Twitter and HWI

[BenCMitchell]

hi folks

I have just found on Twitter that they are experimenting with 'Verified Accounts'. In the past, people have set up accounts posing as well known entertainers, athletes etc, luring people into thinking that they are following the genuine person. Twitter verifies the accounts that are genuine and is controlled by the actual person.

I think it would be a good idea that Hayley has her account verified, as it gives people following her the reassurance that they are following the genuine Hayley and not some poser. We of course know that it is her tweeting, but to others who are not as knowledgable, they may think twice about whether her account is genuine or not, thus meaning less followers.

Here's the page:

twitter.com/help/verified

Just an idea...

Cheers

Ben

[Dave]

Oct 14, 2009 19:15:06 GMT martindn said:

Well, guys, Twitter actually has a triumph today in the fight to retain the right to free speech.

www.thefirstpost.co.uk/54667,news-comment,business,twitter-claims-another-scalp-as-trafigura-backs-down
Martin

Ah yes Martin but in any of the last few years it could have been Blogs, Facebook, MySpace, message boards and going back even further, Usenet newsgroups.

They have all been used in this way and as usual the media overhyped them all with stories like this one. Then, it becomes whatever happens to be the next big thing which this year, happens to be Twitter.

If Hayley and other personalities wish to use it to keep supporters informed, that's fine with me but we should remember that next year, it may be something else... and that (whatever it is) will be OK too!

Cheers, Dave

[Richard]

Hello folks!

I'm enjoying reading Hayley's tweets at the moment, but I have no intention of joining Twitter. It won't make any difference to me whether it closes down or not.

Richard

[Jeff]

Well said Richard. I see some people are now bombarding Hayley with several tweets a day. Remember how up to 3 years ago she used to post on this site but when she did, loads of people replied so she probably felt bad about not being able to answer them all ? I think something similar will happen with Twitter. Its very popularity will be its downfall.

[Jono]

Oct 15, 2009 9:49:28 GMT Jeff said:

Well said Richard. I see some people are now bombarding Hayley with several tweets a day. Remember how up to 3 years ago she used to post on this site but when she did, loads of people replied so she probably felt bad about not being able to answer them all ? I think something similar will happen with Twitter. Its very popularity will be its downfall.

Actually, on the contrary, I think its downfall may be caused by the negativity expressed here.

Hayley has decided to use twitter - quite enthusiastically - and to my understanding more than she ever used any other medium (e.g. the forums, and Facebook) to communicate with fans....that is all that matters!

Your own personal opinions and negativity towards the site are your own business, but I urge you to keep them to yourselves, and by all means avoid Twitter like the plague if you want.

I've actually noticed a decline in the number of tweets sent back at Hayley recently...which is sad to see!

I get what you are worried about though, Jeff. If fans started getting desperate for replies from Hayley, I'm sure she would feel guilty (not that she should!) and may stop directly replying to people.

Dave - I understand your opinion about the "Next big thing"...but it is actually networking sites like Facebook and Myspace that are in the process of replacing blogs...because they are centralised networks with many members (kind of like big businesses taking over the small businesses!).

I don't think you'll see any decline in activity in those websites in the next few years...like I've mentioned a few times before, facebook is a HUGE networking site, and is still growing...of course in the near-distant future people will probably be accessing the internet from small wireless devices, which may lead to new "mediums". But Facebook and Twitter are already adapting to those anyway.

I would wage 50 Hayley points on Twitter (the website) being alive and well (and bigger) 5 years from today!

Steve - I think you were right the first time around!

Cheers
Jono

[grant]

Hi Jono and everyone

I'm right with you on this! We've spoken to Hayley about Twitter several times since she started Tweeting and she's very enthusiastic about it and I certainly don't think that 10/20 tweets in a 24 hour period is 'bombarding' her.

My main worry is that if she gets too many tweets and doesn't have time to look at them all, she may miss the ocassional important one.

As you say Jono, Hayley is using Twitter far more than she ever did with other mediums and I suspect that may be because of the simplicity of it - putting a few words on Twitter can be done in seconds and it's fantastic to be kept up to date the way we have been during the current Japanese tour.

"Long live Twitter!" (Never thought I'd hear myself say that)

Best wishes
Grant

[Martin]

Considering that Hayley has one thousand followers, the number of daily tweets sent to her is minimal. No one is ever obliged to reply to a tweet and, quite rightly, Hayley is very selective when replying.

