You Can’t Build Authority and Thought Leadership via Twitter

January 12, 2009

I’m a big fan of Twitter. It’s clearly gone mainstream in a number of ways and brings significant value for maintaining relationships, finding new ones, etc. But you can’t build authority and thought leadership through Twitter or other microblogging services (or aggregator-type services) like FriendFeed. Not unless you previously had some authority and reputation through blogging.

Robert Scoble recently questioned his own use of FriendFeed, and the amount of time he spends with the service. Michael Arrington responded with his own thoughts, essentially saying that Scoble is addicted to FriendFeed and as a result of all his time spent there, his blog has become a ghost town.

Robert himself wrote, “Some people tell me my thought leadership has declined as I’ve blogged less.”

I agree 100%.

Now Robert can afford to experiment, get lost in different services, and even have his brand and reputation tarnished, because of all the success he had previously built up after years of effort. But what about the rest of us?

Blogging is the single most effect way of getting your message out, building reputation, creating authority and demonstrating thought leadership.

Blogging isn’t the best way of staying in touch with people or having conversations; commenting just isn’t as good as more real-time discussions via microblogging. But blogging still dominates when it comes to the dissemination of quality information (and from that quality information comes reputation and authority.) And don’t get me started on the death of blogs. It’s utter nonsense.

A few things to think about:

  1. When you discover someone’s blog (via a link, referral, etc.) it’s not uncommon to look through a few posts, or even dig into the archives. The same cannot be said for Twitter. On Twitter you may look at a few tweets, but you can’t really build up enough of a profile of someone from that. So you make a much faster “follow or don’t follow” decision. With a blog, you dig deeper. Most of the time when someone follows me on Twitter, the first thing I do upon viewing their Twitter profile is check out their blog. That’s where the “meat” is…
  2. Blogs still generate more meaningful commentary from your audience. Sure, a bunch of people might re-Tweet something, but that’s not the same as having 10 or 20 or 30 or more people comment on a post.
  3. Blog posts are eternal whereas Tweets are forgotten. Although most old blog posts really don’t drive a lot of new traffic, they’re still more accessible and meaningful to search engines, and will pick up more traffic than old Tweets. Do you even remember what you posted on Twitter or FriendFeed last week? Probably not. Do you remember what you blogged about? A blog is truly an archive of your life, experiences, thoughts, opinions, etc. Twitter is like someone with no long-term memory.
  4. Twitter is now used quite actively to drive people somewhere – to get them to click through to somewhere. Brands do it. Marketers do it. Everyone does it. Blogs are destination sites.
  5. As fun as it is to post something pithy and quick on Twitter, blogging is still a better medium for expressing yourself, for weaving in more thought, multiple ideas, other people’s input and commentary. Blogging is strategic. Twitter is strategic too, but less so.

Microblogging services like Twitter are great for expanding your audience. They’re great for maintaining ongoing relationships and jumping “in and out of the stream” of what’s going on. Twitter and FriendFeed are great for keeping up-to-date on things; many people claim they no longer use an RSS reader because they get all the latest news from microblogging services. And that’s very cool. But it doesn’t equate to authority, reputation and thought leadership. Blogging does.

You may be able to increase your authority through microblogging services, but if you’re starting from scratch it won’t be effective. And it’s still best to have your feet firmly planted in the foundation of a blog.

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Tagged as: Blogging, blogs, FriendFeed, microbloging, Social Media, Twitter

Comments
  • Saphirus
    I've personally minimalized my brush with micro-blogging for many of the reasons stated against it here; namely its transeient nature and minimal forethough and organization put into a post. That said, a blog is never truely a firm standing ground simply because far too many are difficult to search, as I've often found it difficult to easily find something interesting even when I've found a blog that looks promissing at first sight.

    In short, I whole-heartedly agree that for depth of expression, it would be hard to find a better medium than blogging.
  • First one to comment ! :)

    twitter - Short term, getting people to click (short term marketing)
    Blogging - long term, building authority - people that will come back to your website.

    Love the article, Thumbs up
  • Great post Ben.

    I actually wrote about this the other day on my blog. I think twitter, friendfeed, and other social media sites allow users to create a false authority using their large self manufactured friend counts as a form of social proof. This authority and fame is usually fleeting as their lack of quality content and thought leadership ultimately reveals their shortcomings.
  • Awesome post Ben,

    And it is so true. You cannot expect to build 3000 followers or something on twitter and them come to your blog regularly if it is not being updated and it is lacking in quality.

