I saw a study the other day from the Harvard Business School that states Twitter usage may not be as widespread as you may believe, given the deluge of media coverage lately and how often you are hearing the name (all the time). I would generally agree with Harvard, as I think most people still don’t have Twitter accounts, and most of the ones that do are just occasional users. But I also think that our town bucks this trend. St. Louis is actually an up and coming stronghold of social media.
The study by Harvard put forth some interesting statistics, most notably that 90% of all the “tweets” come from only 10% of the Twitter users. Whether that is true or not is probably not knowable, but it would seem to be supported by another study that suggests most people give up on Twitter after about a month. What this means in the long term for Twitter is debatable, but there is little doubt that whatever the medium, people are embracing social media and social networking in one form or another. St. Louis is no exception. There are a lot of dedicated users here, and what’s more, a lot of them are just as interested in seeing St. Louis as a whole prosper as they are in their own endeavors. There is a growing sense of community, and from what I can tell, everyone genuinely has an enthusiastic outlook about where this trend is going. I started a calendar to track events around town, and there are others like it popping up all the time.
One of the biggest proponents of this trend is Todd Jordan. Todd is a blogger and twitter power user who is doing as much as anyone in this town to put it on the social media map. I asked him what he thought about St. Louis’ social media status and he said “St. Louis social media is just in its infancy. It seems hot but it’s only hot for a very tiny audience. Once it really opens up, there will be more events than we can ever get to by one person”.
Another local social media presence, Melody Meiners, founder of the blog Girls’ Guide To the Galaxy weighed in as well, “I think there are some people who would say we only think [we have a thriving social media community], but compared to other Midwest cities we are actually pretty decent.” She went on to add that she does think there is some division over the interest in and the intent of the local community.
I agree with both of them, and my point is that you have a chance here to get involved in something before a lot of other people pile in. The Twitter you hear about on the Tonight Show is not the Twitter I am talking about. You can follow Ashton Kutcher if you want, and tune in to hear about his experiences at the grocery store, but I am telling you there is more to it than that. In St. Louis there is a local community of interesting people just starting to come together. If you live elsewhere, search out your community, or start one if you can’t find it.
I would love to read your thoughts in the comments.
NOTES
When tweeting about St. Louis, please consider using the #STL hashtag.
The two people I mentioned here are both putting talk into action:
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Todd Jordan weighed in on this same topic at his blog, The Broad Brush.
On Twitter Todd is @tojosan
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Melody Meiners is hosting an event on June 11, click on my calendar link, find her event on June 11, there is a link to her site for more details
On Twitter Melody is @cosmosgirl
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and me…I’m on Twitter too, @execbp. I want to hear about your events too, so fill me in if you know of any.
{ 9 comments… read them below or add one }
It's interesting that you mentioned most people giving up on Twitter after the first month. I remember reading a similar stat about blogging several years ago.
I think you nailed it on the head Greg. There is more to it than celebrity stalking. What we're really talking about is a movement that is larger than the sum of its tools. We've got a storm brewing that is changing the way we communicate and interact fundamentally. What started with usergroups, forums and #irc chats years ago has evolved into IM, SMS and now social networking. Consumers have a voice as individuals that can be heard and interacted with in new ways. We've got an opportunity to build a foundation in STL and put it on the map as a credible hub of talent in a new form of communication.
Todd an Melody are two of the local leaders and should be commended for their efforts.
-Brad (@JavaSTL)
I don't personally think Twitter is going anywhere, I was just trying to say that whatever the hottest current tool is, social media in general is not going anywhere. It's the 21st century chamber of commerce.
Thanks for the comment.
St. Louis is not anywhere close to being a “Major Social Media Player.” Compared to other midwest cities, sure, more social media types live in St. Louis. But after Chicago (which is definitely ahead of STL), what else is there to compare against? KC? Tulsa? Indianapolis? Little Rock? Springfield, IL?
I would say there are more social media posers or wannabe experts in St. Louis than any other city.
Chris,
First off, thanks for coming here and I appreciate you taking the time to comment.
As for your comment, I was not trying to say St. Louis has “arrived” or is on par with Chicago, or anything like that. I was trying to say that I think the foundation is here for it to become a fairly thriving scene and that I think we are in the early stages of something good towards that end.
I don't however, pay any attention to other cities, so I would not be the right one to offer up a comparison.
And finally, the posers and wannabe experts are rampant all over the place and I am sure we have our fair share.
Thanks again,
Greg
I will say, it is hard for me to compare STL's twitter to other cities, because frankly, I have no idea how to grasp how well we are doing.
But I will say this, I truly enjoy the individuals on twitter from this area who not only use twitter as a form of expression, but to band together for support, humor and guidance.
Every time I have a bad day, need an AP style question answered or have a reason to celebrate, I know that I can turn to the folks in STL to be there. And I think these friendships based on 140 character posts really make the STL twitter community unique.
Meg
@megfullenkamp
Love how this article turned out. What a great statement, this is not the Twitter of the Tonight show.
Nope, this is the real world and St. Louis is bringing it!
Thanks for the link love and name dropping. Melody is rocking St. Louis in a bunch of ways as well. Her collaborative blog, Girls Guide to the Galaxy, is really storming it up.
Don't forget to mention the relaunched Social Media Club St. Louis. Also the summer run of Friday lunch tweetups, Bring a Tweep to Lunch, being held at restaurants all over St. Louis.
Heck, even local joints are getting into it with comedy night and pizza night tweetups.
Thanks Greg for spotlighting St. Louis.
I'm not sure I'd say there are any more posers or wannabe experts here than elsewhere. The problem is here that the folks that are clued in a bit aren't the ones getting the most attention.
To me, the most valuable folks in town are those working to build up St. Louis' social networking status. Not those pimping out their own stuff.
Heck, some of the local clubs and restaurants are jumping in. They may not be 'experts' but they are definitely helping put St. Louis on the map.
I'm not sure I'd say there are any more posers or wannabe experts here than elsewhere. The problem is here that the folks that are clued in a bit aren't the ones getting the most attention.
To me, the most valuable folks in town are those working to build up St. Louis' social networking status. Not those pimping out their own stuff.
Heck, some of the local clubs and restaurants are jumping in. They may not be 'experts' but they are definitely helping put St. Louis on the map.
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