So Nielsen are reporting that around 60% of Twitter users effectively duck out after one month. To some this may come as a surprise, to others it is a logical function of the real usefulness, or utility, of Twitter. The higher a site’s utility, the higher its retention and vice versa. Let’s explore this in a bit more detail and in relation to Twitter.

One of the main drivers of social media growth is social exploration. People want know what all the buzz is about. Their motivation for this is simple; they don’t want to appear uninformed. The best way to get informed fast is to join in. What happens next depends very much on what kind of experience these new users have in the first month. Two factors operate here: First, if new users find tweeters with whom they have common interest and therefore potentially strong affiliations, they may follow that person and move into further usage. Secondly,  if they find individuals, particularly lost contacts, then they are likely to use Twitter to reconnect with them, but once the initial reconnection has been enabled there is no guarantee that it will remain the main platform of communication. This is likely to revert to the more traditional face to face meeting, phone calls or email.

But I think there are three further issues that dictate how Twitter is used. First is the actual utility of twittering. Second is managing the information overload that can suddenly come back to the enthusiastic follower. Third is the platform being used.  Let’s look at each one:

1. Utility: Utility is critical factor in the destinty of any web site because utility drives retention. So how strong is Twitter’s utility?  I see four areas of utility: First, utility is high if you are a member of a close knit community needing moment by moment short byte communication - like school kids or students. Second, if you’re naturally news-hungry and want a mental stimulus every couple of seconds, then Twitter can deliver it. Third, if you want to build and maintain a fan base, or get closer to it (from a technologically safe distance) by sharing what you are up to, then utility is high. And Fourth, you can announce yourself to potential new followers by announcing to them that you’re following them.  BIMA used this technique to attract my attention yesterday. All these areas provide  reasonable utility. But that may be about it.  If you’re not in one of these four groups, Twitter’s utility to you may be limited.

2. Information overload: You can fall into information overload fast with Twitter. If you chose to follow 100 Tweeters who are posting 5 tweets a day you are in line for 500 tweets a day. Even if you choose to follow just 10 tweeters posting 5 times a day, you’re still going to receive 50 tweets a day. All this becomes unmanageable very quickly and as it becomes unmanageable, its utility falls even further. The only way to counter this is to be very selective about who you follow.

3. Platform:  This is the big one that potentially changes everything. Mobile platforms make tweeting fast and easy. When you stand in a queue or on a bus, tube etc, have you noticed people looking at their phones seemingly waiting hoping and checking for social news.   These people need texts and tweets. And who are they? Almost invariably they are the under 24’s and at a push the under 35’s.  Young, information hungry communities wanting to share new information fast.  It all fits with meeting in bars, being late, missing the bus, running into a old friend. And all this activity doesn’t happen in front of a PC, it happens next to a mobile phone.

It’s been widely reported that the fastest growing social media user group is the over 35’s.  That growth may, in very broad terms, be explained by parents and managers simply wanting to find out what their kids and employees are up to. A kind delayed product diffusion. The Social Media ripple effect.

Of course there are those groups who will continue to find Twitter an interesting way to announce news. Within seconds of publishing this post it will have been short-linked by Twitterfeed and tweeted to all Teqtonic followers. That’s a utility that works for me.

PS. Nielsen’s article goes on to make interesting points around the relationship between retention rates and reach and how these factors are affecting Twitter compared to other social media networks. You can see the full Nielsen article here.