Shock news from the tabloids this week as Jordan (Katie Price) announced that she is on the verge of leaving Twitter. This, after Lily Allen, Miley Cyrus and others have abandoned the site, casts fresh questions as to whether the site has the power to maintain its popularity after a lot of recent media hype. In fairness, a lot of the buzz around Twitter has has been driven by celebrity users looking to use the site as a way of building their own personal profiles, so why the backlash now from some of its most famous ex- fans?
1. Celebs on Twitter are unfiltered
Before media interviews, our stars are prepped and primped by agents, publicists and PRs. Without that guidance, and with the ability to publish their thoughts instantly, ego fuelled celebs can lash out at their management, the media each other, and even fans. In turn, the tabloid media love these outbursts and publish stories portraying the rich and famous as spoilt brats throwing their toys out of the pram.
2. Fans on Twitter are unfiltered
Few people have access to the email addresses or phone numbers of Hollywood’s A-List, or even the UK’s C-list! However, through Twitter getting in touch with Jonathan Ross or Russel Brand and giving them a piece of your mind is (as one popular tweeter would say) simples. And so the rise of the haters… Jessica Simpson has them, Bow Wow has them, and they are the reason Jordan cites for her considering leaving the site.
3. Celebrities, like brands, need to know when to listen and apologise, and when to ignore
Principle 1 of social media: Anyone can publish their opinion on anything whenever they chose to do so. Some of these opinions will be valid and constructive criticism, some will be nonsense. Some will be heard by millions, others will be read by six or seven people.
Celebrities can make Twitter work for them by being aware of this fact, and adapting their behaviour accordingly, choosing one of two approaches for their account.
Broadcast – simply update your fans on what you’re doing, paying very little attention to anyone who isn’t as famous as you, ignore @mentions and limit your followers to under 200. This will keep you protected from reality and oblivious to anyone who doesn’t like you or your work, allowing you a pain free Twitter experience. Role models: Oprah, Mariah Carey, Justin Timberlake
Engage – actively seek fan involvement, give them sneak previews, behind the scenes photos and respond to their comments and questions. This will enable you to grow a small army of die hard fans who feel like they have a real connection with you, and wil probably buy more of your stuff. Role models – Imogen Heap, Karl Rove (oddly), Stephen Colbert, Jonathan Ross - special mention to Wyclef Jean who has in recent days turned his Twitter feed into a huge fundraising effort for victims of the Haiti earthquake.
Tags: celebrity, celebs, jordan, katie price, rants, twitter
Twitter will be over within 2 years.
It’s obviously not a long-term answer to realtime. It’s a total mess of a service
Jacob,
I think Twitter has become different things to different people, and disagree with you that the service is a mess. The number of applications that have sprung up around Twitter means that people can use it however they choose. I don’t think it will be “over” in the same way that Friendster and ICQ are “over” any time soon, but the hype can only go down from here, so it’ll be less talked about and more taken for granted… like email.