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The other day, @jeremymeyers tweeted, “I really wish Twitter had used listen/listening rather than follow/following when it first started.”
The statement got me thinking. What if Twitter had used listen/listening vs. follow/following? Would the sentiment on Twitter be different today? Would it still be a contest to get more “listeners”? Honestly, yes. People are competitive by nature. We all have egos and the number of followers someone has is kinda like men comparing dick sizes in the locker room.
But, would different terminology change how people, brands and celebs use twitter? Would listening be more intuitive? Maybe. Would the race be more about retweets and @ replies vs. followers? Maybe. Would it encourage more silent participants and less conversations? Would it remind people to see both sides of an argument? I don’t know. I do know choosing your naming conventions carefully is worth thinking about.
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