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ArGh! Now I Have to Sort Through Twitter Tweets.

I've been micro-interrupted so many times with my iPhone with people Tweeting on Twitter I've just turned the damned service off so I can get some work done.

I could care less that Arnold was pissed off that a photographer caught his wife red handed driving with a phone stuck to her ear. I'm thankful that the California fires were put out, but Arnold like to Tweet a lot. He Tweets seven... sometimes fifteen times a day.

Arnold Tweets

He should change his name to the Tweet-a-nator instead of Gov-a-nator.

President Obama only Tweets three or so times a day and it's usually to rally us or thank us for calling in for support of the helping to fix the Healthcare system. These are valuable Tweets, but when you add in Arnold and Tweets about the Balloon Boy from CNN I'm starting to lose my concentration. Nothing is getting done.

I turned all Tweet notifications OFF. I'm starting to hate the idiot who made the Tweet iPhone app even possible. How anybody gets any work done in this country and claims they can monitor 100 Tweets is a liar. You can tell them the Bartman said so.

It's impossible to focus and claiming you're a multi-tasking, Social Networking Twittering wizard and all your clients are happy and all your work is being done on time. I say it's pure BS. Employers are now starting to march their employees off to the front door for screwing off too many hours at the company's payroll expense.

Now Google and Microsoft says they're adding these same TWEETS to their search results now.

Fine. There goes the neighborhood. More crap that you and I have to wade through when we start searching for stuff online tomorrow.

The real estate market never sleeps and I guess it's fair to say that no matter how much we hate it... technology is going to be changing, too. So it's Bartman to the rescue to help all of us to make sense of this new fangled stuff.

Today Google and Microsoft's Bing (you've got porn!) are going to include Tweets in their seach. Meaning the Bit.ly... short domains you see out there attached to a story are going to be part of organic and (my best guess) even Paid search results.

So for everyone out there who's been groaning and complaining about not having the time to learn to Chirp on Twitter... you have to do it now. Because relevant searches and Tweets about homes in your area are going to be a big part of how folks find you in a few more months.

The problem with this might mean we're all going to be stuck with wading through a bunch of stupid, meaningless tweets about what somebody had for lunch. It's bad enough we have too much information overload coming at us now. How can we possibly deal with Google and Microsoft now heaping more stuff on our plates to sort through? It just seems totally unfair. Nobody asked me if it was okay for Google or Microsoft to start adding TWEETS to the search results. I have to kick out an average of 15 jerks, bozos and leaches OUT of my Twitter account every week now.

Now I have to brace myself for having to sort through meaningless Tweets as part of a Google or Microsoft search engine results page? Please, somebody shoot me now. I just can't take anymore.

The Bartman sees big problems with any real estate searches simply because there's the potential of having millions of "Tweets" which might be confusing if you search for Homes in your area.

House or House

"Did you see that last episode of House?" (and I'm referring to Hugh Laurie's TV show: HOUSE)

So how in God's good name are we going to find any relevance in that for a real estate search for homes in a certain area?

Hopefully smart people like Google's Matt Cutts can figure this one out.

It's clear that Google's AdWords and those SEO Rock Stars has a place for helping their customers get ranked on Google naturally. But adding TWEETS to a Google search results can only be more of a headache as it gives us all MORE crap to wade through to find what we want. We need LESS information on line, not more of it.

Asking Google and Microsoft Bing users to wade through a bunch of meaningless Tweets about what someone else had for lunch is only going to make me lose mine.

-- bart

Bart Wilson | Chief Marketing Officer | SEO Rockstar

Voyager International. The Real Estate Marketing Company

Tel: (505) 466-2483 iPhone: (505) 204-8097

Posted by Bart Wilson on 10/22/2009 06:18 PM

Comments (53)

ArGh! Now I Have to Sort Through Twitter Tweets. in the Technology and Tools Channel

twitter, bing, google

Originally posted at: Real Estate Marketing that Really Works. : ArGh! Now I Have to Sort Through Twitter Tweets.

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53 Comments on ArGh! Now I Have to Sort Through Twitter Tweets.

OCT

Hi Bart ~ I've been wondering what this is going to look like. There's not much information in 140 characters. I can't imagine that a tweet is going to be the gem I'm looking for in search results.

Liz

I agree with Elizabeth.

I haven't seen very many relevant, informative tweets that are google worthy, maybe I'm missing the boat.

Or perhaps this is a blessing in disguise and tweeting for business will be elavated to a whole new level.

In 140 characters or less?

OCT

Bart,

maybe you should stop complaining and whining and make some relationships on twitter, online. maybe offline and understand what twitter is all about word of mouth.

