Are You Overwhelmed By Twitter?
Are you overwhelmed by Twitter? Or maybe you are looking for more sites that you can participate in? Well I might have a solution for you.
It is a little site called Sprouter.com.
They launched as a private beta site almost a year ago. But then they opened to the public back in November 2009.
For a seasoned Twitter user it will look very similar since it has a few of the same qualities. Things like 140 character limits and hashtags are the same as Twitter.
There are a couple of small differences as well. One thing is that Sprouter has not yet been “discovered” by millions of people. Now you might think this is not a good thing.
But it can be a good thing if you think about it. Many people are simply overwhelmed by Twitter. The “Twitter Stream” is flowing at a million miles an hour and even if you are only following a few people you can quickly get overwhelmed by the speed at which it moves.
Sprouter.com on the other hand as of now is a quiet little site that still has enough traffic and accounts to keep you busy.
They also have an event feature that is built in and kind of cool. You can enter the name of your event and some details like location, description, date and a special hashtag then post it. People can see your event and choose to follow it to see what is going on or they can even RSVP right on Sprouter.com letting you know that they are planning to attend.
They encourage people to interact and ask questions of the Sprouter community. And as a member of the community they encourage you to help by answering questions that other members post.
Sprouter.com’s focus is the business community and they say in their about us section:
Sprouter facilitates networking and collaboration between entrepreneurs globally. Providing a platform for users to connect with other innovators, entrepreneurs can expand their networks to include fellow entrepreneurs and startups with similar interests and goals. By answering the question “What are you working on?” in 140 characters or less entrepreneurs can discover and join events in their local areas, start discussions and follow topics of relevance to their business.
Another plus to Sprouter.com not being flooded yet is that you may still find the address you want. Twitter has millions of users, multi-millions. This means that some people are having to be very creative with their Twitter “handle” in order to get something even remotely understandable.
With Sprouter having 10,000+ users the likelyhood that your desired account name is available is much more likely to be possible.
You can click the Everyone link on your profile page to see a stream of all members of Sprouter or click Following to only see the stream of the people you are following. You can also create Filters (Like lists on Twitter) so you can see only people you have put into that Filter.
One unique point on how Sprouter.com uses hashtags is that you can actually follow a hashtag so you can see everything that is going on within that tag.
So if you are looking for a new site to add to your marketing mix or if you are just looking for a site that is not as “noisy” as Twitter I highly recommend this little startup. I see it’s potential to do great things in the future of social media.
Are you on Sprouter.com yet? If so be sure to tell us your Sprouter address below so we can follow you…
About The Author:
Cindy Clemens is a mom, author, speaker, marketing consultant and Co-Founder of Your Marketing University. Her goal is to teach marketing in a simple easy to understand format that businesses can use to help gain marketing ideas & market their businesses to boost sales.
Are you marketing in sequence? Are you following a strategy or focusing on tactics? Claim your copy of our free “Small Business Marketing Roadmap Report” by my partner Ely Delaney to find out.





3 Responses to “Are You Overwhelmed By Twitter?”
Sheila Atwood
I just went to Sprouter and signed up. Very nice lay out!
We’ll see how it goes. Thanks
Jane Lee
Cindy:
Going 140 miles on the twitter lane can be very exhausting. Getting all these links to buy things and follw me to this road and another, then other people spamming me at the next exit. I am not on twitter as often as I use to be. Too much activity can be distracting. Will definitely give sprout a try which is much more up my alley. You get the scenic view when one is driving and get to meet some other drivers and network.I like being in a community. Thank you for this information.
Martha Giffen
I didn’t know about Sprouter! Thanks for the info. . . I’m heading over there now. I do love Twitter though. So much that I TEACH it! LOL http://tweetwithmartha.com