Let's not forget that Hayley is a very busy person and this medium allows her to keep in contact with friends, family and fans quickly and effortlessly wherever she is based.

As long as it is recognised that HWI members using Twitter to message Hayley are doing so purely on a personal basis then I'm all for it.

Twitter is good fun and, like Jono, I think it will be around a long time i.postimg.cc/9fYxy370/smilie-big-grin.gif

Martin

[BenCMitchell]

Oct 15, 2009 14:37:26 GMT grant said:

My main worry is that if she gets too many tweets and doesn't have time to look at them all, she may miss the ocassional important one.

That is probably what happened when I asked her about possible song books for the HSJS albums, unless she thought that I was some sort of stalker asking silly questions

I'l read instead of writing tweets now (even though I've only tweeted Hayey twice) - she doesnt have time to answer or reply to all, obviously. I'l maintain the quiet observer.

Cheers

Ben

[grant]

Hi Ben

Oct 15, 2009 18:28:40 GMT BenCMitchell said:

That is probably what happened when I asked her about possible song books for the HSJS albums, unless she thought that I was some sort of stalker asking silly questions

I'l read instead of writing tweets now (even though I've only tweeted Hayey twice) - she doesnt have time to answer or reply to all, obviously. I'l maintain the quiet observer.

The thing to bear in mind is that she is likely not to know the answer to many of the questions tweeted to her and there isn't much point in her keep tweeting "Sorry - don't know" in response.

In many cases it's better to wait and ask her directly if possible or, better still, wait until one of her management team is present and ask them.

Best wishes
Grant

[BenCMitchell]

Oct 15, 2009 18:37:09 GMT grant said:

In many cases it's better to wait and ask her directly if possible or, better still, wait until one of her management team is present and ask them.

Forgive me for sounding a bit 'direct', but there wouldn't be much point in asking her directly if she knew anything about the matter. If she did know anything , she would probably/hopefully have mentioned a sentence in a tweet. Please don't interpret my saying this as meaning 'if she knows, she MUST tweet'. I know she has got a crazy schedule at the moment, so I wouldn't expect her to reply to most of what is tweeted to her on a daily basis. I am not ignorant of that fact!

Cheers

Ben

P.S Sorry for being abrupt - bad day tis all

[martindn]

I agree with Grant about this. Twitter is a lovely way for Hayley to keep in touch with her friends and fans, that doesn't take up too much of her time. It was only because of Hayley that I got involved anyway, and I'm sure I'm not the only one here who can say that. Something else I have discovered because of Hayley!

And a lot of others are at it too. Katherine Jenkins tweets far more than Hayley, and i think Jonathan Ansell does too. Faryl perhaps a bit less.

I think though we should use Twitter wisely as far as Hayley is concerned, and only tweet her when we have something to say that might interest her. And we should not expect a reply, so perhaps it is better not to ask too many questions that might require one. The aim should be to keep it at a level that lets her know we are here and supportive and interested in what she has to say, but without making it too onerous or time consuming for her.

Grant, although it is nice to talk to Hayley face to face, not everyone has the opportunity, and in any case it is easier for her I would think to answer a question with one tweet than to have to keep answering the same question time after time to individuals she meets.

So in the end Twitter is an efficient way for her to reach her fans, and also provides valuable feedback. My guess is it is here to stay.

Martin

[stevemacdonald]

Oct 15, 2009 14:21:34 GMT Jono said:

...
Actually, on the contrary, I think its downfall may be caused by the negativity expressed here...

...Your own personal opinions and negativity towards the site are your own business, but I urge you to keep them to yourselves, and by all means avoid Twitter like the plague if you want. ...

That's a bit harsh, Jono. One may easily see Twitter in an unfavourable light, especially where celebrities are concerned. The system isn't fatally flawed so much as very limited in its practicality and quite open to abuse. The reasons some celebs are leaving are simple and obvious: bogus accounts in their names, not enough time, and unrealistic expectations by their subscribers. They're figuring out that Twitter probably works well for average everyday people with ample time to keep up, but it's an albatross otherwise. The list of well-known people skipping out on Twitter is growing just as the overall Twitter world itself is expanding.

Hayley isn't at the stratosphere of celebrity yet, so not all these inconveniences will apply to her right now, but I see some of them around the corner. I'll bet she has more than one account: one for "insiders" such as her immediate team and family, and another for her fans. I'm also guessing she's keen to keep these two worlds far apart when Tweeting.