While you complain about wading through too much info on the search engines, I'm going to put a tweet asking what's the best video platform, youtube, viddler or vimeo and I'll get replys back with answers and links.

twitter is about a conversation. come join in. @darinpersinger

Awe come on! You can handle it. Just turn your phone off while away from your office. When you return to your office, turn it on and then take the next hour or two to read all of the tweets accumulated during the day. Sadly, when the phone is on, your important phone messages will be drowned out by the tweets.

We are quickly stumbling into a world of "irrelevant information overload".

After this informative post, I feel blessed and thankful that I have not begun "tweeting." Thank you for inspiring me not to begin. I was just telling my hubby that maybe I should start tweeting. HaHa! One less thing I have to add to my list of stuff to do:) THANK YOU!!

Haha, See I have so many things on my mind I forgot to log in first before I posted. Thanks again!

-After this informative post, I feel blessed and thankful that I have not begun "tweeting." Thank you for inspiring me not to begin. I was just telling my hubby that maybe I should start tweeting. HaHa! One less thing I have to add to my list of stuff to do:) THANK YOU!!

I haven't started tweeting yet primarily for the vision that you present. I just want to keep up with my phone calls and email. I also like to keep up with what's going on with ActiveRain. Between that and showing properties and doing things with my kids, Tweets just don't seem to fit in.

if you think tweeting is going away, maybe email will go away too! I know based upon this post and the comments here that you don't understand what twitter is. I don't have any issues with the phone beeping, I simply don't turn on the text feature. Problem solved. I go and look on my time. It takes 10 seconds to send a tweet.

Did anyone watch Shark Tank? I talked with Daymond John, star of Shark Tank this Sunday on the phone for about 10 minutes about business and how big of an impact twitter plays in his billion dollar business. That's just one example.

If you want to know why you NEED to be on twitter call me 425-522-2378 I'm serious! You need to be there to build your brand and to protect your brand. Do you understand what electricity is or how it works? Does it matter, if you can turn on the switch? Twitter and Facebook are not going away. Where will your business be 5 years from now?

Bart,

Where was society before so much of this usless information was passed out by social media?

Rich

Bart:

Obviously, for some people, like Darin, tweeting is paying off. With all of the social media out there you have to experiment and decide which things are effective for you and which are not. I have read Joel Comm's book, "Twitter Power," and have made some attempts with it but, it hasn't really taken hold for me yet.

Sometimes too much information is not good, unless you can time block to look at it.

Well to tweet or not to tweet. Or shall I say to be tweeted or not?? I am still wading thru Facebook. They say Twitter is the next level, a must. I just cannot bring myself to tweet yet or get tweeted.

I would say if you don't like the tweets, stop following that person.

Bartman, I don't have an i-phone so I don't know about the app. Can't it block tweets from Arnold et al until you log in? Then you would only receive legitimate social tweets in real time?

To me it seems somewhat "silly", but if Google gives it credibility, then I suppose I'll have to learn.

Hi Bart, I have been wondering about this too. And hey -- why don't you unfollow Arnold? It would solve a few probs...I'm not looking forward to tweets coming up as search items either -- as tweets are just what are on people's minds at the time, it is not generally search-type information!!!

Bart, Great post! I can't ever seem to get to the end of my email's let alone everything else that seems to consume a day. Perhaps the tweeting will bring in another niche industry...tweet-rataries, or maybe a new addiction (not enough of those out there, these days) tweet-aholic. Read your tweets while sipping an ice cold glass of tweet tea...a Southern twist.

I am not looking forward to this, but unfortunately, it's out there, and being embraced....go where the fish are biting.

I came by way of Lenn's re-blog. I really am not ready for Google to index tweets.. but then they didn't ask me.

Bart - I'm wondering how this will work also because there can be a big difference in credibility between Twitter users and there are a lot of spammers on the site. Should be interesting, they should give you an option to block those results on Google.

Bart - I agree with Brian "perhaps" it is time I learned a little more about twitter but on my cell I don't think so not yet anyway

I never have tweets sent to my cell phone. I know I can...like on Facebook for certain people.

I just subscribe to peoples friend feed if I want to not miss out on some link or discussion.

When I first started on AR, I got all the comments of blog's I followed too....quickly learned to not do that and just check back on my own.

Bart, I agree with you on the mind numbing tweets about the truly mundane. I really don't care what you had for breakfast, Bart, and I'm sure you could care less if I'm stuck at a long stoplight or if my neighbor's dog just had puppies. Social media has its place and it can be fantastic for business, but there will be some downsides and you communicated them well. Thanks for an entertaining post.

