Must Twitter be "Pigeonholed"?

While there are easy definitions that come to mind when one is asked to “define” Twitter, such as “social networking”, the controversy as to whether or not Twitter should be used for business vs. personal networking continues.

Lest anyone think that I am a “social media” expert, let me hasten to add,--I am not. Visit epodcaster’s site for a great post on “The Social Media Snake-Oil Salesman.”

Having been duly impressed by Malcom Gladwell’s book, “The Tipping Point”, the answer, from my perspective, is simple. Twitter is the personification of "The Tipping Point", in which three distinct types of individuals, the “Connectors”, the “Ravens” and the “Salesman” are defined. The following “Power of Context” paragraph illustrates Twitter’s success and effectiveness beautifully:

“The physical and social environment within which
an individual or group of people receives a
particular type of information can radically
influence whether the information sticks and gets
passed on. But it’s not necessarily that the
environment as a whole causes the contagious
behavior. Instead, it’s possible to take a trend to the
tipping point by tinkering with the smallest details
of the environment.”

Personally, I love to connect with, (no pun intended), “Connectors.”

It was after reading epodcaster’s article on “Calling Cards as the New Business Cards” that the relation between “The Tipping Point” and Twitter became crystal clear.

Perhaps, on Twitter, we can be all three, or choose which one we want to be; a Connector, a Raven, or a Salesman.

After all, there are no boxes.