[Jono]

Oct 15, 2009 18:28:40 GMT BenCMitchell said:

Oct 15, 2009 14:37:26 GMT grant said:

My main worry is that if she gets too many tweets and doesn't have time to look at them all, she may miss the ocassional important one.

That is probably what happened when I asked her about possible song books for the HSJS albums, unless she thought that I was some sort of stalker asking silly questions

I'l read instead of writing tweets now (even though I've only tweeted Hayey twice) - she doesnt have time to answer or reply to all, obviously. I'l maintain the quiet observer.

Cheers

Ben

Hi Ben,

Please don't take personal offense if any of your questions aren't answered by Hayley. I think I have asked around 3 or 4 questions, and have only had 1 answered....I wasn't too worried about the others, because I've been keeping up with questions and replies from everyone, and I would say Hayley only has time to reply to a tenth of them maybe. The other two tweets I got from Hayley were when I welcomed her to twitter, and a random comment I made (not questions).

I'm sure (because of her limited time) she is selective and picks out questions that grab her attention and that she knows an answer to. And yeah I'm sure she may miss some when she gets a big bunch at once!

I don't think she thinks of any of us as stalkers!

But if Hayley found out she was disappointing anyone, she may feel guilty about that.

Jono

[Jono]

Oct 15, 2009 21:50:21 GMT stevemacdonald said:

That's a bit harsh, Jono. One may easily see Twitter in an unfavourable light, especially where celebrities are concerned. The system isn't fatally flawed so much as very limited in its practicality and quite open to abuse. The reasons some celebs are leaving are simple and obvious: bogus accounts in their names, not enough time, and unrealistic expectations by their subscribers. They're figuring out that Twitter probably works well for average everyday people with ample time to keep up, but it's an albatross otherwise. The list of well-known people skipping out on Twitter is growing just as the overall Twitter world itself is expanding.

Hayley isn't at the stratosphere of celebrity yet, so not all these inconveniences will apply to her right now, but I see some of them around the corner. I'll bet she has more than one account: one for "insiders" such as her immediate team and family, and another for her fans. I'm also guessing she's keen to keep these two worlds far apart when Tweeting.

Hi Steve,

I agree that a couple of my comments (the ones you pointed out) were harsh. But I intentionally did that for effect. I wasn't meaning to single anyone out - I was just disappointed with the general tone of the posts.

No one really said anything that was overly negative....but the tone did remind me of the general reaction to twitter before Hayley joined.

You've made some interesting points and observations. I'm sure people will be more inclined to (at least) listen to you this time around...

Jono

[BenCMitchell]

Oct 16, 2009 1:43:01 GMT Jono said:

Please don't take personal offense if any of your questions aren't answered by Hayley. I think I have asked around 3 or 4 questions, and have only had 1 answered....I wasn't too worried about the others, because I've been keeping up with questions and replies from everyone, and I would say Hayley only has time to reply to a tenth of them maybe. The other two tweets I got from Hayley were when I welcomed her to twitter, and a random comment I made (not questions).

I'm sure (because of her limited time) she is selective and picks out questions that grab her attention and that she knows an answer to. And yeah I'm sure she may miss some when she gets a big bunch at once!

I don't think she thinks of any of us as stalkers!

But if Hayley found out she was disappointing anyone, she may feel guilty about that.

Jono

Hi Jono

I wouldn't want Hayley feeling guilty if she knew she were disappointing people. Thats selfish of me.

The reason I said 'stalker' is because I only met her briefly before and after the Dudley concert, right before she headed off to Taiwan, so she most probably doesn't remember who I am, and to suddenly get questions from someone she can't remember is slightly odd.

Of course, anyone in her position would not have the time to answer all the tweets she receives on a daily basis. None of us expect her to. To be honest, I think its a good thing that I don't tweet again because even though you know that there are good chances you might not get a reply, there is still the mild disappointment of not actually receiving a reply. I'm sure people who have asked questions can understand what I'm saying. She doesn't need another 'obsessed' fan (for which I am!) sending her tweets! Being the casual observer means that I can avoid the mild disappointment and have fun reading the tweets that she does post, which I do!

Maybe I should tweet Stephen Fry or Simon Pegg...

In no way do I intend to criticise Hayley!!! That is not what I mean by a long shot!!

Cheers

Ben