We recently conducted a survey with over 1,400 developers to find out how they use Twitter or why they reject it. The questions we asked were based on an earlier survey with 271 developers and 27 interviews. We discovered why some love it, why some do not, and also found out what kinds of strategies developers use to improve Twitter use. Here is a brief snapshot of the results.
Why some developers love Twitter
677 DEVELOPERS SAID IT HELPS THEM LEARN ABOUT TECHNOLOGIES THEY DIDN’T PREVIOUSLY KNOW ABOUT
673 DEVELOPERS SAID IT HELPS THEM STAY CURRENT WITH THE TECHNOLOGIES AND PRACTICES THEY NEED TO USE
627 SAID IT HELPED THEM CONNECT WITH INTERESTING DEVELOPERS
541 SAID IT HELPS THEM PROMOTE PROJECTS AND TECHNOLOGIES
452 USED TWITTER TO BUILD TRUST AND RAPPORT WITH OTHER DEVELOPERS
401 USED TWITTER TO GAIN USEFUL FEEDBACK ON THEIR WORK
381 SAID IT HELPED IN COMMUNITY BUILDING
and…
291 SAID TWITTER HELPED THEM TO BECOME BETTER PROGRAMMERS
260 SAID IT HELPED WITH JOB OPPORTUNITIES
Why some developers resist Twitter
356 DEVELOPERS FOUND IT TO BE OVERWHELMING
110 DEVELOPERS DO NOT APPRECIATE THE 140 CHARACTER LIMIT
What strategies should developers on Twitter use
BUILD A RELEVANT NETWORK ORGANICALLY BY…
DECIDING CAREFULLY WHO TO FOLLOW
FOLLOW AND RETWEET THOUGHT LEADERS
FOLLOW ON A TRIAL BASIS AND REEVALUATE FREQUENTLY
SHARE WHAT YOU LEARN ABOUT TECHNOLOGY AND RELATED PRACTICES
SWITCH TO OTHER CHANNELS FOR LONGER DISCUSSIONS
But what do you think? Do YOU think developers should use Twitter? Do you love or hate Twitter? Comment below!
Want to read more? See a longer blog post here and an even longer paper here, or participate in our latest survey about social media in software development.
I’m a Twitter user, not a developer. But the company seems to have had a love/hate relationship with developers too. I’m not sure whether the IPO will make it better or worse, but I’m hopeful it will be better.