Do You Know Who’s on Twitter?

AUGUST 28, 2009

Demographics and usage habits of the microblogging crowd

Twitter has experienced explosive growth in 2009. According to “An In-Depth Look Inside the Twitter World,” from Sysomos, 72.5% of all Twitter users joined the service in the first five months of this year. Who are they?

More than one-half of all Twitter users (53%) are women, and the majority are young. Among users who disclose their age, 66% are under 25, and another 15% are ages 25 to 29.

Most Twitter users are quiet: 85.37% tweet less than once per day. Only about 1.1% of users update their timeline an average of more than 10 times daily. This means a small group of users dominate the Twitter timeline—75% of all Twitter activity comes from just 5% of users.

Not surprisingly, the more followers a user has, the more that person tweets. Sysomos reported that the average number of daily updates rises from three to six among users with more than 1,000 followers. But relatively few users are that popular. In fact, almost 94% of Twitter users have fewer than 100 followers. Just 0.68% reach the thousand-follower mark.

The situation is very similar in the other direction. The vast majority of users (92.4%) follow fewer than 100 other microbloggers. Less than 1% subscribe to the feeds of at least 1,000 others. Among users who identified themselves as marketers, the numbers were significantly higher: 15% follow more than 2,000 people.

Marketers are also more likely to update than the average Twitter user. More than 65% post less than once daily—significantly better than the 85.4% overall figure. Another 6.3% of social media marketers post twice per day (compared with 2.8% overall), and 4.3% post at least nine updates per day (versus 1.31% overall).

Be a power user—follow eMarketer on Twitter.

Making Real-Time Connections: Moms Are Wired Differently

Stephanie Piche, Aug 26, 2009 10:46 AM

As evidenced throughout history, women have been very influential in shaping civilization. In 10,000 BC, they were the first food gathers and initiated agriculture, a/k/a grocery shopping. They've used their empathizing and mentalistic skills to anticipate and understand the needs of others, while using their socializing skills to integrate with neighboring clans for marriage, and making friends and allies by connecting through story telling, a/k/a word-of-mouth. Harvard professor and historian Laurel Thatcher Ulrich chronicled the role of women in the household and how it affected the local market economy back in the 1700s in her book, A Midwife's Tale: The life of Martha Ballard based on her diary, 1785 - 1812, for which she received the Pulitzer Prize. It's no surprise that moms control over 85% of the household income, which, according to some research, is valued at $3.1 trillion in annual spending. Compared to our current national debt of $11.7 trillion, that's a staggering amount of power. Women as a whole are a powerful entity in our society. Sometimes, people forget this, including women themselves. Throughout history, women have been taking on more tasks at home, school and work while looking for ways to multi-task more efficiently and stay connected. One growing trend for moms is socializing online. Through the use of social media sites, blogging, and text messaging (mobile and Twitter), women are making more connections. With that said, more moms are going beyond Twitter connections for real-time socializing to using media such as streaming video. Earlier this year, for the first National Moms Nite Out event, created by Maria Bailey of BlueSuitMom.com and attended by thousands of women across the country off- and online, MomTV.com launched with several "live" streaming video parties from Los Angeles to New York, including a mom makeover with Audrey McClelland of MomGenerations.com and the first "live" streaming video show on saving money with Shynea from the PennyPinchingDiva.com blog. Since May, the demand for more "live" mom-themed streaming shows on the site has grown to over 50 weekly hour-long shows where the host can connect with viewers in real-time via text and video chat. Last November, comScore found that over 75% of Internet users watch video online, and Brian Pickens of Ipsos Media recently said, "The digital video revolution is no longer centered on short clips via YouTube." His firm also attributes the uptick to the growth of video streaming web sites. Looking towards the future, conferences like Digital Hollywood, which covers broadband, TV, movies, gaming, advertising, and social media, offer tracks on streaming video and tying in brands that are looking to create that next great user experience for today's consumer. Are we already there? It will be interesting to watch as this trend starts to build more momentum in the coming months; a Pew Internet survey earlier this year showed 62% watched video while 46% used a social networking site. Have moms pushed the envelope in tackling live video chat while using other streaming tools like TinyChat, Snazl, Skype and Logitech Vid? Which brands will join this revolution and engage in real-time video chat with moms as they continue to grow in numbers using these tools to make connections?

