A few months ago, you probably heard rumblings about what I like to call The Great Twitter Authority Debate, in which bloggers from all spheres argued everything from the merits of an authority-based search to even what “authority” means.

I haven’t come across a more divisive marketing issue in a long time.

And I won’t lie. It’s been entertaining.

But mostly, it’s been interesting.

Discussions were brought up, played out and laid back to rest. The ones that have stuck in my mind since then are the ones that tried to clearly define what authority, popularity, influence and other important marketing factors are- at least, within the context of a relatively new channel.

I think that Twitter is too young of an entity to really base any definitions on, even the ones that seem universal regardless of the context or medium. Don’t get me wrong- Twitter isn’t the Wild West of the Internet. But it’s similar in that it’s simultaneously recognizable and nebulous region comprised of unknown and anxiety-inducing rules and inhabitants.

The Twitter authority debate has shown us one thing, though- almost everyone wants a shot at being sheriff.

Authority and Twitter

The idea of authority-based searches essentially puts a leash on Twitter’s unwritten democratic pledge. You know it, I know it and Loic Le Meur (the originator of the debate) knows it, as his infamous quote

We’re not equal on Twitter, as we’re not equal on blogs and on the web

has taught us (his call to have “authority” defined as “popularity” may have also clued us in).

Almost as soon as he uttered those words came Twitority and Twithority, ostensibly providing those who desired an authority-based search what they wanted.

However, there were problems. Both search engines seemed to use very different algorithms with which to rank results. That meant that popularity was only one of the factors that the search engines considered or- even more interesting- that “authority” meant different things to each.

The debate rages on to this day, though probably with a little less fervor.

I welcome it…not because I enjoy arguments, but because I think it brings new issues to light. It may even send everyone right back to sifting through 1000s of tweets that they once so quick to dismiss.

Why? Because this debate has shown us that the big dogs run with the big dogs, even when they’re not sure of their surroundings. Maybe especially when they don’t know their surroundings. People and companies of influence and power protect each other’s stakes in those things…when they’re not competing for shares. It’s the good ol’ boy network, sans the racial and regional connotations.

My take on this isn’t very simple and probably deserves more than a few hundred words for a proper explanation. But, basically, I think that authority-based searches will eventually dissolve into the background and become another footnote in the Internet marketing world. How?

Because, sometimes, authority can come in all shapes and forms and dismissing the value of what someone has to say without knowing their backstory is really bad move for anyone, but especially for businesses. The result could be an unwitting shrugging off of competitors or individual customers. Those practices never get a business very far.

Democracy and Twitter

There have been proposals to counter the “authority equals popularity” charge. The most popular ones have a democratic feel to them, involving users deciding the value of individual tweets.

A few people out there propose that instead of having an all-inclusive authority measure within Twitter, topical searches should instead be performed on followers or friends. That way, users can find out what people they value have to say. This would leave the popularity contest at the backdoor.

I could go on. But I won’t. I’ll just add that Virginia Miracle probably has my favorite take on the whole fiasco, while giving us a few funny scenarios and asking some interesting questions.

Evolution and Twitter

Twitter might still be considered the Wild West by some, but that will have to change soon. Very soon. Regardless of all the infighting going on, Twitter is reaching a level of “authority” on its own. The general public is starting to look to Twitter for breaking news updates more than ever before.

The purpose of this post isn’t meant to rehash the thousands of things that have already been said about this debate, but rather, to get feedback from you as business owners. And not just the usual feedback, either.

Taking into account that Twitter’s now becoming a popular go-to source for information, I want to know what you think defines “authority” on Twitter. Then “influence.” And then “popularity.” Maybe even “reach.” These are the things that have to be universally defined in the Twitter-sphere before a third-party search engine can even come close to being of any use to anyone. But more importantly, these are the things that need to be defined before you can get the most out of Twitter for your business.

How do you approach Twitter with your marketing efforts?