True Confession: I’m considering abandoning Twitter

We here at the Internet Secrets blog aren’t strangers to controversy and this time is no exception.

But this is no feeble attempt at attracting debate and outrage (not that this blog deliberately would!).

I am seriously wondering if I have the time to continue this wonderful social beast they call Twitter.

Yes, I enjoy it when I do it. I love checking in on some of the world’s most informed Twitterers and adding my attempts at humourous retorts. I love sowing some ‘viral’ in an attempt to attract interest and enquiries. I love the positive feedback from followers who enjoy a tip or a tip-off I’ve tweeted. Most of all I love connecting with interesting people.

The problem is, it’s doing nothing for my bottom line.

But Twitter is SO important

As discussed here in the past, Twitter is a definite ‘must try’ for all businesses, large and small. Not only does it keep you in touch with all sorts of valuable business developments, it can tip you off on a business prospect or give you feedback on an idea you are considering. It can be a fantastic way of getting your markets interested in a new development, product, service or bargain.

And it spreads like wildfire. Just ask Susan Boyle. Or Michael Jackson’s doctor.
But as we’ve also stressed, it works best for those who aren’t relied on for directly generating revenue (ie. are responsible for ‘billable’ time) or who have periods of ‘downtime’ between jobs, customers, etc.

Unfortunately, I fall into neither of these camps.

Alas, time is money

Like many, my business relies on cramming as many billable hours into the week as possible. The more I can complete, the more I can bill and the more I earn.

And there’s the rub and conflict of interest.

Because the more I tweet, the less billable work I can complete and therefore the less I earn.

There’s also the moral dilemma of tweeting when your valued customers are eagerly awaiting the work we do so as they can get on with their business.

I mean, how would you feel if you were concerned that your website, or email marketing shot, or SEO was not going to be completed on time and you logged onto my Twitter page to find my day (and their deadline) being chewed up by a string of tweets.

Pretty abandoned I’m sure.

Twitter turns minutes into unbillable hours

Sure, I know its only 140 characters, but as anyone in the services industry knows, time is money and we just can’t get enough of it. All those logons and composing tweets can soon distract you for hours if you add it all up.

I know, as a blogger specialising in eMarketing it’s my job to keep abreast of these developments so as I can best inform you how to go about it yourselves.

But in this GFC affected financial year, I need to pay the bills and earn a living.

Something has to give and I’m afraid Twitter may well be it.

An unintended decline

To be honest, my abandonment of Twitter had already started without really thinking about it.

Only a few months back I logged onto my Twitter page at least a few times a day and sometimes left up to five or six tweets a day.

But as the affects of the GFC dissipated, I was in more demand to work on the business that was starting to flow again.

And given that I am still a revenue line rather than an expense to my business, needed to knuckle down and push as much business through the pipeline as possible, while satisfying customer deadlines.

Now I am lucky to log on five times a week. The number of tweets I’ve been able to muster since December 1? All of five! Less than one a week (although holidays did tak up three weeks of that time).

So Twitter, fun as it has been, it may well have to be a fond adieu. At least until the amount of new business peters out again.

Heaven forbid!

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Craig Reardon is a leading eBusiness educator and founder and director of independent web services firm The E Team which provide the gamut of ‘pre-built’ website solutions, technologies and services to SMEs in Melbourne and beyond.