The basics of social networking and Twitter still mystify most.
HubSpot reported that many Twitterers aren't tweeting at all. In fact, in a nine month analysis of over 4.5 Twitter accounts they discovered some surprising facts:
Lots of lurkers, not so many Tweeters....
80% of users didn't provide a homepage URL 76% have yet to enter a bio in their profile 56% aren't following anyone 55% have never tweeted at all 53% have 0 followers
How people are using Twitter is also surprising:
1.44% of all tweets are retweets
37.95% of all tweets contain an "@" symbol (mentions) 33.44% of all tweets start with an "@" symbol (replies)
Twitterers are also pushing the limit by maxing out the 140 character limit in an attempt to cram meaning into a few sentences. The disadvantage of being a chatty Tweeter? You don't get retweeted. So if you want to go viral keep your tweets short and sweet so people can retweet.
Did you know that Twitter doesn't allow you to follow any more than 2000 people unless you have 2000 followers? I didn't.
Regular folks aren't the only ones confused by Twitter. Some of the best and brightest are baffled as well. Fortune 100 CEOs are some of the biggest slowpokes when it comes to jumping on the social networking bandwagon. UBERCO discovered that only 2 of the top 100 CEOs even have a Twitter account. Catch a clue and follow in the footsteps of Guy Kawasaki -- hire an intern already!
Susan Harrow, CEO of prsecrets.com, is a top media coach, marketing strategist and author of *Sell Yourself Without Selling Your Soul* (HarperCollins), *The Ultimate Guide to Getting Booked on Oprah*, and *Get a 6- Figure Book Advance.* Clients include Fortune 500 CEOs, bestselling authors and entrepreneurs who have appeared on Oprah, 60 Minutes, NPR, and in TIME, USA Today, Parade, People, O, NY Times, WSJ, and Inc.