Izea launched Sponsored Tweet three days ago and the blog and Twittersphere have been a buzzed over it. Some think this is the greatest thing since sliced bread while others are predicting that this is the end of Twitter as we know it.
Personally, I thought Sponsored Tweets was inevitable. Whenever a market gets created, marketers will eventually try to monetize it. And with Twitter growing by millions of users every few days, this is far too big of a market to ignore. I wanted to find out what my followers thought of the new paid per tweet service from IZEA so I sent out a tweet requesting feedback. This is what you had to say about it. Feel free to add your comment to the debate.
@scottfish (Scott Fish) says:@JohnChow I think its a good idea if you can match up the audience and advertiser – it needs to work like opt-in email.
@radekstangel (Radek Stangel) says:@JohnChow IMO PayPerTweet has a great future. I don’t see any difference from PayPerPost.
@cambirch (Cam Birch) says:@JohnChow I like the site, looks rather interesting and profitable should some offers come in.
@Daniel_Lambert (Daniel Lambert) says:@JohnChow Nice site design, would try it out but getting an error saying it can’t connect to twitter.
@FaisalAnwar (Make Money Online) says:@JohnChow I think SponsoredTweet is going to be the next biggest advertising media besides google. Its the first time advertising got pe …
@RowanMsmith (Rowan Smith) says:@JohnChow I hate that every form of media available gets turned into an ad platform until we eventually tune it out (and the original media)
@mikebuechele (Michael Buechele) says:@JohnChow I think it’s raising a banner for the little guy. If Tiger, Jeter and Peyton get to endorse products so should we. Right WOM.
@joetech (Joe Tech) says:@JohnChow I think IZEA hit a home run again. Just waiting for more advertisers so I have more opps.
@crystalsilver (Crystal Silver) says:@JohnChow I don’t think I’ll be participating. I’m more interested in Twitter for connecting with intriguing people on a meaningful level.
@ErikaMarie (Erika Marie) says:@JohnChow sponsored tweets seems like a neat idea & I signed up to try it out on @awkwardtales & soon, perhaps @erikamarie.
@ramanujam (Ramanujam) says:@JohnChow Unless Izea keeps a constant check for Quality, sponsored tweets will become a spam mediator like what PPP is for blogs now
@davekeys (Dave Keys) says:@JohnChow Isn’t advertising on social media like derivatives? Over-leveraging it can lead to devaluation of the equity – human contribution?
@ThinkTomdotcom (Tom Everitt) says:@JohnChow I would immediately unfollow ANYONE who tweets what I perceive to be ads. Subtle self promo? Sure. Ads? Nada.
@akhilan (Akhila N. Vysakhan) says:@JohnChow Falling prey for sponsored tweets is selling or pledging your followers and their loyalty to you for your own financial gain.
@rajasekharan (Rajasekharan N.) says:@JohnChow Accepting sponsored tweets is like prostituting, losing credibility and betraying your loyal followers. Raj. http://mtherald.com/
@Uhfgood (Keith Weatherby II) says:@JohnChow – we have a lot of "advertising" already… news stories and links and what have you…
@allisonr (Allison Reynolds) says:@JohnChow My thoughts on Sponsored Tweets are in the last paragraph of Confessions Of A Twitter Whore http://is.gd/2498X
@jazzdrive3 (Matt Robison) says:@JohnChow It was inevitable. And as long as they pay well and are reliable, I say kudos to them.
@wwstewart (Wess Stewart) says:@johnchow SponsoredTweets could be ok, but that $50 payout sucks for people w/lower follower counts.
@mitchellharper (Mitchell Harper) says:@JohnChow Also "Ethical Sponsored Tweeting" is an oxymoron so I think like PayPerPost, this idea wont go anywhere fast.
@mitchellharper (Mitchell Harper) says:@JohnChow It’s OK but I’d rather build an EXCELLENT product that promotes itself instead of paying to promote a mediocre one. Just my 2c.
@hardcoreware (Carl Nelson) says:@JohnChow If I ever see a sponsored tweet from someone I don’t know personally, they get unfollowed immediately
@BlissfulGirl (Adele Kirwer) says:@JohnChow tweets aren’t "sticky" enough to give real ROI. they’d have to be brilliantly crafted to ensure click through or re-tweets.
@mikefaber (mike faber) says:@JohnChow I think their celebrity needs clothes that fit about 2 sizes bigger!
@michaelkwan (Michael Kwan) says:@JohnChow With the passing stream of tweets, Sponsored Tweets doesn’t seem to offer enough value to the advertiser.
@TariqAhmad (Tariq Ahmad) says:@JohnChow better interaction, better feed back, better products. 2 thumbs up.
@Hlieu (H Lieu) says:@JohnChow have not gotten an offer yet after signing up and got nother mssg from socialspark saying mysite wsnt a blog and it was sign johnc
What are YOUR thoughts? Add them to the comments below and let the debate rage on.