Six weeks ago I launched an experimental Twitter Soap Opera titled, Chicago to Coronado. The story is about a Chicago to Coronado Transplant – a former marketing girl thrust into a world of Navy Seals, lust, love, Island life, small town politics, murder, mystery…even puppies. It’s the anti-Sex in the City.

Chicago to Coronado has 4,000+ followers on the main storyline (@kirsteno) and another 4,000 among the various cast of characters (@mattclaymore – for the military, @nadodeeogee for pet owners, @chicagoceochick for small biz owners, @thegrannyflat for history buffs…..). The most for any Twitter novel to date.

90% of the Soap’s followers are women.

It’s one way to reach women on Twitter…..

Chicago to Coronado, the Twitter Soap Opera, also has its own Facebook Group, Vimeo Channel, and Flickr page. I’m open to advertisers.

I’m a woman in business and I find Twitter to be a great way to be completely ignored by my peers. It has been a complete rat race, one where if you weren’t on board in the beginning, you are not likely to be welcomed into a conversation going on between other people.

As far as being a so-called “great business opportunity”, I have over 800 followers, most of whom I do not know and suspect are following me simply so that I follow them – for what I’m not sure – who don’t EVER act on any of my tweets.

The most click-throughs I’ve ever received on one single Tweet – offering free stuff, mind you – is about 29. 29 of 800 followers clicked through? That indicates to me that Twitter is a complete waste of time. I get more business and reaction through personal relationships on my blog and FB.

If I need to learn something, I google it, I’m not likely to hop on Twitter and hope that someone is talking about what I want to know.

Twitter = time suck for a business owner.

I prefer the kind of media that can be trusted and costs far less than engaging a PR consultant. Blogging is a favourite of mine, I have control over content and cost. And it works for me.

Interesting this insistence on One or Other, as though these platforms are mutually exclusive.

I just went to my Facebook page, and there’s another 100 pieces of junk application invitations. Some use these to build relationships, I understand. To me they are a sham substitute for meaningful engagement.

The difference between those who find Twitter useful and those who don’t, probably stems largely from the choices one makes in who to follow and what actions one takes to engage. It is easy to engage if you wish to. It does require being active and participating. Yet even the wallflowers have the choice to be entertained by selecting people to follow who are interesting and have something worthwhile to share.

If you follow people whose tweets you don’t value, and have no engagement with your network, look to what actions you are taking.

In this case, it is All About You.

http://twitter.com/lindyasimus

I think there is much more use for blogs, then facebook, and the very least is twitter.

I am a man, so this goes not only for women

Seems I’m one of those ‘unusual’ women then…

Personally, I don’t use these things for spending decisions, work or personal. Anyone pushing tweets out that are clearly marketing driven tend to be ignored. I’m not using it for that, and I’m not interested.

Well this is completely unscientific but I was in a meeting with about 20 women yesterday (25-50 y.o.) and a third had never heard of twitter and the other two thirds, minus one, thought trying to do anything on twitter was like watching a child with unmedicated ADHD. Just my small sample.

As for me, twitter is nice to drop a quick hi or to use on my phone with a small group of people in a large place.

Well, why would I not lose interest? The traditional media holds my values as worthless so why should I continue to look to the traditional media for ANY information?

The traditional media wanted Obama elected. Well? Happy? The traditional media, when not proclaiming my complete and total ignorance and irrelevancy, wishes to lay at my feet the guilt of every single evil in the world. Yes, I am a mostly white, Christian, conservative, capitalist gun owning American who believes that babies are a good thing.

Chris Matthews talks about getting a tingle in his leg when Obama speaks, 90210 is horrifying in its accepted morals, and the only network that even has an appreciation for the fact that I have a say and vote with my pocketbook is labeled as a possible terrorist sympathizer by the rest of the networks along with my father, who is a returned veteran. Why? Simply because he is a returned veteran.

The traditional media has not only lost my interest, but has engendered my opposition by trying to tell me not just what is occurring, but how I ought to view it and what my opinion should be.

As for making buying decisions, seeking out the blogs related gives not only a review of the products and services offered, but we also see what moves the company is making in other areas, such as politics and social issues. For instance, the comment, “YOU PEPSI DRINKER!” is now an insult for me and a growing number of friends because of various social causes they support, though it is always good for a laugh, too. Yup, I miss Mountain Dew but I switched to The Real Thing because of how I view the companies various stances. Besides, Vault has more caffeine.

Very informative post. I did not know that women make 85% of purchases nor that they prefer blogs. Serious stuff needing serious thought. I appreciate it.

Tim

There may be a few women who disagree with that.

Cheers
Find Trusted Tradespeople

I agree that Facebook is too much like Classmates. I like Twitter more for the camaraderie with people with similar interests. We share stuff just like office workers do; restaurants, news, likes, photos, etc. You can remain anonymous if you want and just share your Twitter name with your regular friends if you want.

So far there have been no rude/ignorant comments coming at me like on other social networks. And if anyone does get rude I can block them.

I guess I like the challenge of expressing myself in so few characters. Kinda like a game.

I also have a separate account to promote my blog with Twitter and I think it works better and more easily than other methods. I like how the URL shortners and wordpress plugins work so well with Twitter to make it all fairly effortless.

I think the early adopters of twitter were mostly web designer/promoter pro types, many who work alone in their home office, like me. These people are still mostly men. As twitter gets more mainstream, I think women will like it just as much as men if not more.

Of all you people who tweet for marketing please give me some sort of survey on whether you have actually made a client from any of this. This is just more versions of the spoiled brat society we live in that we expect to just post some nonsense and have people come flocking to our business. Maybe an Active Rain or Linked In which are not so convoluted with silliness might bode a better market for business but I have to agree with an earlier posting in that there is too much absolute garbage on these sites to take them seriously. I am a business woman and a very successful one who wouldn’t take a second look at any business offering from 90% of those who write the most inane and ludicrous things on the same wall they are trying to attract potential clients to. I have a few minutes of weekly fun chatting with some friends on these networks and finding some old friends, shar8ing a little of my life without exposing myself to scrutiny. For businesses, either keep your profiles respectful or actually go out and work the pavement in marketing yourself in all avenues.