Twitter need to take a much more proactive approach to spam. I'm going to lock my account to new followers if it doesn't stop soon. They control the platform, they don't have any excuses (it isn't an open protocol like SMS or email).

Stephen, here are four tips to help with the negative Twitter trends you identified.

1) Gaming Twitter To Amass Followers & Twitter's Response
Twitter announced last month that they are starting to suspend accounts that are using "Twitter gaming" techniques - those who use a computer program to follow people and if they don't follow back, they unfollow and repeat the process with thousands of others. www.readwriteweb.com/archives/dear_wanna-bes_your_twitter_stardom_is_coming_to_a.php

2) Twitter SPAM
I suggest that you or your readers follow @spam and they'll follow back. (That's Twitter spam notification account.) When you receive Twitter spam, send @spam a DM with that account's name. They'll look into it and I've seen accounts suspended with this process.

3) Bad trend that Twitter doesn't have a profitable business plan.
Arguing that Twitter doesn't have a profitable business plan is a useless discussion. People are using Twitter for business and others should consider it too. So what if it changes down the road, that happens in the business world all the time--GM, FedEx & Kinkos, etc. Here's another example, let's say the local grocery store in my neighborhood doesn't have a profitable business plan yet has tremendous financial backing. Does that mean I stop shopping there because they don't have a profitable business model? No. We don't judge the services we use based on their business plans. We use what we can, when we can until something changes.

4) Twitter support
If you're having problems with Twitter, have a complaint, need assistance, etc., Twitter has an online support forum and way to submit a ticket. help.twitter.com/portal

I've also sent Tweets to @Twitterapi and received immediate replies to my problems from the account.

I have never really had a problem porn spammers on Twitter. I think it depends on which kind of people you already follow. I follow mostly entrepreneurs and lifestyle bloggers. Also, I don't use and automatic follow function for everyone who follows me. I follow only those I think are relevant to my niche. I think if you are just going after huge amounts of followers, then spam of all kinds will become a problem.

Cheers, Gordie Rogers

The porn is too pervasive. Once Twitter becomes identified as the preferred distribution vehicle for porn; it's over. A competitor will offer a similar solution with broader appeal and without the pollution

Jeff Hurt,
Thanks for your efforts to detail out ways to reverse some of the negative Twitter trends. I did read about Twitter's Doug Williams attention to gaming practices and warning that these practices risk account suspension. I would like to believe that this policy will solve the problem, but I suspect that smarter tools will just find new ways to escape detection.

I do subscribe to @spam. Yet while I am willing to contribute to some of the policing efforts, I do not consider it my role to report the number of spammers each day. Rather I propose the best solution can be found at two levels: 1) Twitter increase active filters that capture the spam offenders. I know these filters already exist, but they need to be more proactive in system prevention. 2) Just as with your Outlook account, filters should be modified from each Twitter account level. Micro-security filters can create a 'Junk Tweets' folder for regular review and removal.

A profitable and sustainable business model was extremely relevant to people who had to choose on Betamax versus VHS in the video recorder tape format wars. Just like Twitter, Beta was the first successful technology that gained traction in the market. Yet ultimately VHS emerged as the winner in the rivalry. To date, there is no direct rival to Twitter. Yet it is an innovation that must demonstrate a viable business existence at some point or become just another great idea without sustainable market value. Even if the exit strategy for Twitter is acquisition, it will be executed only with an expectation for some future ROI.

Finally, I am not the only one who has complained about Twitter's slow customer responses.

I am still an advocate - today, but check back with me tomorrow.

Stephen...Great article, and I also liked Jeff Hurt's response, especially how to deal with the growing Twitter spam. Thanks for sharing this with everyone. Jim www.meeting-u.com

Dear Stephen,

Thank you for sharing this article, very interesting indeed.
Yes, I have personally noticed these and other trends since I've first starting "twitting", but in my opinion this is something you can more or less control. I have nothing against blocking my updates, why shouldn't we? It really depends on where you wish to go with Twitter and whom to target... I need twitter to consolidate my repeated guest % by feeding them fun, interesting updates from my property but mainly to promote special offers/increase early bookings and maximise last minute allocations. I don't want everyone to follow me, I just want to hit the niche and motivate that niche (with rewards, vouchers, etc) to help me motivate other potential followers of the same niche. To help me achieve this. Trip Advisor, Flickr, Facebook, You Tube help allot when use in conjunction with Twitter and /or Linked In

Conclusion: The effectiveness of Twitter depends on the amount of thought you have put into it and it really should "follow" a precise action plan.

Thank you for reading.

Regards,
Michael

George D,

I have heard those exact same sentiments many times over the last week. Maybe someone from Twitter should listen.

Stephen,

First, it was nice bumping into you in Connecticut and having a chance to catch up.

Per the Twitter discussion and the questions with which you started your post, my answers are "yes, viable business tool", "yes, embrace it", and "yes, harness it".

