Twitter Flatters Facebook by Revealing User Activity

Hidden in the Discover tab of the new Twitter design is a stream called Activity, designed to generate more activity and keep people engaged with the site. Said Twitter, “It provides a rich new source of discovery by highlighting the latest Favorites, Retweets, and Follows from the people you follow.”

Emphasis on discovery: by surfacing more activity — and offering calls to action via Follow buttons and Retweet links — Twitter hopes to raise engagement and time spent on site.

Tech blogs read this keep-them-clicking move as Facebook flattery and point to the Facebook News Feed, which supports Facebook’s “incredibly low bounce rate.” Expect to see follows, retweets, and favorites increase everywhere across Twitter, as discovery multiplies the eyes on your brand.

Your Brand’s Activity Is Being Broadcast — So Make It Count

Because the people who follow you now have an easy way to keep tabs on all your activity, make sure all your activity is relevant to the brand. Everything your brand does on twitter — not just tweeting — is visible to people.

This means that in addition to tweeting the wrong thing — as Kenneth Cole learned during the Egypt uprising and when Chrysler dropped the F-bomb — a brand can be publicly shamed for following the wrong thing or saving the wrong thing to favorites. 

Imagine the following headlines:

• Ford Fires Media Agency for Favoriting Road Rage Jokes
• Whole Foods Follows Monsanto on Twitter — What Does It Mean?
• Juicy Couture in Bed with Advertising Age Reporters?

So follow people who reflect well on your brand, and favorite only the tweets that back up your brand’s core principles and values. Everything else? Do it with an unbranded account.