How To Build Mom Brand Evangelists

By Cynthia Nelson Thursday, July 9, 2009

It's no big news that moms are word-of-mouth mavens. From the beginning of time, women have been the communicators and the central point of all things home and family.
Luckily for advertisers, women have many facets (think diamond) that influence her ability to be a sparkling evangelist for a particular brand, product or service. The role of wife, mother, sister, aunt, chef, chauffeur, maid, teacher, referee, family CFO, PTA volunteer, and nurse all play a part in the products that she engages with at a particular life stage and how the success or failure is communicated to her peers.

With the advances in technology, access to the Internet, and now the near blinding growth of social networking, mom blogs, Twitter, etc., there are endless ways in which moms can talk about and influence other moms about your brand.

In our most recent study, which included over 10,000 Hispanic moms with children 0-5 in the home, over 50% of them said that they reach out to friends and family for advice -- this means they are having daily conversations about what products to buy, what works as a parent, what doesn't and where to find the brands, products and services that meet her family's needs.

If you are interested in developing Hispanic mom evangelists, below are valuable tips to finding success:

Be Careful What You Ask, You Might Not Like the Answer

Opening up your brand to consumer-to-consumer comments, blogs, forums, questions and comments is a scary and daunting task for most brands. Many times, we've drunk so much of our own Kool Aid -- meaning that we think our brand, product or service is already amazing -- we are not really ready to hear negative comments or air any dirty laundry in public.

One way to prepare your company for some potentially uncomfortable moments is develop a Social Media Strategy. The first thing to understand is that it is not the technology that you should be concerned about -- be it Facebook, Twitter, email, your own forum, call center or other method of consumer interaction -- but rather what as a brand you really want to get out of the conversation. And, to many brands, this means that engagement and a skin in the game from not only marketing, but also technology/development, R&D, Sales and Operations must be engaged and share a vested interest in understanding and being part of the strategy.

Developing a solid strategy includes not only definition of the target consumer, but also testing and measurement criteria and takes time, energy and leadership. Like social networking itself, your Social Media Strategy is a multi-layered and fluid community of key decision makers, influencers, and lots of players on the bench. It is also not a one-time, linear event -- if you are lucky it will evolve, grow, fail, change and continue to morph over time.

Ready, Set, Engage

Step One -- go fish where the fish are. The ability to quickly identify and leverage consumers who are already listening to you and are engaged in your brand is vital to starting up the conversation.

Step Two -- get personal. Rather than starting the first engagement about the brand itself, it is much more valuable to position the conversation around the life stage or facet of life where she engages with the brand. Think of it as consumer dating.

Some examples of appropriate consumer dating could include:

Interact with her where she lives -- Twitter, Facebook, whatever. Where she lives is where you should live with her. This may mean that your social strategy has different types of moms engaged at different times and with different points of view.
Be crystal clear about your relationship's intentions. Define what you are looking for from her, how long it will take, and what she may receive as part of the interaction.
Always acknowledge her issues with your brand quickly and honestly. You don't need to provide a solution but rather just a channel for her to open up and share.
Happy Moms Make Good Evangelists

Building a loyal, viral and active mom evangelist happens over time. By putting mom in the driver's seat, you'll gain valuable insights into her habits while placing your brand in the discussion. Keep these tips in mind:

Continue the relationship as you come out with new products or work on new campaigns to ensure relevant messages and continued trust.
Offer giveaways for moms and those who they influence (friends, family, their social network).
Make sure all conversations speak to not at your moms to keep them coming back for more.
Listen, listen, and listen. Repite por favor.

How To Talk To Moms? Listen.How To Talk To Moms? Listen.

