Youtube bringt TV-Personalisierung für die Lean Back Gesellschaft

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Mit einem neuen Service Angebot adressiert Youtube die Lean Back Gesellschaft. Und das mit einer cleveren Idee: Man verbindet den personalisierten Youtube Account und macht ihn zur Broadcasting Show. Das Angebot mit dem Titel Lean Back ging jetzt live und macht sich auf eine neue (oder alte?) Perspektive des Internet TV-Watching werden.

Für die Navigation ist keine Eingabe von URLs und nicht einmal eine Maus notwendig – Enter Taste und Mousetasten genügen. Es ist irgendwie revolutionär und dann doch die altbekannte Back-to-the-Roots TV-Nutzung – nur eben in der digitalen Welt und mit Personalisierung. Keine Kommentare, keine Kommunikation und keine Ratings. Ein Rückschritt für die Social Web-Gesellschaft oder die Option sich wie gewohnt einfach nur berieseln lassen?

Der Senior Product Manager Kuan Yong von YouTube beschreibt die Technik wie folgt…

“This feed is based on your YouTube settings and preferences, including content from your subscriptions and videos your friends are sharing on Facebook (assuming you’ve connected your YouTube account to your Facebook account).”

Die Verknüpfung mit Facebook und den Informationen aus den Youtube Info Inhalten funktioniert noch unzulänglich im Bezug auf meine Vorlieben, Wünsche und meinen Geschmack zumindest. Es beruhigt ein wenig zu sehen, daß Google und seine Abgesandten noch nicht in mein Hirn sehen oder aus meinen Neuronen lesen kann. Bleibt dennoch interessant zu beobachten, wie man versuchen wird, andere Social Networks zu integrieren. Denn die Chance der Cross-Synergien wird Youtube sicherlich nicht auslassen…

PS: Irgendwie frage ich mich ob das Konzept nicht gegen den Claim des Brands “Broadcast yourself” geht. Wie seht Ihr das?

Openness and authenticity are the things that drive brands

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One of the great things about being a busines blogger is that you have the opportunity to exchange thoughts and views with interesting and successful business people. People you would never get to known in life but then meet them for a drink, for dinner or -which I really appreciate- for lunch. Sometimes you are the initiator and sometimes it is them who do the first step to invest time in networking and in exchanging “brand and business philosophy”.

In the end, it is all about conversation, and conversation is key for building trust.

Last week, I had one of these comfortable meetings when Aedhmar Hynes, CEO at the PR agency Text 100, spent two hours of her busy time with two her nice colleagues and me in Germany in the restaurant lounge Schweiger2. Apart from enjoying a wonderful menue (should have written the review in English), we exchanged our views on the latest development concerning the challenges for brands on the social web in the future.

In order to share some of her valuable and deep knowledge, Aedhmar summarized her view of the impact of social media on brands for us.

The funny thing is that the restaurant definitely won two “fans” for their delicious showroom cooking, received a positive review and it would be interesting to track the offline word-of-mouth buzz the restaurant gets from us. One of the reasons why I asked her later on, what she things about the power of the brand-vangelists (or brand-advocates) and how to leverage those for business.

Just before I recorded these statements, she said “Openness and authenticity are the things that drive brands”, and I could not agree more. Nevertheless, I think brands still have a lot to learn to make this real from a customers point of view.

Would you agree?

Studie: Hierachie in Social Networks

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Die aktuelle Studie “Social Network Hierarchies and their Impact on Business” von Bridge Ratings bestätigt eine Theorie, die ich schon seit einigen Wochen in Vorträgen vertrete. Die Nutzung von sozialen Netzwerken hängt sehr stark von einer alterabhängigen, stufenleiter-orientierten Hierachie (oder Evolution?) der User ab, die sich mit dem Alter und Wissen verändert.

Kurz gesagt, macht die Studie unter 2322 Personen im Alter zwischen 6 und 54 Jahren eins klar: Für jedes Alter gibt es einen bestimmten Typus von Social Media und Social Networks sowie eine entsprechende Hierarchieordnung von Social Netzwerk Nutzertypen.

Vor allem bei der Nutzung durch die Generation X und Generation Y zeichnen sich hierbei besondere Unterschiede ab. Aber auch in den Generationen bis 54 Jahre lässt sich dieser Trend beobachten. Das Marketing Verhalten bei der Adressierung der Zielgruppen ist entsprechend anzupassen, folgern die Studienmacher.

