Evan Williams, CEO of Twitter, on Innovation, Internet and Entrepreneurship

There are no Managing Innovation (#HBSinnov8) or Founder's Dilemma (#fdhbs) classes the rest of the week, so I thought it a good time to type up my notes from SXSW Interactive. One of the more notable events of the week was the keynote address from Evan Williams, co-founder and CEO of Twitter (and recent HBS case protagonist in #fdhbs). As you may have heard, it was a bit lackluster and I would now say this tweet was indeed serendipitous...


(click the link above to see the picture)

When Williams announced Twitter's new @anywhere platform from the stage (to applause, but not cheers) it was clear that he is no Steve Jobs... but I stayed until the end of the Q&A and found his insight and reflections interesting nonetheless... here are the [paraphrased] pieces that stood out.

"Whatever you assume when you start out, you are wrong. Experimentation leads the creative process... Google started out thinking they were going to sell search products."

"We are still focused on how do we create the best experience for users and business... users are opting in to commercial messages all the time. We want to make that process better and faster."

"'What is Twitter?' has always been an iconically difficult question to answer. We think of it as an information network that helps [users] find out what is going on in the world around them, and share... First piece, you don't have to contribute... Value we are working on today is increasing signal to noise ratio and giving people more choices."

How does Twitter handle iteration? "We have awesome people that are doing what they think is best. Autonomous teams... go for it... give them the resources they need."

On his role as CEO: "I personally like to get involved in the product and strategy. Then the nitty gritty... half my time on that, then half of culture internally. How do we scale the company and adopt characteristics we want? ... Parallels between service and culture we want to create... openness and transparency... easy to say, harder to do..."

Re: Openness and transparency... "A window is transparent, a door is open... a window lets you see what is happening, a door lets you come in... openness is survival technique... being open to your probably being wrong... assume there are more smart people outside the company than inside..."

"There are 50 million tweets a day; most users see 100. Are those the best 100 for you to see? Probably not." Hinted at Microsoft and Google being able to help that within the network.

"We don't know the best use for this stuff... like the Internet... why limit it?... We are just realizing the value of the Internet. It is about democratization... we take that for granted. It is changing institutions today, it will changes institutions in the future."

Next wave? "Real businesses will be built on Twitter.... 'Twitter.com' is the consumer interface for the mainstream audience... we would love to see more focus on creating deep experiences that create value for audiences."

"We are sending cease and desist notices everyday to Twitter-follower-shot-gun-spammers... [we] need shepherding."

"SMS is still important in places where internet adoption is low. Twitter can help... strong growth in India, where it is SMS ubiquitous."

"Hard to define 'user' because you don't have to have an account to use Twitter... there's something on Twitter for everyone, but everyone does not know that."

"People have limited attention. We hope Twitter can better direct your attention."

#1 operating principle? "'Be a course for good'... open exchange of information has positive impact on the world. Another is 'pay attention.'... Our advantage will only work if everyone wins." Key to partnerships and why Evan says they haven't introduced revenue generating parts to Twitter yet...

"Dichotomy in traditional media and usage... it is an ecosystem and they get richer and pieces work together. It doesn't work for those who ignore the new species. For Twitter, it is even more clear to me that Twitter complements existing media."

Why be an entrepreneur? "For me, it's [about] creating things that didn't exist in the world before... your product should be the end of a sentence that starts, 'Wouldn't it be awesome if...?'"

10 Types of Twitter Users

As of late, a number of people (parents, friends, recruiters) have been asking me about Twitter and whether or not they should join. In this girl's opinion Twitter can either be an up-to-the-minute news source, a new method of marketing, a tool of self-aggrandizement or the RSS feed reborn, depending on who is using it.

Here are ten types of Twitter users I have encountered so far.

1. The Thought Leader

This is my favorite Twitter user: the one who has pearls of wisdom to share or inspiring ideas. I find these people to be entrepreneurs, editors and engaging individuals. They usually have a finger on the pulse of something good.

2. The Oversharer

HBS research shows that 90% of all tweets come from 10% of users. I theorize that 90% of that 90% fall into the category of "the Oversharer" -- a person who tells you all too often "What's Happening." Examples:

- "I just ate two whole bags of M&Ms, but not the green ones." [TMI]

- "My guy is the best kisser in the world." [Gross TMI]

- "Can't stop singing that @taylorswift13 song!!!" [Try]

- "Running five minutes late for mtg. Ugh." [... then why are you tweeting?]

- "Just saw Avatar." [... and?]

3. The Marketing Machine

Though Twitter has yet to turn a profit, it has helped other companies (and politicians) to win big. By June 2009, for example, Dell had earned over $3m from Twitter-related promotions. Other companies have used Twitter to answer customers' questions, announce sales and bring their brands to life. Some do it well, others #fail.

4. The Celebritweeter

This encompasses all those B-list actors, reality stars, pop-tart musicians and scenesters who use Twitter to "connect" with fans, bolster their personal brands and/or score sponsorship deals. Props to you if you're in this category, but I get a sick stomach thinking about a world where this is common practice.

5. The 'Trending Topic' Tipper

"Hey guys! I wanna beat the #TigerWoods trending topic. Tag your tweets with #OmgWhatevs -- I wanna prove we can do it! LOL! LMFAO! LUV U!"

6. The Aspiring Porn Star

No, HotBabe4U I do not want to follow you. Block.

7. The Mystery Tweeter

This is the person who is following 824 people but has 0 tweets to his or her or its name. Even stranger is when the Mystery Tweeter has 43 followers, despite no tweets?

8. The Search Engine Stalker

If you post a tweet about your recent cruise vacation and suddenly have four new followers with the word "cruise" in their usernames, you've been hit by Search Engine Stalkers. Web-crawling tools are making it even easier for these people to find and follow you. Creepy or cool?

9. The Curious but Uncommitted

Usually the first post from a person like this reads, "Just joined Twitter. Not sure what it's all about." It will usually be their only post for at least a month. In fact, RJMetrics research reveals that only 65% of Twitter users will ever post a second tweet.

10. The Tortoise

This user is slow to react, re-tweeting a timely story two days after it has already made its rounds across every other Twitter feed. But at least the Tortoise is otherwise using Twitter appropriately?

Which other types would you add?