It’s not just about Twitter, although it has had a large part to play in all of this. People simply won’t adopt a technology until a society is ready for it (think scale, emotion and price availability), and one piece of software isn’t enough. This is a fundamental issue, just ask anyone building a new market. In terms of real-time content, it seems we are absolutely ready.
What does this really mean though? Looking at it bluntly, there aren’t many services that work reciprocally in real-time. It’s not as if we are all plugged into trading systems to make a living. We don’t need to be absolutely informed at all times.
The best way to look at this is by translating ‘real time content’ into ‘up-to-date content’ and in a bigger and better world, ‘latest’ is a hot commodity. Breaking news stories, knowing more than your competitor sooner makes you better. Translate this to real people and their almost limitless ability to communicate – even on the go – and you have the same thing; a desire to be noticed, to be better and not to be left behind.
Does it serve any real purpose though? Well, in parts yes. The difference really comes in the type of information, or service, you are peddling. If you take real-time train and bus information (a service) as an example, you have your answer. Additionally, customers expect to be able to make a decision about the best restaurant/play/movie/game instantly. Everything is now available at all times.
Real-time content is here to stay and it will soon become the standard and not always because it is relevant, but simply because it is a societal function. This is the key for all website owners; accept this as a basic requirement and you will be fine. The sooner you do this, the better…
