Picture the scene… it is late in the night on May 1st, 2011. You and a group of friends are sitting around, watching groundbreaking news unfold. Osama Bin Laden has been killed. It is a historic moment, most likely not to be forgotten during your lifetime.
Deep in conversation, you are all expressing your gratitude for our US Soldiers. Some are expressing concerns over the safety of our troops and the retaliation that is certain to come from Bin Laden’s death. Additionally, many are aghast at the celebrations taking place in the streets, remembering back to 9/11 when “they” were celebrating in the face of our tragedy. The conversations are deep, meaningful, thought provoking. Then, all of a sudden, one of the friends present says “Hey… look at these cookies I made for Mother’s Day. Pretty awesome aren’t they?”
Everyone looks at the person like they are insane. Did they just talk about Mother’s Day cookies in a time like this? Do they not know what just happened?
This is basically the scene last night. Twitter and Facebook were a buzz with the news of Osama Bin Laden’s death. Among the news, tweets that were previously scheduled (or at least I hope they were pre-scheduled tweets) were interrupting this historic moment in awkward abundance. Scheduled tweets, my friends, were seen as irreverent and completely out of place and frankly, a bit ridiculous. As Stefania tweeted “Beyond strange, it’s a social media fail.”
I know this type of event doesn’t happen everyday… it is a brief moment in history, but consider the moments your scheduled tweets might be interrupting and decide for yourself if it is truly worth that extra few seconds you gain by scheduling your blog post tweets.
Just something to think about… do you want to be talking about your latest unrelated blog post when groundbreaking history is made?
I was feeling the same thing as I popped on Twitter(which I don’t do much) last night. So many conflicting emotions. So glad he is gone, the monster is dead, but…the war is not over and we still have a lot to be cautious about. It certainly changes the energy/perspective of things!! Thanks for the thoughts, Kristen, and for making us question.
You know what? You are SO right! I schedule my tweets sometimes….just the ones linking to great posts I’ve seen, not “here’s what I’m doing right now” tweets, just so I’m not bombarding people’s twitter streams all at once. But, I definitely would not want one of my “oh, this is so cute” tweets coming through in the middle of breaking news. Thanks, Kristen.
I completely agree. I remember tweeting something similar when the news was just coming out of Japan about the earthquake. It was just bizarre. People tweeting about their latest post while we were watching the images of the tsunami rolling in. With regards to Osama Bin Laden being killed, I too am confused by the celebration. Anyway, social media is great – but I agree: fail. Thanks for writing this, Kristen.
Hi Kristen,
What great insight. I think it’s still a learning process for so many of us (the social media phenomena). While it allows us to connect, it also allows to over-connect and possibly alienate the very people with whom we are trying to build relationships.
Beyond even this monumental moment in history, I see daily complaints that Twitter has become littered with “check out this giveaway” and “vote for me in this contest”. I’m certainly guilty of some of that (hazard of the job I’ve created for myself).
So, it’s nice to be reminded that building community is about taking time to get to know the individuals within that community. It’s not about driving traffic and scoring big numbers. It happens one person at a time. It happens when a world event is played out before us as we try to process it together. And it is a lot more satisfying to create those relationships than to have one, two or four hundred more anonymous views of your homepage.
Best,
Casey
I agree 100%. One blogger in particular had three separate scheduled tweets to publicize the same blog post. I hadn’t noticed her doing that before but it really stuck out last night. Maybe tweeting about the same post over and over is standard practice and I hadn’t caught on, but I found it annoying enough that I unfollowed her.
As always, you are spot on!! Thanks for giving us all something to think about. xoxo
Could not agree with this more!!
I totally agree! I saw tons of those last night. I struggled with that this morning with my blog post because our site is strictly food-related… but it felt wrong to say NOTHING about it. I don’t know…
I pre-scheduled a couple of tweets before: one failed to launch, and the other blurted out a bad link, so after that, never again. If you see me tweet, I am there. And I saw some tweets that completely boggled the mind, from last night and even during the events in Japan. These things are unpredictable, but like you said, one should consider the benefits vs being caught like a deer in the headlights with a tweet.