    Love the post

    2 Thumbs up :P
  • This past weekend at WordCamp Las Vegas, Chris Brogan touched on this, noting that Twitter is about breadth, whereas blogging is about depth.
  • That was my exact new year's solution: more blogging, less tweeting... Link to my post
  • A different take on the mainstreaming of Twitter:
    http://agitationist.com/twitter-officially-goes...
  • You're absolutely right. Twitter is all about the instant. Even if I use it to share links, I try to post the most interesting ones to my blog with a relevant comment.

    Quite funny, Robert Scoble posted an article "If you are laid off, here’s how to socially network[1]" about how to use your blog as a resume to find a new job. Twitter is clearly not the right place for that.

    [1] http://scobleizer.com/2009/01/12/if-you-are-lai...
  • Different tools for different jobs, right?

    Couldn't agree with you more. It's hard to be a legit. thought leader when you're working with 140 characters at a time.
  • So if I'm reading you right - Twitter is the appetizer and blogging is the meat and potatoes.

    Makes sense and I would agree with you.

    There are some Twitter folk out their who have built their online reputation on Twitter alone. But I see your point about the blog being "sticky" where as a Tweet can quickly dissipate.

    Twitter has helped me considerably blog - but I certainly wouldn't give up blogging just to be on Twitter.

    Good food for though... make my head hurt! Thank you!
  • Thanks for all the comments folks - hopefully we can continue the dialogue here, on other blogs and on Twitter. And FriendFeed too, if you insist!

    @Kevin: I agree that using friend count as a measure of authority is questionable, unless you have the blog readership or something else to support it. I'd say that the best / most read blogs out there STILL have more RSS readers (and email subscribers) than they have Twitter followers, but it is much easier to build up Twitter followers than blog readers. The question ultimately is this: Which one is more valuable?

    @Fred: I'm glad to see Robert devoting more time to his blog, I think it will universally help him consolidate his brand and restore / evolve his reputation and brand going forward.

    @DaveMur: I like the analogy but it's not entirely right. Twitter is more like perpetual snacking, and blogging is the meat and potatoes. An appetizer would mean it comes before the main meal, whereas I think Twitter and Blogging is the other way around. You blog first then use Twitter to engage and maintain the conversation.
  • I'm extremely new to twitter, but I don't see what all the excitement is over it. I post what I am doing every once in a while and a few people follow... What's the point? I also don't like the interface. I get stacks and stacks of tweeds from the news corps that I've followed and I hate how it tells you what someone wrote to someone else on the main dashboard. Can anyone tell me how its properly used and why so many like it?
  • Couldn't agree more with the observations. However as u sd Twitter cannot be ignored and it is a great tool to promote blog traffic.
  • Ben,
    Great Post! The issue for me is that blogs and twitter are 2 different animals, communications forms and channels.

    Blogging is hard work and requires logical linear thought to be positioned as a thought leader. You need to be able to expound on concepts, thoughts, visions and ideation.

    Twitter ad a medium can actually allow you to be positioned as a thought leader, it just might require that you need to point to your long form blog content.

    It is my belief that blogs and Twitter are complimentary channels. In fact this is discussed in Chapter 17 in my book that was just released today. "Twitter as a Business Tool" http://www.twitterbusinessbook.com/the-book-kit

    Cheers!
  • Twitter is for those who have already an authority like problogger or shoemoney and not for gaining popularity.
  • I agree 100%, Ben! As a successful blogger, I couldn't imagine pulling myself away from my bread and butter (the blog) to start posting thoughts and ideas on a format that is suspicious at best (Twitter). I've never understood Twitter for the life of me and can't figure out what people are so in awe about. If you want social connection, then go to Facebook. But to communicate ideas effectively, you hit the nail on the head, Ben: BLOG!
  • I think twitter is a great tool, for expanding your brand, I personally use it as brick and motor, status update with a link to read more..

    Does everyone have experience with Stumbleupon?
  • Hello Ben,

    This is an excellent post! Everyone here has pretty much said what I was going to say.

    Twitter's not exactly able to do that, especially when you're given 140 characters per tweet. Like everyone else, I agree that it's good if you want to pique interest in something else. I know the company I'm working for now has me use Twitter to promote contests our site holds and excitement for the online "parties" we have for members and whatnot.

    However, I think blogs just have a more personal feel to them, and this allows readers to connect with you more. Your heart and soul go into your writing, and people generally take notice of that.

