The ideal tool is very dependent on the business requirements. In most cases enterprise level businesses need tools that consolidate the vast social media landscape and sources into a single measurement stream, and provide the ability to benchmark and measure across their enterprise – and sometimes globally. And many of these organizations are new to all of this (evidenced by the study) and require services assistance. Many of the free or low cost tools may work for small businesses, but are new to the market and have serious limitations for the larger enterprise-wide companies.

So a more precise translation might be:

“We think Twitter is important and couldn’t possibly be wrong, therefore everyone running businesses, and everyone those businesses are targeting as customers, is wrong.”

The application will be in private beta later this summer. Wish us luck.

Execs realize(unlike TechCrunch writers who orgasm when someone mentions Twitter) that Twitter is the most overhyped POS ever. Move on please.

On the subject of Twitter, as long as the platform continues to grow the potential is definitely there for more companies to use it as a source for aggregating feedback about their products and brands and interacting with consumers. Many people still don’t get it but as the service evolves hopefully it will become more clear.

Redfin pays a lot of attention to Twitter, but I’ve met plenty of amazing execs who have a more balanced view of it. And I personally worry that I sometimes listen to Twitter users too much:
http://blog.red...er_service.html

PS I liked the “meh” too. It made me smile.

Companies (media companies in London, Soho) get Twitter, to the extent they need to get on it, but don’t get what it can facilitate. Yammer goes some of the way, but it’s interface sucks and now Social Cast has gone freemium so it’s enterprise Twitter war time and Twitter hasn’t shown it’s hand yet.

Lacy, you write well, loved China posts and ‘meh’ is brave terminology for TC, keep up the good work and statistical insight, congrats.

A

Then again, what does my opinion matter, because according to Tech Crunch, since I’m over 30, I’m old.

I will put up with all the damn spam from/on/about Twitter from now on without complaint. :p

Twitter is just a cheaper sms service. Any company who needs it to use as communication with customers has got a lot of serious problems with the usual customer service mediums (aka comcast, with such bad call centers anything is a success)

Unless twitter can add value other than another way for customers to communicate, companys will still prefer to be able to interact with customers without having to swim through all the spam (which is pretty much what most tweets still are)

Twitter probably wouldn’t do much for the Mom & Pop Donut shop down the street because their target demographic is living in the apartments right around the corner.

You’re kind of making it sound like business owners “just don’t get it”. Twitter is awesome, but it’s not for everyone.