TWITTER is in the news a lot these days. It recently raised $800 million on an $8 billion valuation. At Web 2.0 it announced impressive sign up and engagement numbers and new ad models that will satisfy users’ expectations. And of course there is iPhone 4S and IOS5 integration, which launched last week, and places Tweet messaging alongside SMS and email…that’s powerful stuff!
CEO Dick Costolo said it best at Web 2.0 “We have lofty ambitions. We want to be part of the fabric over every communication in the world, and we think we can reach every person on the planet.” Reaching an entire planet is a lofty goal. Facebook has also expressed the same vision and has amassed 800 million users towards that goal.
I have been fortunate enough to have spent the last four months traveling around much of Europe (specifically Cyprus, Greece, Russia and Italy) and really getting a good ground level view as to what’s happening in the social space. What I take away from my experiences and interactions is that everyone is in love with Facebook (Vkontakte for Russia) and not so into Twitter, yet!
Now I know it is not the most scientific way to come up with such a statement but the general feeling I got was that while Facebook is cemented into peoples’ daily routine, Twitter is still a concept that users in many European countries are not integrating into their lives. The strange part is that it should not be like this. Twitter is simple to learn, quick to set up and provides real value.
In many circles around Europe, when you mention Twitter, the majority of people seem to come up with the same response, “I don’t understand what it is.” Facebook they get, but Twitter seems to elude them. The traffic numbers and site rankings tell a different story.
Twitter is a top 20 site in Russia, Italy and Cyprus and a top 10 site in Greece. Lots of people are using the service but they are still not emotionally connected to it, so let’s try to explain this out a bit.
Smartphone adoption
Most everyone you come in contact with in Europe who does not have an iPhone wants one. Android is also picking up a lot of headwind as well. Every day I noticed more smartphone adoption, but the fact still remains that a majority of phones in the market are feature phones. More feature phones means less mobile Internet and this is not good news for Twitter affiliation, because Twitter is best experienced on a smart phone device.
Twitter addiction, and understanding for me started with its mobile app. Facebook messages can wait until I find a hotspot, my Twitter timeline is all about the now. When smart phone and 3G adoption reaches the masses in much of Europe, expect a better understanding and deeper dependency on Twitter to take hold.
Media Adoption and star power
Last week Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou Tweeted his expectations and thoughts before the EU summit in Brussels. Musicians in Greece and Cyprus are starting to tweet regularly and all the TV and Media channels are pushing their “follow me” links every other commercial break, dedicating 30 second ad spots to increase followers. Didn’t the US go through the Obama, Justin Bieber and celebrity Twitter phase two years ago?
Media, politics and sports played a major role in moving Twitter from tech geek to mainstream America cool. The same thing is starting to take hold here as well. Celebs are pumping out tweets and gathering tons of followers. Expect celebrity adoption and media hype to drive a lot of users to access Twitter and start discovering its power to inform and update in real time.
Perception of a Social Network vs. Social Utility
The perception of what Twitter is and does still needs some work for many here in Europe. Whenever I discussed social media with groups of people, I always got the pretty standard response of “Why should I use twitter, I am already on Facebook?” or “All my friends are on Facebook so no need for Twitter.”
While Facebook is very much a social network for friends and family, and is easily understood as such, Twitter is not, and never really has been, about social networking, but more about social utility and information distribution.
This key differentiator between the two services is a distinction that needs to be emphasized. Many web users and everyday people in much of Europe are not connecting Twitter with simple and fast information discovery.
The perception of Twitter being another social network still lingers and this puts it in direct competition with Facebook, a market position that does Twitter more harm than good.
In order for users here to feel the Twitter love, they need to be given a better definition of what the use case and value is for them. Twitter is a simple and valuable information and broadcast engine, and not a place to chat with friends, yet for some reason lots of Europe still considers Twitter to be a Facebook alternative. Its apples and oranges, one service does not exclude use of the other, and in fact, at certain times, both services complement each other very nicely.
The utility of Twitter, and not the social aspects (or lack thereof), will help users in many European countries understand the market fit for Twitter in their local environment. The more clearly Twitter can define its value and display its differentiation, the more users will connect with the brand and its vision to be a part of the communication fabric on a global scale.
The upside for Twitter in many parts of the world is huge. There is plenty of room for growth in many European countries going forward. People are talking about the service and companies, brands and media outlets are finally jumping on board in their adoption.
I know for many it may seem like a case of slow adoption, but things take time to spread around the world, even in 2011. Conquering the entire planet is not an overnight task, but I believe a simple and transformative social utility like Twitter has the makings to really be a part of the fabric of our messaging world.
Follow the cyprus mail on twitter at http://twitter.com/#!/cyprusmail
Alex Christoforou is the CEO of Wadja, Inc. (www.wadja.com), a social media site focused on interest based networking, with offices in California, Greece and Cyprus. You can follow Alex on Twitter (@alexwadja) and read his wadja blog page at wadja.com/alex.blog.
