Scheduling tweets: Does common sense trump algorithms?
The author puzzles over whether algorithms can outperform common sense in determining optimum windows for reaching your Twitter audience.
I’ve tried several of these services. Some social media experts praise them often. Scheduling content for the following day has its benefits when you won’t have time to post in real time. But can a website actually provide precise insight on the best times to tweet?
People study this like a science, and you can sign up for webinars to learn the secrets. However, many of the experts explaining the benefits of scheduling social media are in the social media industry. Don’t they benefit by convincing businesses that social media is not an exercise in randomness?
One service recommended that I tweet at times that most people, if they had to guess, would select anyway. The times were when most people get to work, eat lunch, and start preparing to head home. My wife and business partner, Loren, tried the same service, which provided her times similar to mine. Do our followers behave so similarly?
Another service indicated I should tweet during normal business hours on weekdays. Is that truly insightful? The same service indicated what time of day I receive the most replies to my tweets. But don’t I significantly determine when followers reply by when I tweet to them?
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