Mädchen im Alter zwischen 6-17 Jahren beginnen vorwiegend mit der Nutzung von Seiten wie Club Penguin, Poptropica and Stardoll. Über die Jahre hinweg geht die Nutzung dann in Twitter oder Spieleseiten wie Habbo über, was einem Aufstieg in der Nutzungshierarchie gleichzusetzen ist.

Obwohl man meinen könnte, daß auch sie Seiten wie Facebook und MySpace nutzen, so zeigt sich, daß Freunde zwar im Lebensmittelpunkt stehen, aber mittels anderer Netzwerktypen kommuniziert wird. Die Nutzung dieser führenden Social Networks unter 35-54 Jährigen ging um 25% im Vergleich zum Vorjahr nach oben.

Ein Test bei einer Radiostation, die mit ihren Marketingaktivitäten die Hierachie Muster beachtete und anwand, belegt die Hierachie-Theorie. Die Station promotete regelmäßig die Seiten mit Gewinnspielen und Kunden-promotions. Das Ergebnis: In allen Bereichen stieg die Response und/oder Teilnahme um nicht weniger als 25%. Dies belegt -nebenbei bemerkt- auch die Wichtigkeit von Outbound für Inbound Marketing.

Bei den 18-24 jährigen jungen Damen steht das Hochladen von Produkt-orientiertem Inhalten (45%) hoch im Kurs. Dies lässt sich auch leicht an der Begeisterung für das Bloggen nachvollziehen, bei dem das Thema “Trends setzen und finden” eine nicht unerhebliche Stellung einnimmt.

Daß junge Erwachsene selbstbewußt ihre eigene Meinung vertreten und ihre Fähigkeit diesbezüglich nutzen, zeigt sich als eine der Haupt-Charakteristiken durch die ganze Studie. Vor allem wird dies ersichtlich aus ihrem Verhalten hinsichtlich ihres Markenbewußtseins. Mehr als ein Drittel (35%) haben sich in einem Internet Forum oder einem sozialen Netzwerk über ein Produkt oder eine Marke in den letzten Monaten geäußert. Fast 40% haben online ein Produktmeinung geschrieben.

Junge Männern zwischen 18 und 28 Jahren zeigen sich als Multiplikatoren von Produkt-Informationen – 76% haben derartige Informationen weitergeleitet. Sie gelten als die Markenexperten, denn 54% haben auf Onlinewerbung geklickt und sogar 38% haben sich Werbung vor einem Videoinhalt angesehen.

45% laden regelmäßig Werbung oder Produktmeinungen (und Clips) auf Social Networks oder Videoseiten hoch. Ein Drittel hat in Foren über Marken gesprochen und ein gleicher Prozentsatz kommuniziert über markenbezogenen Inhalte auf Instant Messenger oder sozialen Netzwerken.

Spot On!
Die Studie zieht folgende sechs Schlüße aus den Ergebnissen, die spezielle Aufmerksamkeit verdienen (sollten) bei sozialen Marketingaktivitäten:

1. Soziale Seiten targeten, wenn spezifische Konsumenten erreicht werden sollen. Nicht alle Konsumer nutzen soziale Netzwerke auf die gleiche Weise.
2. Laser-fokussierte Produktbotschaften, verschlüsselt an den Lebensstil des Targets zu richten, sind kritisch.
3. Jede Konsumentengruppe und Seite wird begrenzte Wiederholung von Botschaften tolerieren.
4. Begrüßen sie die Hierarchie durch die jede Gruppe reist während ihre sozialen Netzwerk-Fähigkeiten und Erfahrung wachsen und sich verbessern.
5. Staffeln sie Hierarchie Botschaften um den effektivsten Responseraten zu erzielen.
6. Social Networking Kampagnen in Flights abfeiern.

Die Studie liefert einige gute Erkenntnisse. Was denkt Ihr darüber? Decken sich Eure Erfahrungen mit den Ergebnissen?

Der Zwang und Drang nach Information

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Das Credo meiner digitalen Kreativität beherrscht immer der Grundsatz “Online ist nur ein Katalysator für die Offline Welt!”.

Nachdem ich nun Frank Schirrmachers Buch Payback überdacht habe, will ich eine Frage aufwerfen, die sich mir schon nach der Lektüre von Miriam Meckels Buch Das Glück der Unerreichbarkeit: Wege aus der Kommunikationsfalle aufgedrängt hat.