I don't have my phone receive notifications. If I want to know the latest tweets or what is going on in FaceBook, Linkedin, ActiveRain, RealTown or whereever, I log on. The same goes for my e-mail (unless I am expecting something important) Otherwise, it waits for me. None of this social media is going to go anywhere soon. They will evolve and change, sometimes for the better sometimes not but technology is growing and expanding our abilities to communicate instantly and as long as we (most of us) buy into it and use it, it is going to grow by leaps and bounds. I love it to be honest but recognize that it MUST invoke some self control in all of us. I admit that many of these sites are quite addictive, much like gambling I suspect. Even though I use it, I personally don't like Twitter as much as some other venues. To me, it seems more of a "chat" room kind of place and I find the tweets hard to follow and often feel "left out".

Twitter is pure democracy in action, and with warts included. It is also a media infant that will grow up. FYI, I never miss House.

I totally agree. I had a little more foresight and never bothered downloading the tweet app to my iphone. I kind of expected it would go like that.

OMG...I'm so out of the loop with twitter these days...guess I need to get up to speed with this new development.

Great post. Excellent points! Thank you so much for your time.

O my gosh Bart! You had me ROFL! Seriously! You totally cracked me up! You put all the thoughts that swim around in my head (and I'm sure many others) on paper...Or uh...I mean online! And House! Meaning Dr. Gregory House...I loved that thought! How hilarious! Although, I do have to say, I tweet. And I don't have others tweets come into my phone automatically. Nor do I have my email automatically come into my phone. That would just drive me crazy. You MUST learn to time block. That's the only way to stay sane! = ) Make it a great day! ~Nyssa

I really don't like twitter on the best days and I don't want it coming up in searchs.

Your post made me laugh out loud. Find me on Twitter - promise I won't annoy you!

@RealtorLori

I don't think this means that there is something wrong with Twitter. I think this means there is something wrong with the way you are choosing to use Twitter. No one made you follow Arnold. You chose to follow Arnold and are therefore choosing to get updates from him. If you are experiencing too much white noise, you are in control of unfollowing those that are clogging your system. This post makes me think of the guy that complains that it hurts when he bangs his head against the wall. Well, stop banging your head against the wall. If you don't like the app you installed, uninstall it. Or, filter more.

People who use Twitter effectively are doing so by engaging others and interjecting themselves into conversations that add value to their business or life. I have gained very valuable resources from Twitter. I have made very valuable connections that I would not have made had I not effectively used this tool. And yes, I have closed transactions and therefore made money from this medium.

Maybe Twitter isn't for you. But it doesn't mean that it is not an effective tool or a great place to become a better professional and person.

Hello Bart,

You echo the complaints of so many people re Twitter. That is why one needs to focus re their internet strategy. As an SEO Rockstar, you know that, and you need a social media brand to be followworthy. and one needs to decide who to follow...

All the best!

I Tweet, not as much as my marketing director says I should, but I do it.

So now that Google and Bing are in bed with Twitter, I suppose I will be doing more focused tweets.

It definitely will make the Twitter spammers happy!

Wow. This is a minefield. I am going to comment by asking you and anyone else who isn't sure what they can gain from Twitter or Social Media to read this: http://tqinc.wordpress.com/2009/10/22/the-gifts-that-social-media-has-brought-me/

As a few before have said, Twitter is what you make it. I choose to follow NO celebrities. I use social mediat strategically to help me find more business and get good information that makes me better as a REALTOR. It is a tool that can be very effective.

You hate twitter, good for you...leaves more for people like me who really like it!

Twitter is a great PR tool to get your name out there and searchable!

I'm confused.

If you don't want to "hear" what someone on Twitter is saying, unfollow them. It takes a mouse click.

YOU control EXACTLY what you hear on Twitter. It's not the phone app's fault.

As for those that "don't get" Twitter, well, there were a lot of people that "didn't get" fax machines, the internet, email and blogging. There are a lot of people that "don't get" AR.

Of course you don't HAVE to use Twitter or any other technology based tool. Use what works for you. But to eliminate a potential tool from consideration just becasue you don't "get it" seems short sighted.

Yes, all you need to buy/sell a phone is Two people, a pen and paper.

But you need some way to get those two people to notice you and elect to use your services.

I don't think this post is about whether or not twitter is a useful business tool. I think it's about whether or not tweets being indexed and brought up in search engines is useful.

I read about this change the other day on Mashable, I think. I was also stymied like Bart about the usefulness of indexing a single tweet. What I wonder is if google and bing will start working to index hashtags so there is some "collective tweets" or something. I just don't see how a single 140 word tweet could carry the weight of a 500 page blog or website.

I do think that was this will do for twitter is ruin it. I do tweet and like the social aspect of it. Yes...I also use it for business purposes as well. With this announcement the spam is going to get even worse on there as businesses try and gain SEO from twitter. It would be like Google indexing facebook status updates.

I'll just have to wait and see how this plays out, but I am skeptical too.

