Here comes everybody

Clay Shirky’s got the title right.

Oprah’s joined Twitter. Look out world—here comes everybody.

(A hat tip to Mack Collier for his great insights and links on this topic.)

I’ve been involved with Twitter for almost two years now. Like so many others, I’ve offered countless explanations of the service—never mind pitched it to clients as part of a campaign, and encouraged my students to participate. I’d like to think I “get” it, as much for what Twitter can do as what it certainly can’t.

So I’m excited to see how something I’ve integrated into my life (personal and professional) goes mainstream. Maybe fewer people will require this video for explanation.

Mack, Beth and Jeremiah are all offering brilliant insights into how Oprah’s adoption, and Ashton Kutcher’s climb to 1,000,000 followers last week, will change Twitter forever. Fine.

What intrigues me is how this rapid adoption (via the lure of celebrity) will change most of us, and continue to change how we do business together. We’re getting more and more comfortable with technology. I recall working for a CEO not long ago who refused to have a computer—his assistant would print out emails, and he’d hand-write responses, which she would type and send.

Technologies like Twitter will become invisible and expected, much like email more or less has become. We’ll just use it. Our customers will just use it. The process will become ingrained in the marketing landscape.

But not just yet. First we’ve got to journey through the bumpy parts of the road, where the cultural rules and standards are ironed out. (Hey, maybe Twitter itself will actually become stable.) But we’ll all go through this together, which is both important and meaningful.

If brands and marketers want to capture the rising sail of social media, and Twitter in particular, it won’t be enough to ride Oprah’s coattails or approach. Like the rest of us, you’ll have to determine your own approach. You’ll have to participate.

Start today.