    Keep up the great work :D
  • I was telling a buddy of mine the same thing the other day. So many people are wasting their time on Twitter thinking that is going to make them.

    Twitter is a great way to grow a brand if you already have something solid. It's not going to MAKE you.
  • tom
    i use twitter to promote my site and add friends
  • A nice tidbits..and waiting for the new tidbits too in the holidays. Thanks for wishing us a lot..
  • Hi Ben,

    Nice post. I always say Create, Create, Create. People will eventually be attracted to you if you have something to offer them. I now make it a point to post on my blog and write an article for submission to one of the various article directories every day. The networking stuff is not important unless you have fresh and useful content to offer. I ask myself, "Have I helped someone else with my actions today?" If I can answer yes, then I go on to twitting or myspacing or facebooking, or any other networking tools.

    Ryan
  • Great article and constructive point of view. Need this info.Thanks
  • This is so true Ben! Twitter will never pack the same punch as quality blogging. Twitter is the minor leagues where quality blogging is the majors.
  • I competely agree that twitter is not the greatest site to build authority but rather a place to communicate with people you have met along the way... Blogs are definitely the best way to rank in the search engines, there is no replacement for quality content and keywords... It still feels a bit like an exclusive club regarding page rank etc.. But many things in life boil down to the saying "it's not what you know but who you know," I appreciate the article, take care
  • Nice Post and thanks for sharing....
  • I have messed about with Twitter but I still don't quite "get it to be honest. I'm sure it can be a great way to promote a site or interest in a business but I still think it has a limited potential for smaller businesses and sites. Once it starts becoming a tool just for promoting websites and businesses etc (which it seems to be becoming to me)it's going to become pretty meaningless for the average user.
  • I get most of my visitors through Twitter. It's the greatest way to communicate with people in your niche
  • I've started using Twitter recently and I haven't posted very much there yet. Some people seem to post every hour or so - and I'm not sure how that can be very productive, especially compared to what you would get if you spent that much time writing for your blog...

    I am hoping though what I will achieve from being on Twitter is finding others in my industry that are interested in networking - and for that Twitter seems like a nice "catch all" kind of place to stay updated on who is doing what and send quick little messages to others. We'll see how it goes :)
  • Excellent post! Great theory you have there and i have noticed exactly the same. But even looking back, twitter only brought me enough, quality traffic when i was posting two or three times a day.
  • Not only on twitter but anywhere else one cannot be a leader. He/she has to gain respect in terms of the work they do and gain followers and thereby lead them successfully. This way only one could be a ultimate leader.....
  • Thanks for Sharing!
  • Right! I see a lot of bloggers also out there putting out very vague information just for the fact that it adds content. Your content must have VALUE also for visitors to re-visit, share, etc. Most people can quickly identify a poorly written blog
  • You're right about that. We can't build authority by using twitter but it's a good medium in promoting a site.
  • Twitter, IMHO, can be one of the biggest time wasters on the internet if not managed properly.

    Like you said, for driving others to a blog or site it is ok but to try and build a following, it is simply not that deep.

    Actually my Twittering has taken away from my other businesses until I realized that the ROI of my time is much more important than the numbers of followers on a list.

    Thanks for a great blog here!
  • Twitter is great! I work for one of the big four consulting/financial firms in the United States and we use twitter.
  • As some individuals wrongly proclaim that blogs are dead, I would also disagree with those who assert that Twitter has no tangible value. For example, one can stay connected with colleagues through Twitter, share and receive links, practice casual writing (a form of microblogging), etc.

    Regardless, as Ben mentions, blogging should easily take precedence as an Internet marketing tool, and to establish one's reputation and brand a given company. Like many, I just have to blog more often.

    Best Regards,
    Andy Lax
  • I think twitter is a great tool, for expanding your brand, I personally use it as brick and motor, status update with a link to read more..
  • Twitter is a booming platform right now. Thousands upon thousands of people are starting to use it every day.
  • M using twitter to get more followers to my link. Yes,ofcourse i got more link popularity too via twitter.
  • I agree with the title of the post "You Can’t Build Authority and Thought Leadership via Twitter" the reason behind this is because twitter is a powerful yet should not be the be all end all. You should use twitter to connect with people in real life. Whether it be through speaking engagements or tweetups. There you will be able to express your authority in your space or niche. You are only as good as your last tweet, so make them valuable little bits of information!!!
  • vajinismus
    yes,ofcourse i got more link popularity too via twitter.
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