By Stacy Morrison Wednesday, July 8, 2009

As a mother, a woman, and editor of a magazine for 10 million women and moms like me (and not like me), I find it hard not to be amused by the constant handwringing in the media and advertising worlds about how best to talk to "moms." Because more often than not, they end up talking at us. At times, we feel reduced to a tidy pile of demographics and household statistics that effectively erase all the unique distinction we women are each so proud to possess.
People often ask me who the Redbook reader is. I used to answer, "Which one? There are at least five" - before launching into a breakdown of types: the young professional women balancing work and home in suburban or metropolitan areas; the even younger stay-at-home moms in the exurbs who married out of high school or during college; the aspirational can't-wait-to-marrys all over the country, and so forth.

But as I got better at listening to our audience, and as I got to meet them - on Facebook, through Twitter, through redbookmag.com, through the blogs so many of them keep, in person at mall events and so on - I realized there were millions of different kinds of our readers out there. And, that what made the Harley moms, the stitch-and-bitch moms, the widowed moms, single moms, two-times-married moms, the breast-cancer-survivor moms distinct from each other was a much more vital way of making them feel included in everything we do than what made them the same.

Through my own Facebook page - which I invited our readers to join, as well as the magazine's fan page - I see the daily ups and downs of what we call "grown-up life": the disgruntled posts after a hurry-up morning has gone awry; joyful greetings to friends, who are the lifeboats in busy women's lives; the celebration of small joys, like a sunny day or a cheap pair of shoes, each of these a shout-out to be heard and witnessed before another day jammed to the hilt with "to-dos" flies by.

Yes, we moms want to be witnessed, to spend some time on our "to-be" list, instead of merely living our "to-do" list, to get to be women first sometimes, just for ourselves. We get to be a "mom and" these days, not "just a stay-at-home mom" or a "working mom," but a mom and a yoga teacher, a mom and an entrepreneur, a mom and a community organizer, a mom and a beauty addict, a mom and a church leader, a mom and so much more. And the only way for a marketer to learn the "so much more" is to open your ears (and your email in-box, and your Facebook page, and your whatever else you can imagine) and ask the question: "Hello, who are you?" And then listen.

What I hear back through all these channels - and then publish in the magazine, on the web site, in our mobile phone applications, and everywhere else Redbook is - is the lovely, joyful sound of women finding their way in a complicated world, putting their unique fingerprints on everything they do, and, most inspiring of all, standing by to support other moms and women as they find their own way.

I have learned so much about who this group is by listening in on their individual conversations, and I have been able to make the magazine and all its properties feel more rich and inclusive because of it. But the best part is being included in the conversation: To be a magazine editor and a woman and a mom.

NewBaby.com Sponsors National Moms Nite Out and Launches MomTV with 10 Live Streaming Event Locations Celebrating

Created by Co-founder of NewBaby.com, Maria Bailey, NMNO expected to have over 1,000 Locations from Malls to Coffee Shops Celebrating with a 9 Hour Coast to Coast Virtual Twitter Party

May 6, 2009 Ft. Lauderdale, FL. NewBaby.com, the first video destination site for Moms to create, share, and learn via video from pregnancy through parenting and sponsor of National Moms Nite Out, is launching a new site, MomTV, where Moms can share through video and Live Streaming shows to celebrate motherhood on May 7th, 2009.

National Mom’s Nite Out, (NMNO), created by Maria Bailey, host of Mom Talk Radio, author of “The Ultimate Mom Book” and co-founder of Newbaby.com has organized over 900 locations from retail and restaurants to private parties and online events with a special LIVE mom makeover and a nine hour virtual Twitter Party with live streaming using Stickam from ten locations (#MNO-09).

Retailers such as Simon Malls, Children’s Orchard stores, and Giggle will be hosting special Mom’s Nite Out celebrations, complete with refreshments, entertainment, and special offers. Family destinations Pump it Up and BounceU are also offering discounts to dads and caregivers.

“Our goal for National Mom's Nite Out is to unite Moms all over the country prior to Mother’s Day for a well deserved night off,” says Maria Bailey, co-founder of NewBaby.com. “Lots of moms spend Mother’s Day taking care of other mothers in their lives, NMNO is designed to bring moms together in their local communities, to meet other moms, create new friends, and have fun.”

