The Story Oprah Didn't Tell…

Please tell me that I am not the only one that yelled at the TV as they watched Friday’s episode of Oprah. On Friday, Oprah (@oprah) and her “Friday Live” friends, talked to Ashton (@aplusk) and Evan Williams (@ev) about Twitter.

If you didn’t get a chance to watch, check it out here:

Here is why I got frustrated watching the segment:

1.  Evan, Twitter’s co-founder, had a hard time getting a word in edgewise. I would love to have heard more about why and how Twitter got started, how they are managing their business, and what their plans are for the future. But unfortunately, we didn’t have the opportunity to hear much from him.

2. Only a small part of the Twitter story was told. They talked about how Twitter was a great vehicle for celebrities, and people who want to follow celebrities, but what about the rest of us?

I would have loved some Twitter success stories — stories about… how it is a tremendous networking tool, how businesses have used it to engage with their customers, how it has become THE source for breaking news, how it has united communities, and how it has created activists for global causes?

3. There were no helpful hints for beginners. I can imagine that this information would have been helpful to @oprah, the panelists, and the viewers who were learning about and engaging with Twitter for the first time. But unfortunately they didn’t leave people with simple instructions on how to get started. (Note: If you are thinking about Twittering and want to know where and how to start, don’t miss @michaelhyatt‘s post, The Beginner’s Guide to Twitter.)

But what do I know? With the @aplusk and @cnnbrk face-off and the Oprah piece, the site experienced tremendous growth last week. (Check out this TechCrunch article for more information.)

Did you watch? What did you think about Oprah’s segment on Twitter?

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April 22, 2009 in Social Media with 16 Comments

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  • http://side3media.posterous.com Christopher

    I think you got it exactly right. The segment was too much about how big a celebrity they are rather than the service. I’m guessing that’s what they wanted anyway. I think they brought Ev along so people wouldn’t notice.

    Well….Oprah is on twitter and users are up 43% or so but look at her followers most don’t have pictures or even one tweet. So here we are back at the one sided conversation that myspace became. I don’t mean to sound so cynical but I just don’t see the value.

  • http://MaryRSnyder.com Mary

    I watched the Oprah show and was not impressed and yes, I yelled at the TV.

    I tweeted my unhappiness over Ashton Kutcher’s ‘small guy takes on media giant’ story. Please, you tweeted a pic of your FAMOUS wife’s fanny. That’s why you have followers.

    I love the give / take of Twitter. I don’t think Oprah’s signed up for that.

  • http://www.colleencoble.com Colleen Coble

    That’s because it was all about Oprah not about Twitter. Sigh.

  • http://books-movies-chinesefood.blogspot.com Deborah

    This is why I don’t follow celebrities. I don’t care what they do in their spare time and I don’t want to get messages telling me what they are doing. Twitter only works if you are connecting with people. If Oprah and Ashton were to follow me back and and have conversations with me, then Twitter is working. That’s why I enjoy twitter. I’ve gotten to meet many authors, companies, etc who WANT to talk to back to me (and others).

    But just headline tweets where there is no interaction is why celeb tweeting fails.

  • http://www.adadfirst.com Scott, A Dad First

    When I first heard about Oprah’s show and the Twitter announcement, I decided–and tweeted–that I’d block her. And I did.

    Twitter isn’t some celebrity toy for marketing themselves–this cheapens Twitter’s value.

  • John Ireland

    two benefits i experienced thru twitter:

    1) got to serve as a proofreader for Kem Meyer’s book, Less Clutter. Less Noise.; even had my name in the acknowledgements :)

    2) my wife and i got free tix, backstage access, and free tee’s from Mark Hall for a Casting Crowns concert

    yep, i am “sold” on twitter!

  • http://www.kylechowning.com Kyle

    So sad. The video is not available anymore.

  • lindseyreadenobles

    That is disturbing about her followers. So it is growth, just not the right kind of growth.

  • lindseyreadenobles

    Thanks for using the word “fanny” – it made me smile. And that is a feat on a Wednesday morning.

    Yea, Oprah totally did not get Twitter. Hopefully she will hire a Twitter coach to train her :)

  • lindseyreadenobles

    Sigh.

  • http://books-movies-chinesefood.blogspot.com Deborah

    oh and it always scares me about how people will do things only because oprah tells them to do. the book club is a huge example of this. i’ve actually met women who will only read what oprah “suggests”.

  • lindseyreadenobles

    That makes sense. I do follow some celebrities (mostly for curiousity) but I keep them in a separate TweetDeck group.

  • lindseyreadenobles

    You go Scott! I will let you know if you are missing anything.

  • lindseyreadenobles

    Pretty cool stuff. Once you try Twitter, it sells itself.

  • lindseyreadenobles

    I found another video that has most of the segment.