Great post, Kristen! 🙂
Kristen-
I am guilty of scheduling tweets on many occasions. In fact, I had two go out last night. Talk about feeling like an idiot, but I was so absorbed in the news that I failed to even think about the tweets I scheduled at 9:00 am! This post is definitely an eye opener and something that we should all think about. Well said, my friend. Well said.
I didn’t even know you could schedule tweets! ha! Doesn’t that go against the whole point of the real-time social interaction?
Well said and I couldn’t agree more. I think we forget sometimes what the real purpose of these platforms are for and get lost in the ‘doing’ of it all. Glad to see that I’m not alone in my thinking.
I wasnt on twitter last night while everything was going on but I am sure it would have been noticeable.
I couldn’t agree more Kristen. I was watching the news unfold last night and had my laptop open. I saw so many misplaced tweets it seemed almost disrespectful.
Before reading your post I didn’t even know you could schedule tweets.
Completely agree, I’m not a fan of scheduled tweets. I saw a few really weird ones last night and they really came across as out of place and perhaps even a bit tacky.
Again, Kristen, I m proud of you! Great insight! Also glad that you have the empathy to understand that this is a great event that will have ramifications for all of us. Some will be positive and some, negative. It does, however, provide closure for those who lost loved ones in 9/11.
I’ve been struggling with all the jubilant celebration, and very much appreciate your ability to capture into words my sentiments.
I love this post, Kristen. I was actually working on my Mingle Monday linky post last night when the news broke and just closed my computer. It just didn’t feel right to me and I knew it wouldn’t feel right to anyone else either.
This is so right on. It’s so important to do more than self-promote, but to engage yourself in the topic of the moment (food-related or not). In watching my twitter stream last night, food posts felt weird and out of place. However, the discussion my food friends were holding on Osama’s death was fascinating.
I never schedule my tweets, not even for clients, so eh. I am not a big fan of that to begin with.
I THINK: If a blogger or company wants to Tweet/engage they should do it and not schedule Tweets for people to engage with when they aren’t even there (maybe it’s the IRL equivalent to asking a question…and then running away or hanging up the phone before listening to the answer?)
But at the same time, I don’t begrudge anyone for wanting to talk about something else or change the subject. After about an hour of last night’s news and listening to the president’s address I was admittedly ready for a break.
Remeber the brouhaha about a Ruthe Reichl tweet after the earthquake/tsunami? She later apologized, saying that she woke up, poured her coffee, sat down at the computer, checked emails, tweeted, then went to read the paper. When she wrote the tweet, she did know about the tsunami. remember, some people may not have had the tv on when the news was announced.
Also, this is a job for many people. A private reflection may be enough for some, but continuing on with life is important too.
@SthrnGrl: I missed the things about Ruth but her situation appears to be different. I’m talking about people who schedule the same promo link tweet to come up at all hours of the day.
And yes, Twitter is a job for some but if they are using it professionally then I’d hope that the person behind the Twitter account is using twitter to engage their community… not just spew out links to promote themselves. 🙂
Great post! Thanks for always making us think!
You’d think we’d have learned our lesson after the backlash Ruth Reichl got for her blithe “everything is wonderful” tweet on the morning of the Japan earthquake, huh?
I know some of us aren’t comfortable with getting all political over Twitter (me included), but it seems to me that the polite thing to do is to wait until the big moment has passed before busting in with a self-promotional tweet. It makes you look out of tune, and considering it’ll disappear without a trace under the avalanche of reactions, it’s not like you’ll be getting any hits to your blog anyways.
Me, I’m a control freak. 🙂 I may schedule blog posts in advance, but I never auto-update Twitter and Facebook when a post is published.
I know those bloggers with a scheduled tweet blunder, must have been embarrassed to heck and back. Hopefully note is well taken now. Good tip!
I knew that we could schedule tweets, but I don’t do it. I’d rather tweet things at the moment… maybe that’s not the best way to do it either. Great insight and I also wondered what retaliation may come as a result of the news.
