Twitter parties seem to be happening more and more frequently. Sponsored parties are a common type of Twitter chat, and can be a source of frustration for some social media users. Twitter party hashtags can clog up feeds for hours at a time, and can annoy readers with posts that are clearly meant to pimp a service or product. Are Twitter parties just cyber sound pollution in the already-loud Twitter echo chamber? Are they fun and useful, or just plain annoying?
Some bloggers view Twitter parties as another tool in a blogger’s toolbox. Candace Lindemann, editor of Mamanista and NaturallyEducational, believes chats can be an effective tool for sponsors, too. Like any other tool, she thinks that they can be over-used and haphazard. “Twitter parties that have a forced or incongruent theme, with lots of “win, win, win!” re-tweets are annoying to me as a Twitter user. However, I think there is a place for regular chats around a topic or a series of related topics and there is a role that appropriate sponsors can play in those chats.” Similarly, Karen Bannan of Natural as Possible Mom enjoys the networking opportunities, but is wary of sponsored Twitter chats with heavy sponsor agendas:
“I really love Twitter parties. As a mommy blogger, I actually find new things to write about and meet other bloggers by participating. I will say, however, that there are good Twitter parties and annoying ones. The good ones are the ones that are simply sponsored — that is, they follow an outline, but let the conversation go where it will. The bad ones are sponsored and SHOW that they are sponsored because of an agenda. And does not waver from it!
Kit of Blogging Dangerously hosts a regular twittter party called #wineparty, which she believes avoids entering the annoying realm by keeping the emphasis on a party feel. “The #wineparty tweetchat is sort of unique because we’re not talking about wine, we’re talking about our weeks while consuming wine – it’s a virtual cocktail party. My followers participate but because they don’t all follow each other, it’s a great way for them to meet other twitter people to follow that they may not have otherwise found. Sort of like a “real” cocktail party”.
But can a twitter party ever replicate a real party, and when a marketing tactic enters the picture, does it dilute the comparison even further? Shira Lazar describes a twitter etiquette when you’re at a party. “You don’t want to be the annoying talkative friend, but share just enough to keep them wanting more.” Amy Lupold Bair of Resourceful Mommy has produced over 150 Twitter parties. Part of her recipe for success is balancing the needs of the participants with the needs of the sponsors to make sure “what we’re doing is meaningful, not just to the community, but to the sponsor.”
Still, some feel that no amount of effort can make a twitter party appealing. As Heather Manley says, parties that are sponsored by a company and all tweets revolve around that company with not-so-useful information can be “annoying and actually quite frustrating”. Jessica Gottlieb called Twitter parties “hashtag spam.” And a few weeks later, she hosted a sponsored Twitter party for CVS as April Fools’ post. Others have been more indirect in their disdain, by crashing a Twitter party via hijacking the hashtag. Lindemann speaks of the this marketing risk:
As someone who regularly works with brands myself, I think it is great that brands want to listen to and participate in the conversation their fans and potential customers are having. When brands try to dictate and control that conversation, however, they run into trouble–sometimes in the form of low ROI and other times in the form of protesters contradicting the company’s message. Some companies and their representatives intuitively “get” social media. They understand that there is a vibrant online community and they are paying a guide (the hostess) for her influence and expertise. She offers a public introduction into the community but she is not setting up an entire social media strategy for the company. Other companies still think in traditional terms. For these narrow-thinkers a platform like Twitter is just a fad to exploit until it runs out of juice. These companies would probably be better off setting up accounts to monitor relevant mentions, participating on a customer-service basis, and hosting private chats or face-to-face events. Once they set up a Twitter “party” hashtag, they are inviting an entire community and they may hear things they are not ready to have broadcasted.
Scarlet Paolicchi of Moms Wear Your Tees seems to represent the views of many bloggers in her ambivalence. “I have not participated in a Twitter party yet. I just don’t see the effort being worth the payoff and I don’t find them engaging. Maybe I will change my mind eventually.” Still, Paolicchi doesn’t mind if others in her Twitter stream participate in parties. “I have never unfollowed anyone because of their participation and I never would.”
How do you feel about Twitter parties? Are the hashtag spam, a vital marketing tool, or a minor but necessary annoyance? Have you ever participated in a Twitter party? Have you ever unfollowed someone for shameless use of the hashtag?
