For a while now I have struggled with the ups and downs of the Twitter world. Don’t get me wrong, I love me some twitter but with my new schedule I find very little time during my day to tweet out the content, thoughts and news that I am used to sharing with those that follow me. I try to make time to check-in throughout the day to see what is happening or bookmark certain posts to attack later; but for most part I just don’t have the time to dedicate like I used to. So as I grapple with building this into my schedule I started to think about how others remain products and still find time to tweet their faces off. I also wonder what the company perception is of the of people that tweet too little or too much.
Last week I presented my conundrum to the twitter community. My first question was “do you think tweeting too much creates a negative perception of your performance at work?” I had the opportunity to go back and forth with some great people on the topic. Basically I wanted to know if they thought that their twitter routine created any negative perception; whether it be by a current employer, possible employer or a fellow employee. The response back was phenomenal and super interesting.
Before I talk about what others had to say, I want you to think about the people you see tweeting all time. What is the first thing that comes to mind? It takes time to tweet and can be a distraction. Yet their are people that spend much of their day tweeting, interacting and pushing content. Those that tweet all the time have to be doing something differently.
I understand that is is some people’s job to be on twitter, and be out there (I spend a good portion of my day on twitter @expotv). I also respect the fact that people have the ability to multi-task. Although, I have yet to master this science, I wonder if others get negative feedback because of their twitter habits.
Okay now down to the people’s opinions. Here are a few of the tweets that I pulled from the conversation from last week:
@Davidspinks - well that’s why I started scheduling more often. You can be active throughout the day, without always being there
@MatthewRay – depends what u r talking about. Participating in hashtag convos are good.; Talking about non-biz-related.. maybe 
@dj_justjay – Twitter is very defocusing. I’m not talking about establishing yourself in a community or as a “thought leader” though #u30pro
@Bill_Prange – I always wonder that. Kinda shocked sometimes how it seems some ppl are constantly tweeting.
@shanemacsays – Twitter takes me 5 seconds and I keep open on other screen… The people I’ve met thru it are all worth it
@cubanalaf – I’ve had clients subscribe to my tweets, comment on volume – bosses as well. So, it happens
I loved that I got a fair share of thoughts from both sides of the debate. Thank you to everyone that shared their thoughts on the topic. (I digress – but follow everyone above, they are great!)
Here is what I’ve gathered from the back and forth. Those that tweet often said that they have had people question it, but have been able to prove their work ethic through successful projects and getting the job done. We also established that building your personal brand is important. Twitter is a great way to do that, but needs to be managed. Those that struggle like me, agree that twitter is a distraction and takes a lot of time. They have seen it negatively impact work and believe in scheduling tweets and retweeting to get around the distraction. Both sides of this debate have good points.
So know that you know where I stand and my opinion, tell me what you think. What is your opinion on tweeting during the work day? Does it create a negative perception of your work ethic? If you are a constant tweeter, how do you find the time to master twitter and your work load and maintain face?
I had a conversation yesterday with my new boss who asked how my direct boss and I Tweeted so much during the day. One of the ways that I responded was that having 2 screens was key. One is open to the task I am working on while the second has email and Tweetdeck open. So there is some multi-tasking involved.
I also credit doing social media as part of my job as being connected, but close the window when I really need to get things done and will only respond to direct replies or DM.
One way to get rid of the folks saying that I don’t do anything is that Twitter provides me with more content to hone my craft than they get attending conferences or reading industry magazines as I can look at 20-40 articles before 11 every day. So the insight and perspectives are vital to this ever changing space.
I have to say Jeff you are one of the best multitaskers I know. Do you ever consider scheduling tweets throughout the day?
Thanks so much for sharing your experience and advice!
Well done, Teresa. I agree with Jeff here too. As the social media dude at work, I am listening to “everything”. If a good article comes up that I can toss to my bloggers for a “heads-up” I just saved myself time and added value to a co-worker. If I know the company is researching something in particular, I can pick up on various conversations and articles to share with those teams. I see Twitter as the day-to-day hub, and essential for the digital marketing organization. You’ll find the hottest articles and topics by skimming through your tech/marketing folks you follow. This saves YOU time because you no longer need to “search”. You’re influencers are doing the work for you.
Matt – I completely agree with it as a day-to-day hub. Tweetdeck is usually the first thing I open after my inbox. During the work day, do you find yourself interacting with the crowd or more content focused. What I am trying to say, is do you spend your time focused on gaining information, or building relationships/networking and learning/teaching.