Kristen, I’m so low-tech I didn’t even know you could preschedule tweets! Now that I know about it (after about a year on twitter), I’m still not going to do it. I think it sort of misses the point of twitter somehow. While I agree with your thoughts about tweets not mentioning breaking news seeming out of place, they really don’t bother me. If a food blogger tweets about food in the midst of a tragic or monumental event, whether it is a regular tweet or a scheduled tweet, I don’t assume that the blogger is not feeling deeply about the breaking news. His or her depth of feeling may be such that s/he is rendered speechless–at least in 140 characters or less. It may be that the blogger is doing what many of us do, comforting herself with food (or in this case, with tweeting about food). It may be that the blogger has a strict policy of tweeting only about food-related things. Whether face-to-face or on the Internet, I like to give people the benefit of the doubt.
Jean –
Thanks so much for your reply and I totally agree that we should give people the benefit of the doubt. Obviously no one knew what was going to happen last night, so to schedule a promo tweet felt very innocent. When those tweets were popping up in the streams, it just felt like there was a huge disconnect there.
I think my thoughts are more towards how strange it is to be deeply involved in what is happening…engaged with the twitter community… and then to see tweets about the next money making scheme, or dessert or decorating idea. I doubt that most of the people I follow on Twitter would do that in real life. Maybe so, but I don’t think so.
Anyway, just my two cents and my opinion 🙂
Great point Kristen. I saw some of those tweets too and thought those people were out of their mind! Thanks for the reminder. 🙂
Words of wisdom. I considered scheduling tweets about 3 months ago, then decided that I prefer the control of being able to match tweets to what is really happening – in my life and in the world. I haven’t regretted the decision yet, and your reminder just makes me more firm in my decision.
Great point Kristen! I have never scheduled a tweet myself and now I do believe that I never will!
I’m so glad you wrote this! I was feeling that same feeling of “huh”? when I saw tweets that just didn’t “fit” into the tweet fest.
Scheduled tweets and auto-DMs really are the blight of Twitter. What is “social” about an automatic post?
I know exactly what you are saying. I signed in to twitter last night with the intent to put in a good word about another blogger’s recipe that I had just tried. But I’m glad I read the latest worldly happenings, as I found it completely inappropriate to talk about food at that time!!
I never schedule tweets, but I am not going to lie that I was annoyed with people discussing things like Real Housewives when the news was breaking. Come on! Important things are happening!
I disagree. It’s not mandatory for everyone in the world to halt their lives to focus on a major event. I feel that focusing on a negative event fuels negativity, and thus a balance of something simpler can add balance. The news is also heavy and repetitive, and can often times be overwhelming in its relentless bombarding of information.
Good point, Samantha. Bringing in the simplicity of other matters does add balance and helps to ease heavy hearts.
One of the downsides of what is considered “real time” communication!!! This is a great point that I am sure many haven’t considered and I am sure that those who do scheduled tweets will be re evaluating the practice.
What a great illustration of how we sometimes let our passions get clouded.
Yes, I was there the same time as you and had that “what??” experience too. Me, I don’t schedule anything – I prefer the interaction. Yes, it’s not as efficient, and yes, it can be time consuming at times, but engaging and being in the moment is what social media is. Isn’t it?
I totally see your point. I know that my tweets for posts are generated by the feed burner- so I don’t even think about them going out. I know that I was far too wrapped up in what was going on to even think to remember to get online & stop anything that may be scheduled to go out into twitter land. I wouldn’t have to worry about them going out if they were not automated & that is something to consider. Honestly- I am sure no one that follows me even cared about what I had to say when there was so much more important things being said by others. I see Samantha’s point as well- one of my good friends said it today- this guy is getting far more attention than he deserves. The ones that we should be focused on are our troops- who are often overlooked or don’t get enough of the appreciation they have earned.
I don’t even know how to schedule a tweet! Well, I guess being dumb works sometimes, ‘cos even if I wanted to I would never make that mistake 🙂
Great post!
A pivotal point not raised by many fearing the risk of offending some people. But sensitivity and practicality come rare.
I super liked this post.
I had a lot of thoughts about the news of Bin Laden’s death but didn’t post those thoughts on Twitter or on Facebook. I wanted to engage in the historic moment and connect with everyone else who decided to put their thoughts out there, but I just couldn’t. So rather than fumble it, I kept quiet.