Ist es ein Zwang oder ein Drang nach Informationen, welcher uns so an die Faszination für die modernen und sozialen Medien fesselt?

Als Anregung sollen zwei Zitate Schirrmachers aus seinem Buch die Diskussion anregen…

In einem Einkaufszentrum können wir immerhin den Laden verlassen, in der digitalen Welt merken wir gar nicht, daß wir ihn betreten haben. Wir sind online, selbst wenn wir es nicht sind. Denn wir denken permanent an die Informationen, die uns entgangen sind oder die auf uns warten können.

Und weiter sagt der Autor…

“Früher haben wir uns unsere Informationen gesucht, heute suchen die Informationen uns.”

Dem stelle ich mal meine Version zur Frage gegenüber…

Die Faszination für die digitale Welt, die wir und in der wir leben, ist der gewollte Drangs nach Information. Es ist kein Zwang. Es ist kein Müssen. Es ist ein können wollen, oder wollen können. Es ist ein Bedürfnis nach Wissen. Keine Fessel, sondern ein Dürfen. Die Menschheit hat die Wahl.

Die Frage ist, ob Schirrmachers These nach menschlicher Differenzierung vom Computer durch Kreativität dafür nun ein ganzes Buch benötigt, oder ein gutes Blog es auch getan hätte. Die Frage stelle ich mir inzwischen bei so manchen Buch. Ein Blog mit diversen Posts, welches ähnliche Weisheiten gefördert hätte, hätte dieselbe Wirkung. Oder mehr? Gerade bei der heutigen Informationsflut, ist gezielte Pointiertheit und Präzision der Menschen Gnade…

Zudem… Wer spricht in dem Buch? Ein Opfer der Printindustrie, der sich dem neuen Drang nach Informationen nicht erwehren kann, nicht entziehen kann. Nicht damit klar kommt, daß die Masse an Medienproduktion nicht mehr zu bewältigen ist? Projeziert der Autor dies zu sehr auf die Allgemeinheit? Ist nicht das Schöne an den sozialen Medien die Kreativität, die fließen kann? Oder ist das dann wieder ein Zwang…?

Was als negativer Zwang geschrieben, kann auch als positiver Drang nach Informationen interpretiert werden. Es würde mich Eure Meinung interessieren. Ist es ein Zwang oder Drang nach Informationen, der Euch antreibt im Social Web mitzumachen?

Vom Kulturwandel zum Chief Culture Officer

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Manche mag es nerven, wenn im Social Web permanent die Rede vom Kulturwandel ist. Andere leben diesen Kulturwandel, erfinden neue (Job)Titel wie den Personal Web Manager. Grant McCracken benennt in seinem (nicht mehr ganz neuen, aber sehr aktuellem) Buch eine moderne “Stabsstelle” in Konzernen danach: Chief Culture Officer.

In seinem Buch (und im Kleinen in diesem Videointerview) geht McCracken darauf ein, wie Firmen den Chief Culture Officer finden sollen, um weiterhin an vorderster Kundenfront den Puls der Zeit zu erkennen, und wie Kunden Marken mitgestalten können.

Die Person des Chief Culture Officer kann es derzeit sogar in unvollendeter Form schon geben. McCracken bezeichnet diese Personen als “Cool Hunter” oder “Guru”. Eine Art Visionär, dem es aber noch am tiefergreifenden Verständnis für den wandelnden Kulturanspruch fehle. Dieser dreht sich darum, was der Menschheit wichtig ist und was sie für ihr Leben benötigen.

Persönlich finde ich seinen Vergleich des alten und neuen “Marketing-Auftrags” interessant.

Alt: “You load up the canon. You come up with a simple message. You say it as often as you can, as load as you can until the dimmest person in the world understands that’s…”

Neu: “That’s just irritating for everyone. What we want instaed is something closer to conversation. And the buzz word that people are now usinmg is the social co-creation. If you want a vital animated brand, if you want to bring in people like this guyin the spot we just saw to help co-create that brand (…) so what you do is you send them of.”

Konzerne, die dem Kulturwandel einen Schritt näher kommen wollen, sollten sich das Video in Ruhe ansehen – und sich mal Gedanken darüber machen. Und idealerweise ihre Meinungen dazu mit uns teilen…

Study: The importance of cross-channel sales

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Most companies wonder how the purchase funnel looks like when consumers evaluate products they think about buying. A recent study from ATG helps: 30% of consumers reach out to more than three commerce channels to research a product and make a purchase. This shows that retailers and merchants need a broader cross-channel approach to boost sales and enhance customer purchase decisions.

