When you look at Twitter’s most popular trending topics for 2009, don’t be blinded by all the high-profile glitz. Yeah, big news events and celebrity happenings were a big part of the picture this year for SmartBrief on Social Media, but focus on the most popular hashtags for a moment and take in the rest of the story.  Even with the incredible year we just lived through, 7 out of the 10 most popular hashtags weren’t driven by world events or pop culture. They were driven by users having an actual conversation.

Some social media gurus like to focus on the difference between Twitter “informers” and “me-formers” — that is, between people who share links and people who talk about what they had for breakfast.  But there’s a third Twitter out there, the Twitter of honest, open, people-to-people conversations that start because someone asked an interesting question. Sometimes the most wonderful, memorable, sharable conversations we can have don’t need to be about anything of consequence. They just need to connect.

Do you participate in Twitter memes? Or are you puzzled by the popularity of #iwish? What other ways can Twitter users establish real connections, beyond just sharing links and musing about waffles?

PS: I know. I know. There are actually an infinite number of Twitters, not just 3. But it made for a better headline. Just play along, ok?

Image credit, firebrandphotography, via iStock

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