Is Twitter the news distribution platform that RSS promised to be?
There’s an interesting post by Umair Haque at the Harvard Business blog on why the New York Time should buy Twitter. The argument raises some good points as to why Twitter’s real value may be not as a way to follow other people, but a better way to distribute news to people (sorry RSS).
Umair lists viral distribution, contextual information, relationship capital (relationships with people) and new business models as reasons to buy Twitter. I’m not sure these points make it a match for the New York Times. However, I am seeing how Twitter (and similar micro-blog platforms) may be superior news delivery platforms.
- People like to scan headlines – that’s all Twitter delivers
- Many news consumers, especially professionals, follow specific reporters, bloggers and analysts in addition to media titles. Twitter is a platform built for following individuals.
- It has one of the easiest feedback loops and conversation mechanisms built in.
- The conversation or feedback through Twitter is not as easily ignored as comments section so it’s more likely the “social” part of social media will be seen by others.
- It was designed for mobile and PC viewing from the get go, making it perfect for a world where people consumer news across both platforms in a seamless manner.
What does this mean for communications professionals? An evolution (not revolution) in how information gets distributed. Twitter, and other similar platforms, broaden our targeted distribution.
Today, I can put out a press release, link it on a Twitter post, and the analysts and media, which follow me based on shared news interest, may see the link. Likewise, they may post a link to a news item I sent them thus distributing it directly to their hardcore readers (one analyst recently posted a link to a report as we were briefing him on the report).
I’m not one of those that sees Twitter as changing everything. The audience is still too small (though growing rapidly) and usage habits are not yet mature (as people shift from telling me their breakfast to finding more valuable bits of information). However, at the very least, it has the potential to add a more targeted, mobile friendly, distribution system to the news and information ecosystem. Maybe Twitter will fulfill the original RSS promise.