Google is very smart about the way that it presents search results, and I have every confidence that they will not muck up their results with tweets in a way that makes results less useful and relevant. But along the way, the author does reveal his lack of knowledge about using twitter effectively. You have to be smart about how you use it. Incidentally, I was alerted to this post via twitter.

Hi Morriss, -- I'm talking about the Hype over Twitter and information overload only. I use Twitter a great deal and I spend time every week peeling off 15 - 25 scum, leaches and bozos who only want me to follow them to a multi level marketing scam.

I used to work at a small company called Netscape for five years before my career in real estate. Before that, Eastman Kodak, Apple Computer software developer.

A hidden but important underlying message of using Twitter or any technology is simply this:

Twitter doesn't sell homes. REALTORS sell homes.

The announcement of Bing and Google agreeing to index Tweets now means there will be more data to sift through. Next time home owners are going to have to sort through a lot of crap.

REALTORS who are wanting to be found on a natural search engine results page (SERP) will be more buried and have a potentially harder time being found. I trust that Google will provide better filters as they start to dump Tweets into their search results.

My big thinking is that Twitter has become an acquisition power play and may quite probably become a part of Google or Microsoft here soon.

As with all of the new and very time consuming social media challenges, there must be balance in everything. Adapting and adjusting is difficult, but must be part of our thought process to a degree. I am looking forward to retirement (30+ years from now) and I will have NOTHING to do with KEEPING UP with whatever is currently going on via the web. Business always has been, and always will be, at the end of the day, about relationships, whether developed online or off!

Bart - you are right that Twitter doesn't sell homes, we do. The same can be said about all the other marketing techniques. Open Houses do not sell homes, Just Listed Post Cards do not sell homes, Signs do not sell homes, Referrals from cousins do not sell homes. We make our own success as individuals.

Twitter is just a tool to get in front of people - like shopping buggy signs. Fact is that there are more and more people on Twitter each day. Will it last? Will the next evolution of something or other displace it? Who knows. But for now there's lots of prospects on Twitter - that's all. It's an SOI vehicle.

Not sure how you have things set up, but my iPhone doesn't interrupt me with unwanted Twitter messages. I use an app called Boxcar which pushes an SMS to me if someone sends me a DM on Twitter. For the rest I just scan and post when I have a couple of minutes.

Bart - I know I said this before on a previous post of yours, but dude, lighten up! You remind me of a neighbor of mine who I always say can manage to make lemons out of lemonade. No, I didn't write that incorrectly. I understand the need to vent on occasion about stuff that irritates us, but don't fall into the trap of being negative all the time. It just comes across as unseemly. Sorry if this seems blunt, but mix it up sometimes - try writing something upbeat. It just might result in business. You are a good writer - why focus only on the bad stuff?

I enjoy Twitter but do not have it updated every few seconds to my iphone. I am there when I want to be and if I miss afew tweets...so be it!

I have to agree with Jason, take a step back and what was that about a blunt?

Thanks Jason and Russell. Yes, I can lighten up and turn lemons into lemonade.

Thanks for the reminder.

I have had it with twitter.....I have noticed that those who really don't have a life tweet the most!

I don't have tweet notification set for my phone. It is too distracting. I jump into the conversation when I have time and don't worry about it when I don't. I use TweetLister to automate my real estate listings tweets so at least they are getting out there.

Bart - I have to get you big-time respect for always responding so cordially. I certainly wasn't trying to hammer you, but my previous comment could make a lot of people get bent out of shape. Props to you for your response. Have a great weekend!

Damon - funny thing. I've noticed that those who make broad generalizations without any data are usually wrong - but they never know it.

Bart,

Like I said in my previous post, I think you are one of the most informative bloggers on AR, and I have subscribed to your RSS feed as a result. (It is how I found this blog.)

Guess who I do not have RSS subscriptions to? From a quick scan through the comments, the people here who have criticized you.

Don't change a thing, man. Stay useful and informed on SEO. And keep being yourself. :-)

Otherwise, I may read you one day to find that you have joined the masses of useless political windbags on AR that just clog up the system and make finding the useful blogs more difficult and time consuming.

Best of luck !!

I still do no really see the benefit of Twitter, maybe because I am always having to edit my tweets to keep them at 140 characters or less. I don't see how Google will be able to index Tweets with the same weight that is given to more in depth blogs and websites.

I've seen some search results from Google previously but not many. You bring up interesting points, and I wonder how much seo there is in 140 characters.

OCT

Twitter and Facebook offer some benefits to expose us to potential buyers, but the media is over hyping the benefits of Twitter. Socially Responsible Social Networking seems to be lacking "common sense," in some cases.

OCT

Maybe the quality of tweets will improve now that they are searchable. Am I the only one who is so tired of the news reporting what they hear on Twitter and Facebook.

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