites, Twitter, etc. But who knows what will be the content-delivery-mechanisms of tomorrow?

You know what? It doesn’t matter, it’s just content. And we are really good at creating amazing content if we do say so ourselves - and we do!

So here’s a little content for you today - a view taking off from LAX heading back to DC. Enjoy the ride.

Our Christmas Tree

What a year this has been. Global recession. 10 percent national unemployment rate. Adam Lambert appears on the American Music Awards. Smith-Gifford enters the top ten, and named the fastest growing agency in Washington DC.

Oy! What a year!

As we rush through this holiday season, trying to cram in every last party, every luncheon, every happy hour—as we try to balance deadlines and our intense work load, we sometimes forget the most important things – our friends, our family, and you – our clients.

So, this is a time to say “thank you.”

Thank you for your support this year. Thank you for the confidence you have shown to us. Thank you for being a part of our growth. Thank you for allowing us to flex our creative muscle.

We look forward to the promise of 2010. It’s a new decade, and we look forward to entering it with you.

Happy holidays from the team at Smith-Gifford.

Peace!

PS – Photo courtesy of Daisy! It’s a beautiful tree.