Friends are not the same as influence

We start the new year off by having an extensive discussion about several aspects of Twitter--all three topics touch on the service a bit. And who better to discuss Twitter than one of its most active participants? Media Bullseye was pleased to welcome Connie Reece as our guest this week, along with the return of Sarah Wurrey--acting as guest co-host. Separating the number of 'followers' from what really constitutes influence and online authority kicks off the discussion. Then, Connie, Sarah, and Jen look at all of the social media cheerleading through less rose-colored glasses, and wrap up by discussing whether blogrolls are still important.

Click here to listen to the 28 minute discussion.

• Jennifer Leggio of ZD Net's post titled "Twitter popularity does not equal business acumen" is the basis for the first discussion--it's not the raw number of followers--it's who is following, how they interact, and what is re-tweeted.
• Amber Naslund's excellent piece on social media kicks off the second topic. Her post makes the direct and astute point that social media advocates cannot just sit around and agree with one another about how important social media is--they have to make the business case for it. And in doing so they need to ask--and answer--some tough questions.
  
• Are blogrolls still important? Doctor Anonymous asks this question, especially in light of the advent of Twitter, are blogrolls being used, or are they...a bit old-fashioned? The Roundtable has some interesting, and maybe surprising, thoughts on the use and importance of the blogroll.

Click here to listen to the 28-minute discussion.