The consumer study found that more than three-quarters of consumers use two or more channels and nearly one-third work with even three or more channels to research and purchase products. While we have all expect that mobile use and social media find their way into consumers’ online commerce activities, it is surprising that traditional catalog channels are still popular.

“Merchants have heard the call for a stronger cross-channel strategy for many years, but what has been lacking is a deeper explanation about why this is so important. We are seeing a multi-channel revolution now, with a vast majority of consumers using multiple channels and now almost one-third actually relying on three or more channels to complete transactions. Retailers must direct their energy toward fulfilling the unique role and sales potential of each channel. This research illuminates the expectations consumers have for the Web, call centers, the store, catalogs, and email.”
Nina McIntyre, Senior Vice President Marketing and CMO, ATG

The key findings of consumers’ cross channel experiences…

– 78% use two or more channels to browse, research and make purchases; 30% said they use three channels or more

– 78% of all consumers say they use catalogs to browse and research products or services at least four times a year BUT 40% of those consumers never purchase products or services through catalogs.

– 43% start their research online or with mobile devices. BUT They need to call customer service or call center representative to complete the transaction because the product or service information cannot be found online!

– 39% browse via the online or mobile channel and then make purchases in the store because they prefer to touch and feel the product – reason for 36% is product and brand comparison

Interesting findings on mobile commerce (emphasis on the 18-34 age)…

– 27% of all consumers 18 and older use their mobile devices to browse or research products and services at least four times a year, and that number jumps to 41% for the 18-34 year-old age group

– 13% of all consumers 18 and older and 23% of the 18-34 age purchasing at least four times a year via their mobile devices; 8% of the later are doing it weekly

Spot on!
The study highlights how important it is to link online and offline sales communication and give the customers the same purchase service in multiple channels. It will always be difficult to understand where customers make their final purchase decision and where they finally buy though. This additional study by Google underlines the trend for an offline and online purchase decision mix. One things is for sure again: The need for more awareness around the incorporation of commerce activities in social networking sites like Facebook, MySpace, and Twitter is gaining momentum.

eblizz – the next social shopping extension

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In the last four weeks, some of the users of The Strategy Web might have seen a small icon on the right hand side of my blog called ‘SocialSpace’. You might have wondered what it is. Or how to use it. Here comes the answer. Now, that the team around the eblizz founders, Jeanette Okwu and Martin Wawrusch, has completed the integration of the social software tool, I will introduce you to a technology that I would call the next social shopping extension for future business.

Social networks are on an all-time high. Corporate websites and shops loose out on traffic and referential linking as people start talking, connecting and linking via social networks like Facebook, Twitter or other social networks. SEO doesn’t work here as closed front doors don’t allow access for SEO tactics. And with the massive rise of social networks, especially Facebook, the question comes up how to bridge the lack of a connection between social networks and homepages or shops.

eblizz offers this solution. It brings social networks and brands together. In a way that social Networks become an integral part of brand websites – be it homepages, shops or blogs. For now, eblizz starts with Facebook – but Martin told me, other networks will follow.

With eblizz users can interact with their social networks without leaving branded sites. Content can be shared with friends on Facebook. Users can immediately comment from the website they are on. Or store products visually in ‘The Shoebox’ and keep it for later purpose or use. Content can be, or as eblizz calls it, has to be ‘liberated’

What is the benefit of eblizz?
Business perspective Think about it. Prosumers create masses of content on the social web. Consuming that content, prosumers realize that brands become more and more exchangable. This causes problems for companies. They need to increase efforts to make their brand get heard. So ideally, companies make use of recommendation marketing to use the buzz of their brand fans.

User perspective Consumers often find things like nice products in online-shops. Or great music. Or funny videos. Or great pictures. And they want to recommend this to friends they are connected with on social networks. Today, it is impossible to take your friends from homepage to homepage, and easily share that content via a social network with one click.

Imagine your Facebook friends follow you from website to website. And, when you want to recommend something to them, you don’t have to change browser windows. You don’t have to cut-and-paste content. You just drag and drop it to the relevant person. Watch the short explanation and tell me if this isn’t really cool…

Companies pay a fee to get their websites eblizzed – no matter if it is a shop, a homepage or a blog. Their sites will be defragmented like a cake. This makes it easy for prosumers to share and recommend relevant pieces of content of a website: videos, links, pictures, etc.