Thanks for the comment!
During the WORK day, I’m more content focused. Yes, from time to time I will interact with friends from the local area and elsewhere, but it is usually tied back to work in some way.
You have to be fair to the company you work for. Just because they have not blocked you from social media sites does NOT mean that you should take advantage of it, personally.
On weekends, mornings and evening, you will see me talk more one relationship building, giving kudos, and figuring our local activities; otherwise, I try to stay as global as possible!
Great post!
I was unemployed for five months, during which I was constantly checking my Twitter feed, constantly RTing and constantly engaging in conversations about a wide range of topic. When I started my job, I was initally OK with the decrease in time I spent on my personal Twitter account. I figured it was part of the learning curve with my new job. But it has been 10 months and I still find myself grappling to keep up with what’s going on with the people I follow on my personal account. I admit I am somewhat baffled by people who can balance work and a constant stream of tweets, but it is more of being in awe than thinking that they spend too much time on Twitter. After all, it’s these same people from whom I get the best content. Kudos to them for finding a way to do it all! In regards to what people at my work think of me tweeting and Facebooking during the day (definitely not all day), it’s just a matter of educating them on the value of social media.
Erica,
This is almost exactly what I am referring to. My last job was not as many hours or as demanding as my current job (not complaining), but it really has changed my social media habits. I thought I would adjust quickly but it has taken some time to be able to create some form or balance.
This post originally grew from my awe in the people that worked full time and still maintained relationships all day on twitter – not necessarily just pushed content. I was having a conversation with a friend and she had mentioned that they passed a job candidate over because she tweets too much and it would be distracting. This was eye opening to me. I never thought about it that way. I wonder if the people that passed her over could be re-educated…
Thanks for the comment!
I think Matthew and Jeff have great points about the value of Twitter that can come for certain industries. For companies that fall into communications somehow (marketing, PR, strategy, whatever), I think Twitter is a GREAT tool for discovering and sharing information.
And as Matthew said, it’s efficient. Why turn down an effective, efficient tool?
That being said, I think there are plenty of people who tweet all day long pretending to be “social media” consultants, whatever the hell that is. People probably think I tweet too much, but it’s a matter of personal preference.
I find a lot of value in the relationships I’ve built through Twitter, the information I find through Twitter, and the ability for me to share my information for my business through Twitter.
To each his own, for sure. A philips head screwdriver isn’t right for every task. Sometimes you just need a flathead.
As you know, I love twitter and the content/news/lessons etc that cross my desk all day because of it. I don’t think you tweet too much, but I guess there will always be people who think you or I tweet too much.
I guess I need to pay attention to who is looking for the philips head screwdriver. Thanks for the comment!!
Thanks for the Kudos, Tim. And yes, I agree with you that many people pretend to be social media gurus, with timed tweets and auto feeds. .. IMHO, it’s a load of bull-shit. When you are posting something every 5 minutes (or posting 5 times at a time), I know you are full of it and are not reading the content you are posting. To me, that person adds no value to the conversation.
Hi, Teresa! This is a great topic. Even as an intern, I’ve struggled with this. I think to really build your brand on twitter it’s important to have a strong presence, but I’ve been so busy every day that I barely have time for twitter. I’ve already seen the impact because I’ve lost followers recently.
If you have the ability to balance, I think tweeting at work is totally fine. But it certainly takes practice and it’s important to know when to shut down and focus.
Great comment, I completely agree with knowing when to shut down and focus. Too many people let the distractions take over their productivity. Do you think that tweeting could potentially hurt your chances at a full time job?
If you’re using Twitter for work, buliding a network and consuming information about your industry only helps you be more effective at your job. Plus, once you establish yourself in a community as a reliable source of information, you lend credibility to your company or organization.
Also, if you work in sales… you can even find some leads or build relationships with people who would otherwise dismiss you in an initial cold call.
But we should be honest with ourselves; Twitter can be a time drain. (Old Spice videos, anyone?) It’s just important to shut down when it’s time to put your head down and get things done.
Great points – love the part about establishing yourself in a community as a reliable source of information. You need have that to be able to have people listen and engage right? So maybe it is just a re-education process.
[...] Tweeting or Working? – Now we have all heard the questions on Twitter usage in the workplace. How much is too much and when does work take a backseat to networking/pleasure. Also what do you say to the folks that say you are just playing all day? Well my good friend Teresa makes some good points with insights from her community. [...]