Top mom bloggers and highly respected mom experts are also getting in on the fun by hosting their own events. Many locations include a Boston-area comedy show hosted by popular mom podcasters, Manic Mommies, a New York City “Daycation” themed party at Giggle, and book signing party in Los Angeles with Mom authors and experts such as Kimberley Clayton Blaine, Romi Lassally, Megan Calhoun, Michelle Lamar, and Mallika Chopra at the Mint Night Club.

During the nine-hour virtual party with Live Streaming on MomTV, NewBaby.com and MomTV will be also be holding a fundraiser to benefit two charities, Green Wish and Healthy Child, with a goal of raising $10,000 that evening. Actor, environmentalist, Ed Begley Jr’s wife, Rachelle Carson Begley, from Green Wish, will be creating video messages for the event to help bring awareness to the toxins in homes and how to have a safe environment for children. NewBaby.com and MomTV will also be raffling off prizes from sponsors of NMNO along with Creative Vado Video Pocket Cameras, the official video camera of NewBaby.com.

“When we started NewBaby.com, we were excited to be the first destination where moms can share video and watch expert content and now with MomTV, we will be adding Live Streaming shows where moms can share topics from saving money to going green while interacting with viewers,” said Bob Sullivan, CEO of NewBaby.com. “We are honored to be a part of this first ever National Moms Nite Out with Live Streaming from ten locations on MomTV and providing video playbacks for moms who may have missed an event.”

NewBaby.com has been recognized as a trusted source by the Moms Choice Awards and is hoping that with the launch of MomTV, moms everywhere will be empowered to share via live streaming chat and shows as expanding on the video content they have been sharing on NewBaby.com in video.

About Maria Bailey and National Moms Nite Out
Maria Bailey is the author of “The Ultimate Mom Book” (HCI, 2009), host of Mom Talk Radio, founder of BlueSuitMom.com and co-Founder of Newbaby.com. She is also the author of “Mom 3.0:Marketing With Moms By Leveraging New Media and Technology”, “Marketing to Moms: Getting Your Share of the Trillion Dollar Market” and “Trillion Dollar Moms: Marketing to a New Generation of Mothers.” Bailey has been featured in US News and World Report, Wall Street Journal and on CNN, Lifetime TV and various local affiliates. Bailey is also the host of Mom Talk Radio and co-Host of Good Day with Doug Stephan, the #7 morning drive time radio show. http://www.bsmmedia.com
For NMNO event locations and a complete list of partners, visit http://www.momsniteout.com.

About Newbaby.com and MomTV.com
NewBaby.com is the first online video destination resource site and community where moms can find and share information about pregnancy, parenting, products, going green, and other topics concerning today's families. The site also helps moms connect and network via video and chat with other moms including experts such as co-founder by Maria Bailey. MomTV.com is the first LIVE video streaming community where moms can create and host LIVE streaming shows, chat live with other moms and share video with other moms. MomTV.com will offer video playbacks of shows from fashion and going green to saving with coupons. Please visit http://www.newbaby.com http://www.momtv.com for more information.

Wii Fit Mommies & the Cool Mom Guide to Fitness 2/13/09 at the #wiimoms Twitter Party (From 8-10PM EST)

Okay Mommies - Here is the latest from the Wii Fit Mommies and the Cool Mom Guide to Fitness!!

