UnTweetable: Twitter as Borg

Twitter was launched in March 2006 (source: Wikipedia). Within two years, it had over 1,000,000 total users sending approximately 3,000,000 tweets per day (Source: source: TechCrunch).

Shockingly, over the past year, they have blown these numbers away. It is estimated that by the end of this month (April 2009), they will have over 420,000,000 unique visits per week (source: TechCrunch).

This is a mind-boggling speed of adaptation. The same source above estimates that the impact of Oprah's adoption alone brought 1,000,000 additional users to the site.

As I struggle to grasp the impact that Twitter will have on the communications efforts of nonprofit organizations, I draw back on my childhood understanding of rapid cultural sea change:

"We are the Borg. Lower your shields and surrender your ships. We will add your biological and technological distinctiveness to our own. Your culture will adapt to service us. Resistance is futile."

Perhaps the attached photo-essay better explains my thoughts.

What do you think?

Free Training Call tomorrow with SETH GODIN

Seth Godin is an American author of business books and a popular speaker with one of the most popular blogs in the world. Click his head above to read that blog.

Free Training Call: Nonprofit Marketing Basics
with Special Guest Seth Godin (yes, that Seth Godin!)
Tuesday, September 16 at 1pm (eastern)

Author, blogger and marketing guru Seth Godin has spent his career helping nonprofits find a way to stand out. Next week, Seth will be offering his advice directly to nonprofits during Network for Good's Nonprofit 911 teleconference series. Register now for this eye-opening training opportunity:

• Learn the tricks and common pitfalls of nonprofit marketing
  
• Get practical tips for creating messages that compel action
  
• Meet Squidoo, and learn how and why to use it as part of your nonprofit organization's marketing and fundraising plans

Seth Godin's 10 books have been featured on the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Amazon.com and BusinessWeek bestseller lists--not to mention his wildly popular e-books including "Unleashing the Ideavirus," which more than 1,000,000 people have downloaded. Seth was founder and CEO of Yoyodyne, the industry's leading interactive direct marketing company, which Yahoo! acquired in late 1998. He holds an MBA from Stanford and was called "the Ultimate Entrepreneur for the Information Age" by BusinessWeek.

Can't make it on the 16th? All registrants will receive both a free MP3 audio and text transcript. View the details and registration information here:

http://info.networkforgood.org/np911091608/

[where: 75223]