PearAnalytics Twitter Study Isn’t Just Babble

Today’s trending topics on Twitter included more than celebrity gossip, world news or some pointless meme. “Twitter Analysis” and “Tweets Are Pointless” were #1 & #2 respectively. Ryan Kelly of PearAnalytics completed a study of a 2,000-tweet sample over a period of two weeks to determine the breakdown of tweets. On the heels of Twitter’s recent acclaim as a viable news source, Kelly decided to dissect Twitter’s content.

The chart above reflects the study’s findings: 40.55% of the tweets were considered “Pointless Babble”, 37.55% considered “Conversational”, and only 8.70% had “Pass-Along Value”.

Perhaps more interesting were the following stats:

- 11:30a and Monday’s have the most frequent tweets with Pass-Along Value. If you want something re-tweeted, try it at 11:30 in the morning, or try it on a Monday. Maybe folks are feeling generous then.

- Spam seemed pretty consistent all day, everyday, but luckily was second-to-last on frequency.

- News seemed heavier at 2:00p and on Tuesdays. Note that we did not collect any tweets during the Michael Jackson news, in order not to skew the results.

- Conversational tweets were high between 2:00 and 4:00p throughout the study, and heaviest on Tuesdays. Most people are busy on Monday catching up with work, so perhaps it takes until Tuesday to get into the swing of Twittering again.

You can keep your babble. Robert Scoble interviewed Ryan Kelly this evening, which included an offer to perform the same study on @Scobleizer‘s friends. The difference? Scoble recently dumped all of his tens of thousands of friends and then reinvested between 50-70 hours vetting his new list of friends to follow. The new list does include people he has met in person, but it’s probably safe to assume that Scoble’s list consists primarily of tweeters that initiate “conversation” and offer “pass-along value”.

Be sure to read the white paper on the PearAnalytics blog here and hear Robert Scoble’s exclusive interview with Ryan via FriendFeed.

Popularity: 12% [?]

MyBlackBerry — RIM’s Online Rant Board

Tomorrow RIM will launch MyBlackBerry. It’s a community in which BlackBerry owners can build a unique profile around their specific device…perfect timing for early BlackBerry Tour adopters who may currently be unclear about their selection of apps. Users can share and rate their favorite apps, ask and answer questions regarding accessories and functionality as well as tips and tricks to make using your device much easier and more efficient.

As you can tell from the screen shot below, a list of “Top Apps” and “Top Tags” among other things will be part of the “Applications” tab…and likely static throughout.

RIM’s efforts may be thought of by some as a waste of time and money considering the existence of other established social networks (Twitter, Facebook). But I think it’s a good idea considering BlackBerry App World is clunky and has been known to cause problems for some.

I tried registering today. Apparently I’m not on the “BlackBerry VIP” list…yet *strut*smug* (invitation code required). For more information, check out the short intro video.

Popularity: 19% [?]

Twitterpated With Social Networking

As if Facebook didn’t include enough “me” time, now I’ve done it. I joined Twitter. Actually, I joined over a year ago but just never caught the Twitter bug until now.

Based on my current list of ‘Following’ twitterers, I’m covering the daily allowance of information and entertainment. While I try not to come off as star-struck, I actively follow Tony Hawk, Lance Armstrong, the the Kutchers…and, of course, THE_REAL_SHAQ (‘actively’ meaning I try to contribute or reply to their tweets…as if they care). Shaq frequently shares pictures of his Shaqness via Twitter, and he’s been known to tweet clues of his whereabouts…sometimes rewarding finders with tickets to a game. Awesome.

Feel free to follow me if you find Derrich.com the least bit interesting…or even if you just want to pad your Twitter numbers.

BlackBerry + Twitter = TwitterBerry. For you BlackBerry addicts, you can Twitter with your phone as well. There are a number of apps available to tweet your twitters, but I’ve settled on TwitterBerry by Orangatame.

You can download this app via your phone by visiting http://orangatame.com/ota/twitterberry/.

Popularity: 11% [?]