They want to reward all their friends and readers with a HUGE 5 site giveaway with 5 wonderful prize packages to be given out on 2/13/09 at the #wiimoms Twitter Party (From 8-10PM EST)

This is the announcement post (http://fitness.coolmomguide.com/next-party/)

I'll list each contest here-

The Cool Mom Guide to Fitness (grand prize package)
1 Rock Bud retractable earphones
1 Chic Bud retractable earphones with Swarovski Crystals
1 Fumi purse accessory
1 Wii Fit
Contest ends 2/13/09 6PM EST
US 18+
http://fitness.coolmomguide.com/wiimoms-bling/


The Cool Mom Guide
1 Rock Bud retractable earphones
1 Chic Bud retractable earphones with Swarovski Crystals
1 Fumi purse accessory
chicBuds Swarovski Crystal iPod Case
Contest ends 2/13/09 6PM EST
US 18+
http://www.coolmomguide.com/bling-party/


The Good Enough Witch
Baskitz.com Love is in the Air Gift Basket
One RockBud Retractable Ear Phones
One ChicBud Retractable Ear Phones with Swarovski Crystals
One Fumi Purse Accessory
Contest ends 2/13/09 5 PM EST
US 18+
http://thegoodenoughwitch.typepad.com/cyn/2009/02/got-bling-got-wiimoms-got-prizes-got-goodenoughwitch.html

The Coupon Coup
1 Rock Bud retractable earphones
1 Chic Bud retractable earphones with Swarovski Crystals
1 Fumi purse accessory
Modern Union Yoga Bag and Laptop sleeve
Contest ends 2/13/09 5PM CST
US 18+
http://www.thecouponcoup.com/2009/02/its-twitter-bling-party.html

Real Life
1 Rock Bud retractable earphones
1 Chic Bud retractable earphones with Swarovski Crystals
1 Fumi purse accessory
Baby Bella Maya Booties/Blanket Package
Contest ends 2/13/09 6PM EST
US 18+
http://www.reallifeblog.net/2009/02/wii-fit-mommies-lots-of-love-handles-to.html

Wii Fit Mommies Twitter Party!

For this weeks Fitness Friday The Wii Fit Mommies are announcing some of the giveaway prizes for our Twitter Party to be held January 3, 2009 from 8-10PM EST.

There will be links to all the giveaways at the bottom of this post and in the sidebar of this site. To enter, simply choose which prizes you like and follow the entry rules on that particular post.

The prize for this post has been donated by the wonderful people over at NewBaby.com. NewBaby.com is a video blogging (Vlog) site providing Online Resources For New And Expectant Moms.

Newbaby.com has donated a Flip Camera to one lucky winner so they can Vlog their Wii Fit Progress on both Newbaby.com and the Wii Fit Mommies website!

This Flip Video Recorder makes capturing the special moments in your life so much easier!

• Simple to use, pocket-sized camcorder with one-touch recording and digital zoom
• Holds 60 minutes of full VGA-quality video on 2GB of built-in memory; no tapes or additional memory cards required
• Convenient USB arm plugs directly into your computer for easy viewing and sharing
• Built-in software lets you easily e-mail videos, upload to YouTube and AOL, and capture still photos from video
• Watch videos instantly on TV with included cable

You must register on the Wii Fit Mommies Forum and participate in the Twitter party to win. Sign the Mr. Linky below with your Twitter name and link to your Twitter profile. Leave a comment after you registered with your forum user name to gain an entry.

Other ways to enter to win the Flip camera-leave one comment for each action taken to qualify as an entry to the giveaway. The more times you enter, the moe chance you have to win! Only relevant comments will be approved-

-Head over to Newbaby.com and register.

-Tweet about the party (linking to Wii Fit Mommies at http://fitness.coolmomguide.com)

-Blog about the Wii Fit Mommies party. Link back to the Wii Fit Mommies website. Leave the link to the post in a comment.

-follow @wiimoms and the Mommies-

-follow @CoolMomGuide

-follow @GoodEnoughWitch

-follow @TheCouponCoup

-follow @SarahSingforhim

-Subscribe to the Wii Fit Mommies RSS feed

-Stumble, Digg or Technorati this post or site

-Add the Wii Fit Mommies blog button to your site

Let me know in a comment that you did for an entry to this contest and email Julie@CoolMomGuide.com with your button info and I’ll add your button to the Wii Fit Mommies friends page!

Contest is limited to U.S. residents age 18 and over. All comments must be placed before 6:00PM EST on 1/3/09 in order to be entered in the contest.Comments will be closed promptly at 6:00PM EST.