Dooce Mocks Twitter Parties
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After having participated in a few parties myself, I’ve come to realize most of them are as Jessica called it “hashtag spam.” Most weeknights between 7 – 10pm I avoid using twitter just to avoid all of the twitter party madness that has gotten out of hand. Just a quick glance at a few parties and you’ll see it’s all the same people there, for the prizes.
Truth be told, seeing a brand sponsored twitter party turns me off to the brand.
I think you only got one side of the story and unfortunately didn’t care about the views of the companies or moms that actually benefit from sponsored parties. How about the mom that won 24 cloth diapers when she when cloth diapering her child with 2 bc that’s all she could afford? Or the work at home mom that started out making things for family and friends that now makes enough to sjpport her family? All? Thanks to twitter parties? May be the negative whiney people that are just trying to find things to whine about could just hit the unfollow button….?
She quoted five women who are active with twitter parties and who view them as positive. I’m not sure why that feels one-sided.
Because they were still all against sponsored parties. Unfollow or better yet block the hash tag for the might in tweet deck.
Only one person quoted was categorically against. The rest presented nuanced views that discussed the pros and cons for the brands and the twitter community.
I’m one of those quoted, so I admit to a bias…but I’m with Kristen. I think it was a balanced discussion. If anything this article came off as a positive piece on how twitter parties can fit into the landscape.
Kinda sounds like I was being one-sided in FAVOR of parties!
Love me some twitter chats, but still not sure if they’re annoying or not. More investigation required?
I too am trying to figure out if parties are useful from a brand’s perspective. The thing I find striking about the “for” or “against” argument is that many people come with a well-defined idea of how they would like to see Twitter used. For those who are annoyed by parties, they could either avoid the times they are had, or unfollow those who are frequent participants. I guess the thing to remember is that there really is no one use for Twitter. It is ever-changing and evolving. Just because one person thinks this or that should happen on Twitter, someone else most likely disagrees.
It’s interesting that people have such a well-defined idea of how they’d like to see Twitter used. Obviously, people are using all social media tools however they want, and many of the ways they’re being used are *not* how I (or other users) would like to see them being used. If it’s a user-directed use of twitter (such as #followfriday or a twitter chat), I’m all for creative uses. If it’s something advertiser- or worse, spammer-led use of twitter, I’m a bit more skeptical! Or maybe a LOT more!
In other words, nobody likes a Twitter Nazi!
If you have a small following on Twitter, the parties are god awful. Your stream is clogged with hash tags and promotion. I realize that this is a really important income stream for bloggers, but it’s definitely spam. No one goes to a real cocktail party with logos on their glasses only discussing the logos. It’s forced and no matter how hard the hostess tries, it’s just something else being sold.
Loved your article and I also really love your upcoming events listing! I really want to go to BlissDom! Thanks for keeping us all the loop!
AND Twitter parties are VERY useful for new product reveals. It’s a FUN way to include the fans and just as much fun to give participants prizes.
Do you only go to office parties and blogging conventions for the raffles?? I don’t think so.
I’d love to chat with you about your perspective on Twitter parties as well as your experiences (and the specific instances you talked about above in the comments, like the mother who won cloth diapers, etc.). Email me at heather@dollarstorecrafts.com!
I’ve had two experiences with Twitter parties. I’ve either found them fun and/or informative (positive) or lost interest and moved on to something else. (neutral) It depends entirely on the brand, the topics, and quite frankly, the ability of the moderators to lead the conversation.
On any given night, my twitter stream is flooded with people commenting on shows I’m not watching (or care to watch) and I still find it fun to read the comments flying back and forth. I wouldn’t consider that spam yet I see no difference from…. say, everyone talking about #RHWOBH and chats about holiday greeting cards, healthy school lunches, or green ideas. (Three twitter parties where I actually gleamed a great deal of info, although I didn’t win any prizes.)
I also interact with Twitter in a specific. I usually have it on in the background while I’m writing at night– peaking in from time to time, or I check it while I’m waiting in line or for my son’s school to let out, but I don’t know that I ever just sit and and watch the flood. Or a single feed.
I think Heather’s article is very balanced – a great examination of an interesting question. Definitely like Twitter chats, although my policy is the same as with anything: they are great in moderation.
I feel about Twitter the way that I do about television and most other media. We all make choices about what we expose ourselves to. It’s easy to unfollow. I like kirk1972′s perspective.
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