Photo By Mark Pesce
Most tools have an advantage/disadvantage aspect to them. The features can help or hinder depending on your situation and how you plan to use them. In a few cases, though, the features themselves may drive the use and, for some of you, that will be the case with Twitter.
I get asked about Twitter occasionally so I want to share a few items to keep in mind mind as you consider whether and how to use it. Let me say up front that there is an option to protect your account but I’ll address that below. Also, I’ll save definitions and how I personally use Twitter for another post.
- Twitter feeds are completely public. This doesn’t mean I see every tweet the entire world makes. It simply means I can if I want. More on that in the next point. Generally speaking, the way Twitter apps are set up, I only see the feeds of the people I am following. So if my neighbor or co-worker has a Twitter acct but I’m not following him, I won’t see what he wrote. But,
- Twitter feeds are completely searchable. I can search on a name, topic or other keyword and see what people are talking about. Many businesses use this effectively. They keep a running search on their business name and are able to see what people are saying (or complaining). Some have even made it part of their customer service program by following and responding to the feeds about them. Example search sites include Twitter’s at search.twitter.com and Monittor.com where you can choose not only keywords but zip code coverage to see what’s happening in your area.
- Twitter feeds appear to not die. I’m researching this further to better know the life cycle of the feeds, but understand that your tweets don’t hit the airwaves and then disappear over time. They still exist. They are still searchable. Additionally, everyone’s feeds are available on their home page and you don’t have to have an account to see them as long as you know the person’s twitter name.
As I said before, features can be positive or negative depending your situation and use. Businesses using the search feature to enhance customer service can be a postitve. I’ve heard of a few cases too where churches have used Twitter as one piece of their attempt to keep a pulse on what’s going on “out there.” I’ve even heard of folks being able to engage in conversations about Christ with people they might otherwise not have met (the natural cautions of Twitter evangelism being a discussion of its own).
It’s not my intent to exhaustively cover the pluses/minuses of these specific Twitter aspects, but rather to point them out so you can weigh the risks/ benefits for your situation. For those in a sensitive environement I think the cautions are obvious but it doesn’t mean you’d have to avoid Twitter if you see value in it. Email isn’t as private as people feel it is and yet we wouldn’t stop using it. To be fair, email is a very different animal in regard to it’s public-ness, but the discussions were strikingly similar when it became mainstream. I know – I ran the policies managing it for a few organizations. So caution is in order and, potentially, delayed use is in order (as email was with many), but knowing how it works you can act accordingly.
BUT DIDN’T YOU SAY SOMETHING ABOUT PROTECTED ACCOUNTS?
I did – thank you for asking. Twitter offers an option to protect your account which makes it invisible and not searchable to the public. It also means anyone who wants to follow you must send a request to be approved and your history is not available to view on your Twitter home page. Instead, visitors see this:
This is a good feature for those in sensitive areas.
That said – those who have a Twitter account and are logged in, can still see who you follow as well as those who follow you and I needed to make sure I said that.
The item to keep in mind on protecting your account is that a simple google search reveals several possibilities for grabbing a feed if desired via some pretty simply coding. I know. I know. Hackers will always exist and nothing is 100% “safe.” I get that. In fact, I preach that and you just have to do the best you can in your decision making. But…. Twitter is not known for their security and privacy and, from what I can tell, they weren’t trying to be. Private feeds aren’t their purpose and security won’t be their strong suit (yet). Nor does it have to be. Every tool was created for a purpose and public sharing IS Twitter’s purpose and that’s ok. It’s simply an awareness factor on your part as you investigate if/how to use it.
Do I think Twitter will have to tighten security over time? Yes. Do I think it’s there now? No. Thus, consider these things particularly in certain scenarios. Again, it doesn’t mean you have to avoid it as long as you’re aware of how it works.
Filed under: Communication Tools, Twitter
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