Will Twitter fix its problems? Will Twitter figure out its financial model? Will Twitter be around in 18 months? I don't know. 50/50? My perspective is answering your questions is looking at the underlying concepts not Twitter as a business.

As the next iteration in the way we communicate and share, microblogging will live on and in some ways be transformative. Its forced succinctness, one-to-many, desktop to mobile, collaboration and sharing, and even the frenzied, chaotic information overload are changing (or perhaps reflecting?)the way we communicate. I put microblogging in a continuum that includes bulletin boards, chat rooms, IM, email, texting, etc.

Any event organizer or business that is not actively using Twitter is missing out. Yes, there are short-term issues and problems and yes, there are short-term opportunities in marketing your events and building your brands, but the most important opportunity is the longer-term one that will only be realized by participating even if it's just watching the conversation. Anyone using Twitter should not only ask the question "how can I use this for my business?" but also "what is really happening here?" and "what's next?"

Will Twitter overcome its problems? Will it live on as a viable business? I don't know. In some ways I hope that it does go away as I wouldn't mind if the whole Twitter vocabulary disappeared! But even if Twitter ceases to exist it will leave a significant impression leading us to whatever the next "what's next?" is. Those who are already on the playing will have the competitive advantage.

Bob,

Our time in Connecticut was too short. Let's look for another chance to connect soon.

I agree with your recommendation that "Any event organizer or business that is not actively using Twitter is missing out." Hence, even with all the current problems, Twitter is valuable to event management. Even if it is replaced with a better micro-blogging solution, Twitter represents the evolution of digital connections that is quickly changing the world of face-to-face marketing.

As you stated, "Those who are already on the playing field will have the competitive advantage." The equipment will improve but the game is still the key.

Stephen, great post and comments! I took a wait and see attitude on Twitter and only started using it 5 - 6 months ago. Since drinking the kool-aide, here's my early take:

1) There are lots of people who think they can be a thought leader by re-tweeting links all day, or worse yet, being a news feed. I'm much more impressed with original thoughts and opinions than I am RT's.

2) # of followers is irrelevant. We should all be shooting for high quality vs. quantity.

3) Most show organizers tweets are more marketing focused than value focused. Give me something of value first, maybe I'll buy after. Also, it's much better for someone to say something great about you than to do shameless self promotion.

4) Tweeters are clicking "reply" too often and not DM'ing enough. If you are thanking someone, you don't need to CC all of your followers.

5) I'm not a big fan of cross posting. i.e. putting the same post on FB, Twitter and Plaxo. Your communities are likely at least a little different in each of those areas. Speak directly to them. Don't broadcast.

6) When used well, twitter is a powerful engine for gettting the word out to a wider audience and as a listening tool.

No question, businesses and show organizers need to be participating with Twitter. It's definitely a work in progress, but significant enough to make a difference today.

Dave Lutz
Velvet Chainsaw Consulting

Great post Steph and I think you did a nice job of capturing a 'still shot' of Twitter in the here and now along with some of the major issues that the company is facing. I think it's safe to say that the exponential growth of Twitter recently signals that it is here to stay, and not just a passing fad. Your post addresses the more important issues of how effective it will remain in the near future as it addresses some major hurdles.

In my opinion, leveraging Twitter as a tool to improve business is a good idea, but has to be done the right way to be effective and to avoid doing inadvertent damage to your company or brand. Like it or not, a company stands to loose more than it will gain by standing on the sidelines to see how this ‘fad’ plays out. That being said, make sure to study the rules before playing the game because a bad or ignorant strategy is far worse than none at all – and you can guarantee that the community will call you on it. If Twitter burns out, slides into mediocrity, or gets overshadowed by another new technology – nothing will have been lost by a business participating in it right now. Choosing to ignore it until some future time ‘when a plan can be put in place’ or to see ‘if it survives’ is only going to leave the door open for competitors, unaddressed complaints, or missed opportunities and leads.

There are enough software tools out there to whittle down the noise of the crowd to the core audience or niche that is desired, and avoid most of the spam, solicitations and porn. I feel there is value in making new contacts, exposing your brand to a new communications medium, and generally sending the message that your business is current, available, and participating if people want to engage you in this medium. Most importantly Twitter allows you to listen in real time to what people are saying, allowing you to make adjustments or leverage this information to better meet their needs.

Dave,
Welcome to the Twitter information stream.

Great advice. Your observations are excellent given your brief time in the game. I wish more people shared your attitude about content being more important than quantity.

Travis,
I agree with you that it is better to get in the game rather than waiting to see where it goes. The risk is minimum, the potential reward of harnessing the next wave of industry changing solutions far greater than any downside.

The power of real time Twitter feedback not enables organizational response but brings community into the discussion to also provide solutions.

Hopefully the positive opportunities with Twitter will steer this solution away from the problems.