Once a site is eblizzed, users find a button called SocialSpace – the button I started talking about at the beginning. The user logs in with on the question-marked face with their social network account. The SocialSpace opens up in a small picture on the website they are on. The users see their profile, the friends and updates immediately. They can also search for friends. And, they can immediately interact with their social network friends.

Users can even ‘bookmark’ interesting content in their Shoe-Box. The Shoe-Box is a place for personal content belongings. Here the users keep very special things in their SocialSpace. Maybe to recomment or remember a product or present for a Christmas or birthday in the future.

eblizz offers a next generation website customer service. eblizz integrates social network interaction in companies websites. And eblizz will become the driver of social commerce efforts by enabling engagement and brand buzz.

“Prosumers” create masses of content on the internet, including blog posts, product reviews and ratings. Producing all that content, prosumers begin to blur the lines between brands, making them more interchangeable. Not good for individual brands. That’s why companies need to increase efforts to distinguish their brand from all the rest. One way is to capitalize on “recommendation marketing” — build the buzz created by their brand fans. eblizz can help.

And here is how it works…
Consumers often discover products that they love online. And great music, funny videos and awesome pictures. They want to recommend them to their social-network friends. Today, it is impossible to take social-network friends from homepage to homepage, and easily share that content via a social network with one click. This is a universal social web problem!

So, imagine your Facebook friends follow you from website to website. And, when you want to recommend something to them, you don’t have to change browser windows. You don’t have to cut-and-paste content. You just drag and drop it to the relevant person.

eblizz was created to make things easier for anyone who wants to recommend content, product and services to any or all of their social-network friends. Websites and blogs sign up to get “eblizzed”. The fee seems very reasonable. Once a site is eblizzed, a button appears on the site’s homepage called “SocialSpace.” When a user logs in with their social network account information, Facebook for example, the SocialSpace opens up into a small picture that displays the user’s Facebook profile, Facebook friends (and their pictures!) and updates that are happening on facebook right from the website the user is on. The user can then drag and drop anything from the website right onto the Facebook page of any or all of their Facebook friends.

The user can also ‘bookmark’ interesting content from the website by dragging into their “ShoeBox.” This content stays in the Shoe Box for the user’s later use, can be edited and also shared.

Spot On!
So for me, the reason for a website to get “eblizzed” is simple. eblizz integrates social network interaction for all the users who visit a website, making it easy for them to recommend and share the website’s content. That’s how eblizz helps companies distinguish their brands. What is your take on it? Maybe you want to test it with my eblizz SocialSpace button? Drag and drop me your best videos on advertisement, funny pictures, shopping tips or cool texts. Looking forward to it!

And sure, let me know what you think about eblizz…

The end of the future of advertising agencies?

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An apocalytic vision of the advertising future? A prevision of advertising mistakes? Or just a gag of a digital event-organizer that wants to wake up the advertising industry? Or does the event need more attendees? Maybe it is just a simple commercial clip? Or is it even meant to be spread the viral way (well done then, it seems to work, right…)? A video clip that allows so many questions, is worth being mentioned.

This video commercial could also be just a short film to demonstrate the creativity of the co-production companies FITC, Saatchi & Saatchi Canada, Lunch, and Tool. For their next flash event in Toronto the FITC has started a remarkable commercial ad that will make the advertising agency world think… hopefully.

The spot introduces an advertising agency that does not exist but might have been the last agency on earth “mps+c worldwide”. And the story is told just after the last employees have left the agency. A nice idea, right?

Allow some remarks…
If I had had the idea, I had tried to set up a community website for this fictional agency (the creators did not… at least for now) and created a charity story or some alike fiction around it for all people working in the ad agency industry.

It could have been a nice approach. Especially for advertising people to get ideas out of the cultural advertising change trap. Agencies could have collaborated and networked. Agencies could have… But, do agencies really want that? Collaboration, communication, creativity in an open world?

I had tried to integrate social comments function to enable, engage and enter the conversation directly on the website. If you understand how the customers are moving along the web, then why not living the idea with the viral… (is the reason a lack of resources and community management for such a sustainable idea?)

The increasing trend on the web is described quite well and companies should be thinking about this customer change in web use: “Internet Viewing, Facebook Updating and Obsessive Blogging”.

