Twitter’s Lazy Web
While many people begin their quest for answers to nearly any of life’s questions now, instant gratification and trust have become two factors in recent years for people flocking to their chosen social networks for answers to anything from “where should I eat dinner tonight?” to “do you know a Realtor in downtown Akron? I need to sell now!”
Cory Doctorow coined the term “lazyweb” in the early 2000s, noting that as social layers of the web came to fruition, people would seek help for problems and questions online first before physically asking other people.
First generation Twitter users remember the hashtag #lazyweb which meant that someone was asking a question that they could easily Google and filter through links, or they could be lazy and just ask their social network. Although today we are focusing on Twitter, the same behavior applies on Facebook and even LinkedIn.
InboxQ.com put together a slick infographic on the topic of the Lazy Web and Twitter and we found most interesting that the trend peaked in 2008 and although the hashtag #lazyweb is dead and the process of “lazy web” is not acknowledged formally, Doctorow’s predictions for social layers driving consumers to first consult their networks was spot on.
Realtors present and active on Twitter have the advantage over those who are not and referrals are being made organically without any referral fee… Check out this infographic and tell us the comments what you are most struck by (click to enlarge):
Lani is the COO and News Director at The American Genius, has co-authored a book, co-founded BASHH, Austin Digital Jobs, Remote Digital Jobs, and is a seasoned business writer and editorialist with a penchant for the irreverent.