But then I wondered how long I was supposed to be quiet…. You know that I’m pretty engaged when it comes to social media. It almost felt like I had to say something about the situation (something I wasn’t comfortable doing) before I could say anything else (something I’m comfortable doing).
With that said, you’re right. Being efficient is good, but being aware of events outside of your own blogging world is better.
I guess I see why it seemed insensitive and I appreciate the point of view, but I have to agree with Samantha – the media can be super repetitive and can be overwhelming.
In addition, as a blogger, sometimes I block out the “world” and try to press in and get a bunch of posts done/scheduled while I have a few minutes of quiet (I have 6 kids and we homeschool, so it’s not often during the day). So, if I had had posts already scheduled and/or had the TV off last night and was just writing and scheduling, my posts would have auto-posted to my Facebook page and Twitter and I wouldn’t have been deliberately trying to be disrespectful.
And personally, I don’t necessarily think the auto-posting is a bad thing. I have tried to become more personal and get to know people on Twitter and have had very *little* success. Awhile back I decided to just have my posts auto-feed so that my followers would know when I updated and added a new deal, but it’s one less time-sucker for me. I do interact often and have had more success on Facebook, but I still choose to auto-feed my posts to save myself some time (again… 6 homeschooled kids, a baking business, AND a blog – I have to streamline when I can).
Sorry, I didn’t mean to be so long-winded… I just thought I’d share my point of view.
Thanks for such an honest post. I do not schedule my tweets for many reasons. I would never want to appear robotic & have my devices control my voice. Especially at inappropriate times. Mindful & very well articulated post my friend. xo
Great post! As others have said I did not know that you could schedule tweets. I like the interaction.
Wonderful post, and too true, Kristen. This is one of the many reasons I don’t have a Twitter account. Well, not yet at least. 🙂 Thanks for sharing your two cents on this topic.
So, who knew you could schedule Tweets? I’m such a Luddite.
i dunnoh … i think folks realize that some tweets are possibly scheduled. i haven’t found anyone who demands the same level of personal adherence to social decorum in electronic communications as in face to face. sort of like … not capitalizing, ya know? in a quick comment, no harm, no foul. but in an actual blog post, not quite as acceptable.
then again … i know folks who won’t read a foodie blog if the host fails to use the correct degree symbol, eg 350° F. also got into a long discussion about why “preheat” is incorrect, since you’re just heating your oven. (Preheating, he says, would be the stuff you do before you heat it, like put the racks in the right place.)
one thing i’ve learned living overseas for half my life: no two people, not even twins who have spent every second together, have the same idea of what’s “right” and what’s not.
cheers!
Nice, you do have a valid point, i guess for some people its all about saving time and being efficient. Having to post only once and having the post spread across all your advertising mediums is nice and too tempting, but I can definitely see your point.
I couldn’t agree more. I noticed that very thing and am glad you posted about. What’s more is that those pre-set tweets seem so mechanical. I appreciate the tweets coming from a person, not a computer.
Eh, I heard about it. Thought about it, then moved on. I don’t like to dwell on the news, so I got kind of tired of all the tweets about him, very quickly. I was probably on, posting non-Osama tweets at that time. Life goes on…
very smart. i just “unscheduled” mine today. as a new blogger, sometimes the common sense stuff is overlooked in the massive information overload of getting everything set up. thanks for the perspective!
Thank you for spreading this word. I find scheduled tweets to be very annoying. I find them most annoying when people use a chat hashtag to reach their “target” audience during a chat. Fine, use it all week…have at it. But when your scheduled tweets are going out during the middle of a chat (interrupting the audience you are trying to attract) it’s the equivalent of constantly sticking your head in the door during a board meeting with irrelevant factoids.
I agree, but am 40% against scheduling and 60% for. I really think it depends on what you are scheduling.
Re this article (http://searchengineland.com/why-second-chance-tweets-matter-after-3-hours-few-care-about-socially-shared-links-92125) benefits to be had by scheduling your tweet later in the day, especially if you wont have access to twitter then.
So I think its moderation and how you use it. Just my 2 cents 🙂