The production companies of this video clip could done much, much more with such a nice idea. Oh yes… But the message sounds great. Should we say that agencies should really, really, really wake up? Oh yes… And I am asking myself what comes after the last advertising agency has gone? Oh yes… Produce another film? Why? Success is never final! (Winston Churchil)

The change we see is a cultural one with high social impact on the world we live in. And companies should start seeing the web from a business-strategic point of view and understand, find and align their web-strategy with it. Companies should stop producing TV ads or banners without any call-to-action. And starting Twitter streams like “clowns” is definitely not the right way to approach the future of customer communication…

The Last Advertising Agency On Earth from FITC on Vimeo.

Study: Comparison Twitter vs. Facebook

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A recent study by Irbtrax, a SEO Internet Marketing firm, tries to determine which platform is the best fit for a particular business application or niche. So, the results of the study is not saying the one or the other is better, but the results give some good basic orientation for marketeers.

Category 1: Traffic ranking and user metrics
Traffic Ranking US and Global traffic ranking:
Facebook 2 – 7 day average daily time on site by users: 32.2 minutes
Twitter 12 – 7 day average daily time on site by users: 7.8 minutes
Facebook has the lead due to its sheer size, traffic volume, and time on site.

Category 2: Online destination for potential clients in the B2C market
Facebook offers more potential as of the option to include photos, detailed information, multiple outbound links, videos, and other business to consumer apps. The study states it is easier to build a larger network of followers in the shortest amount of time to help market a consumer product or service.

Category 3: Online destination for potential clients in the B2B market
The advantage is on Twitter as it provides more viral marketing flexibility while requiring less followers. Viral Marketing is a core business to business social media application for service recognition and other benefits. Popular industry related tweets are redistributed creating a domino effect even if you don’t have thousands of followers.

Category 4: market research benefits
Again Twitter shows more potential. Its search features can be efficiently used to monitor what people are saying about a company, service, product and competitors. Increasing or declining trends can be tracked effectively as well.

Category 5: internal viral marketing benefits
Facebook is top as it’s much easier to build a larger following. Plus, Facebook ‘wall’ feature is much more interactive than Twitter’s internal communication features.

Category 6: external viral marketing benefits
Twitter offers a greater external internet reach – no front door. Google’s ‘Real Time’ search feature often streams live tweets. A comparison of the number of tweets an independent article/release receives verse the number times they are shared by Facebook accounts appears to strongly favor Twitter.

Category 7: Use of each platform for direct internet communication
Facebook offers an instant message feature which allows you to communicate with other users globally.

Spot On!
The study concludes that in order to maximize your social media marketing results companies ideally create a presence on both. And I am happy that a study mentions this: Which platform a company engages first, or where to spend the most amount of available time or budget depends on your customers!!! Businesses should be checking their web-analytic metrics to apply the findings to your target group, and evaluate the potential and strengths of each platform.

Study: Twitter users not as social as they seem?

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A new report by Barracuda Networks on the company’s newly launched security research portal unveils a truth that was already found in this Harvard study some months ago: Twitter users are not as social as they might seem.

Although Twitter is probably the fastest growing social network, most of its 50 million accounts seem to follow other users – instead of posting their own messages. In some way this sounds positive, as it shows that we are not living in a pure self-referential world.

The Barracuda study states that in December 2009 73% of Twitter accounts have tweeted fewer than 10 times. Only 21% of Twitter account holders are “true users” as Baracuda defines them. The “true user”, according to their definition, is someone who has at least 10 followers, follows at least 10 people and has tweeted at least 10 times. Now, we may argue differently about that, but it definitely shows a trend.

Paul Judge, author of the report and chief research officer at Barracuda, thinks that Twitter is becoming more of a news feed channel than a social network. That indicates that most Twitter users “came online to follow their favorite celebrities, not to interact with their buddies the way they would on Facebook or MySpace,” said Judge.

The follow-only trend might be part of the is part of Twitter’s “red carpet era” when celebrities pushed their microblogging account into the mainstream during the six-month research period of Barracuda.

From November 2008 to April 2009, some celebrities, like Ashton Kutcher, Oprah Winfrey and John Mayer, joined Twitter. In these days the micro-blogging service grew 21.2% in the month of April 2009 alone.

Spot On!
The question remains if Twitter will be able to get more of these followers activated to become “true users” and to start tweeting themselves. Or if security risks will keep users away from becoming the active Twitterati. In combination with news about sites like Pleaserobme.com people have scared of users not to tell to much about their real-time privacy. In my eyes Twitter should be making the main benefit clear to their potential users and show some monetization strategy for companies and users. Why should someone use a platform that does not show a valid business reason?