5 Good Things To Come Out of the LinkedIn/Twitter Divorce

Twitter has finally severed its connection to LinkedIn. While many people in the social media industry are questioning the move, others seem to be relishing it as Forbes notes.

At one time, the merger had its benefits. But as both sites grew their respective brands, it became apparent that, for all their similarities, the two sites had very few goals in common.

Here are five reasons we’re not mourning the Twitter/LinkedIn divorce:

Anti-Social Media:

Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook and MySpace are all forms of social media, but that is where the comparison ends. Facebook and MySpace are interactive networks <http://www.socialnomics.net/2012/06/30/what-is-your-social-media-content-saying-about-you/> where everyone can connect on a highly personal (and sometimes professional) level. Twitter is basically a quick, real-time way of letting others know exactly what you are doing at any given moment. LinkedIn, on the other hand, was designed as a network for professionals to communicate, without all of the intimate posts that can sidetrack a productive conversation.

It’s Not Personal:

LinkedIn is a professional form of social media. People who want to showcase their talents, or put their name out to others in their chosen field, view the site as a forum for like-minded individuals — not tweet-crazy people who post every moment’s action on the internet. Many people tend to forget that their personal and professional lives begin to intertwine once they connect all of their online accounts. The LinkedIn/Twitter divorce eliminates that worry. No more will professionals looking to network be exposed to Aunt Millie’s bathroom antics. Companies, from bakeries and retail shops to web hosting sites  and software makers, may soon find their once-daily tweets ineffective, as more of their followers migrate over to LinkedIn to avoid dealing with too-personal posts.

Post Haste:

The main purpose behind LinkedIn was to establish a network of interaction between professionals. This can usually be accomplished with one or two well-placed posts throughout the day. According to Forbes writer Eve Mayer Orsburne, it takes up to eight daily tweets for a person to remain publicly visible to his or her peers on Twitter. Of course, much of what is being thrown out there on Twitter has little to do with business, anyway.

Unnecessary Information:

Even though the age difference between the average Twitter and LinkedIn users is moderate (approximately seven years), the amount of unnecessary information generated on Twitter is comparable to the daily texting routine of a teenager. Most people who post on LinkedIn do so to relay business information and encourage professional communication. Twitter, on the other hand, dispenses details about personal activities that many readers could do without.

Stricter Control:

Twitter tightened the reins of how third-party developers can use their application programming interface <http://instagram.com/developer/> (API). This tasked many application designers with finding creative ways to remain on Twitter’s coattails. It’s not clear as to how this will be accomplished. Some may choose to purchase Twitter affiliation rights, while others will design applications that comply with Twitter’s standards. Either way, Twitter is slowly regaining control of how it is used. By assuming stricter controls, the social media giant is drawing traffic back, instead of dispersing it throughout the web.

With all of this being said, is Twitter’s divorce from LinkedIn a good thing? Most professionals will agree, it’s time to get back to business.

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