Psychographics Of The Twitterati

We might be on the verge of Tweetering out on why-Twitter-matters analysis — yes, I know I’m guilty. Nonetheless, my former colleague, branding guru extraordinaire, Pete Blackshaw has a nice piece on Twitter psychographics. He offers the following Machiavelli-inspired segments:

• TweetBacks. These are folks who use Twitter as a real-time focus group for immediate feedback
• TimeTweeters. These folks just love to “punch the clock” with a time-stamped discovery before anyone else.
• FlackSmackers. These are journalists or high-reach bloggers who use Twitter to publicly complain — nay, groan — about lame PR or shill-induced pitches.
• SpamSneakers. These are the folks who use Twitter as just another marketing channel for preexisting content.
• BrandBaggers. These folks “bag” anything related to their brands and use tools like Twitter as a customer-service or resolution proxy.
• BankRunners. These are the folks who post “end is near unless you act now” messages, potentially eliciting a sense of panic — a run on the bank, if you will — among Twitterites.
• RingCiters. These are the folks with real or virtual ring-side seats at sporting events who can’t resist sharing even most mundane play-by-play, as though the rest of Twitter Nation is glued to their modern day Howard Cossel-inspired tweets.
• Tweetniks. People who try to write literature with Twitter. Every once and a while you’ll find someone turning Twitter into haiku.
• FamilyTweeters. These are folks (like myself) who tweet about the most mundane of family-related issues.
• ProudRouters. Quintessential connectors, these folks love to forward things from other Twitter posts.
• TravelTeasers. These are the folks who create a bit of mystery about exactly where they are.
• WeightWatchmen. These folks believe Twitter’s potential for peer pressure might have motivational value for losing weight or achieving some other major goal.
• TweetSquaters. These are folks (sinister or entrepreneurial, depending on your view) who squat on well-known Twitter names.
• AdverTweeters. Lots of brands are tweeting these day, observes Machiavelli.
• Twitterazi. Even worse than paparazzi, Machiavelli warned.
• GameTrappers. These folks post Twitter messages to an entire distribution list hoping to snare an unsuspecting target to respond (usually in error) to the entire group.

See Pete’s ClickZ column.