I was quite intrigued with the latest This Week in Google podcast, released a few days ago – in it, there is a somewhat random conversation of the panel about when they post blog updates or tweet. For example, the host Leo Laporte pays attention to time zones when he sends out a tweet if it’s something he wants to get more “eyeballs” and attention. When asked by his assistant why, he replied “doesn’t everyone?”
After hearing this exchange, I started thinking about my own personal habits and, looking through my site logs, found that there were definite “usage patterns” in the stats. For example, I could post the best blog post or article ever written on Saturday night at 9 PM EST and no one will ever see it… especially if it was during the months of June and July. And if I really wanted to get people’s attention, the sweet spot for my particular blog? Thursdays and Friday after 5PM EST in October and November. Timing is everything.
I would love to have access to some of the Internet usage stats that I’m sure large companies and organizations like Google have… the number-cruncher in me would “geek-out” if I could analyze that data.
So, how is this applicable to other forms of online communication, such as social sites like Facebook and Twitter? Keep your audience in mind, and specifically their geographic location – if your audience or friends are techies based out of the west coast and you are currently on the east coast, post after 1PM so they will see it in their mornings. If they are local, post the same times that you are “free” – though be mindful of “data smog” that may occur because everyone is posting at the same time (one benefit of posting during off-hours is, well, if your content is interesting it will “spread” – especially over a weekend).
Finally, speaking as a user experience designer, this type of thoughtful “posting strategy” keeps your users in mind, though you should remember that the social web is (as Anil Dash said in the aforementioned podcast) like a big party – to paraphrase: “If the people in your social circle misses something, they are still in the party, and they can drop off if they want when they want.”
Of course, as I post this I realize that I probably won’t have much of an audience for this blog entry, but I had some extra time so I decided to put it up now. Just because I’m aware of the trends doesn’t mean I should be a slave to them – nor should you be.