Two divergent, yet similar posts came in, one from Skype, one via e-mail. Both from trusted sources and sources I follow and interact with on Twitter as well as in Second Life- odd overlaps.

For those who don’t “get” Twitter- you probably won’t. (Note to EV we are still working on that blackjack game.)

I’d feel worse about my inability to convey to others any level of understanding of why Twitter is important but in comparison to some explanations I’ve seen and heard, I do a decent job. But, unfortunately, we all fail because we drift into explaining Twitter by telling how we use it. But the most amazing thing about Twitter is this: everyone uses it differently.

It’s a little like trying to explain the telephone by describing what people talk about on the phone. “Telephones are devices that teenagers use to spread gossip.” “Telephones are the devices people use to contact police when bad things happen.” “Telephones are the devices you use to call the 7-11 to ask if they have Prince Albert in a can.”

The Electric Sheep company talk about the value of virtual worlds and how all of us in the “know” know they are still quite immature. That is o.k. People, serious adults, like to laugh at a name like Twitter or a concept like being able to “fly”. It is odd that my kids don’t. They are little kids they haven’t closed down their minds and lost their magical thinking. To play- to do. That is where innovation, interaction and real learning happen.

Sheep say-

Marketing gurus have always said that word of mouth is the best form of advertising (”where did you get that dress?”) but under a broadcast advertising model that was hard to tap into. Both virtual worlds and product review systems allow your customers to engage with each other directly and become your best sales people.

I continue to believe that word of mouth doesn’t work well across the social graph, i.e. across multiple degrees of separation. Word of mouth online (where you cannot see or respond to the actual dress someone is wearing) is derived from trust and trust is derived from shared experience. Shared experience is real time, and the best form of real time communication online today is virtual worlds.

Four Keys to Twitter and Virtual Worlds

As a “so-called” marketing guru I can sum up how I see it. Twitter and virtual worlds are very simple on the surface.

- Trust

- Communication

- Being Human

- Connecting with Others

That is why I am not so concerned about the scalability of Second Life at the moment. People have meaningful, serious interactions inside the Grid and develop trust. Take one look at Flickr or Twitter and you will see Second Life is really a powerful engine that shoots out a lot of interaction, and some friction, but it is very meaningful. Look at how the output scales on other terrain!

Communication, Conduits, Catalysts and Connections

Because people have developed trust, they are communicating as open human beings and making connections. Twitter, Second Life, Facebook, etc are all just conduits and catalysts for this rather wholesome process. Don’t worry about the purpose, or getting it just right (there are better approaches, but just play a bit, you don’t even have to be you and other people will help you along)- you really can’t screw it up too bad because the platforms are used in radically different forms from person to person. Like Second Life- just stop mass marketing- start creating or sponsoring wholesome and good things and let nature take its course. Evangelists, fans and friends will form if you are just receptive and make an investment into the people. Loosen up- let them have control.

I could sit and count all day the revelations made between these two diverse terrains, but I won’t. You’ll just have to find me there and communicate and discover I am a human {with good and bad traits} that enjoys connecting and hopefully trust will follow and I can connect you to someone and vice versa. Social chain reactions are real and Twitter like-conduits should be in EVERY enterprise. Less time meeting, more time knowing.

What am I doing right now?

Evangelizing…

There is no magic spell or “mumbo jumbo”…don’t take it too serious and have fun. Caveat- don’t be flip and forget the importance of communication.

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