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When Guy Kawasaki speaks, alot of people tend to listen. And why not, he's made quite a name for himself as both an evangelist and trusted partner when it comes to many things within the technology field.

One of his recent blessings on the Web 2.0 universe is that there are six types of Twitter users.

If you're not on Twitter, you're missing out on alot. Many of us really do use Twitter as one of our primary means of getting real-time news around the globe.

It's just like any tool though, you have to use it effectively and appropriately and just as important, you don't want to abuse it.

That being said, here are Guy's six Twitter user types: [via]

  1. The Newbie. “What am I doing?” The Newbie signed up for Twitter less than three months ago and thinks it’s all about lifestreaming: “Watching my cat roll over.” These people quickly progress to a different type of use or abandon Twitter when no one pays attention to them. Motivation: curiosity about Twitter. Recommended approach: understand.
  2. The Brand. “What can I get away with?” The Brand balances the tension between using Twitter as a marketing tool and socially engaging people so as not to appear to be using Twitter as a marketing tool. Motivation: greater brand awareness. Recommended approach: observe.
  3. The Smore. “What’s in it for me?” The Smore (social media whore) sees Twitter primarily as a self-promotion tool to get something from people although a transparent Smore (“Bubbles”) is often a delightful person. The delusional ones are the pains. Motivations: making a buck off and gaining followers. Recommended approach: tolerate.
  4. The Bitch. “What can I complain about?” Despite deriving this name from female dogs, this is usually an angry man who envies people who generate content. They can be briefly amusing in a “shock jock” kind of way, but their bark is greater than their bite, and their bite is greater than their insight. Motivation: generating angry reactions. Recommended approach: block.
  5. The Maven. “What’s interesting in my niche?” The Maven is an expert in a field such as recruiting, marketing, or web design. If you’re interested in their field, following them is a rich, rewarding, and time-saving experience. Motivation: getting retweeted and recognized as an expert. Recommended approach: follow.
  6. The Mensch. “How can I help?” Mensches are few and far between. They lurk in the background until people need help and then they either know, or know how to find, the answer. They are seldom well-known or highly followed, but they save you tons of time and effort when you want to know something like the ideal dimensions of a profile background. Motivation: helping others. Recommended approach: adore.

Now ladies and gentlemen, this Gospel of the Twitter User has taken the blogosphere by storm and many notables are adopting the classifications. The great cartoonist Tom Fishburne has drawn a cartoon with the classifications laid out

Profile Of A Twitter User 1

AND Next Generation Online created a fancy, colorful poster

Profile Of A Twitter User 2To download the hi-res poster go here.

FYI: I consider myself a cross between the brand and the maven 🙂


James Hicks

James is the Founder and Editor-in-Chief of HicksNewMedia, a Digital Publishing and Technology Consulting team providing effective and relevant solutions to individuals and businesses looking to more effective utilize the social interweb. Follow him on Twitter and on Facebook.

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James Hicks

James is the Founder and Editor-in-Chief of HicksNewMedia, a Digital Publishing and Technology Consulting team providing effective and relevant solutions to individuals and businesses looking to more effective utilize the social interweb. Follow him on Twitter and on Facebook.

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