What does David Allen think of the “cocktail party” that is Twitter? In this short and sweet 5 minute podcast, David talks about his approach to Twitter and the world of social media. LISTEN NOW
“People ask me, is it [Twitter] a waste of time? Is going to a cocktail party a waste of time? Well, people go to cocktail parties, so if you feel guilty for going, you shouldn’t go to begin with. If you are going, why are you going?” – David Allen
I’m drunk from this party! The great thing is that I’ve chosen to socialize with the people at this party.
Hey Jeff, Yes, it does help when you like the people at the party!
Here’s an interesting blog post as well about the actual usage estimates: http://whichmba.wordpress.com/&Fsrc=mgttkgnwl/
In all candor, I can’t think of a medium that in its very essence is more antithetical to GTD than Twitter.
An avalanche of almost-never-actionable (or even medium-term relevant) snippets and fragmented STUFF from tweeters who mainly want you to follow their gig.
Blogs, social sites, twitter, e-mail subscriptions … in how many redundant ways does one need to keep his or her “ear to the ground”? In the podcast I sensed that “the David” was somewhat at a loss to identify an even moderately compelling reason for anyone to burn focus sifting the twitter feed haystack.
Re Mark’s “avalanche of almost…” perhaps the client is the determining factor? I use TweetDeck, which has some great filters, allowing me to hide the avalance so I can focus on the snowflakes that interest me.
You remember how David says that “Why?” is the very first question worth asking in the Natural Planning Model (the GTD Vertical)?
It definitely applies in terms of Twitter as well as attending a party. David touched on this when asking why you’re going, e.g., to have fun, meet 3 new business contacts, find a future spouse, study the artwork and decorations you’ve heard about, OR explore as a venue to one day host your party and cry if you want to? That then guides you to the next question, the What that tells you the Successful Outcome.
I’ve found that many do NOT ask why they have signed up for Twitter. They figure everybody’s doing it, so why not them too. Then they abandon it in droves. They never defined neither purpose nor success.
Contrast that with the approach of one SF Bay Area news reporter. He uses Twitter to inform people of breaking news stories and that’s it. He’s seen as a serious person by both everyday subscribers and industry. Because news, broadcast and the like are very shaky, he’s putting out a name for himself in case he needs to jump ship. He doesn’t post timewasters like when he spills his latte, he instead is accurate, informative and professional. Twitter has paid off for him because he’s been invited to cable news shows besides his regular beat on AM radio local traffic and news.
In other words, if you define your purpose up front, you can really make it pay off, whether for work or leisure. Then you really get to party.