Twitter is Changing the Face of Communication
This month marks roughly the 2nd anniversary for Twitter. If you don’t know what Twitter is here is a brief description from Wikipedia:
Twitter is a free social networking and micro-blogging service that allows its users to send and read other users’ updates (otherwise known as tweets ), which are text-based posts of up to 140 characters in length.
Updates are displayed on the user’s profile page and delivered to other users who have signed up to receive them. The sender can restrict delivery to those in his or her circle of friends (delivery to everyone being the default). Users can receive updates via the Twitter website, SMS, RSS, email or through an application such as Twhirl or Facebook.
Twitter was officially launched in October 2006 and by many accounts is now the fastest growing social network in the world with more than 400% growth over the last 12 months. According to TwitDir there are now just over 3.2 million. In all likelihood by the time I’m finished writing this post it’ll be around 3.3 million.
What makes Twitter so interesting is the accessibility of the platform. Unlike blogging, posting to Twitter is super easy as each post can only be 140 characters long. Combined with its ability to instantly notify huge numbers of people, what is emerging is the new global shared notification system. Here are a couple examples from Wikipedia
- This year CNN began setting up Twitter pages for some of its anchors and reading tweets during broadcasts. Rick Sanchez prominently features updates from Twitter followers during his afternoon broadcast.
- Virtually all news services now broadcast updates via Twitter these including Reuters, CNN and NY Times
- 100s of Companies such as Cisco Systems, Jet Blue, and Whole Foods Market use Twitter to provide product or service information. (here’s a list of a number of other companies)
- The Los Angeles Fire Department put the technology to use during the October 2007 California wildfires. [13]
- NASA used Twitter to break the news of the discovery of what appeared to be water ice on Mars by the Phoenix Mars Lander. [14] [15] Other NASA projects, such as Space Shuttle missions and the International Space Station, also provide updates via Twitter.
- News outlets such as the BBC have also started using Twitter to disseminate breaking news or provide information feeds for sporting events.
- Several 2008 U.S. presidential campaigns use Twitter as a publicity mechanism, including that of Democratic Party nominee Barack Obama. Check out election.twitter.com for a real-time feed of all election related updates.
- Activists used Twitter networks to co-ordinate street protest at the 2008 Republican Convention in Minneapolis/St. Paul. [20]
- 10 Downing Street, the website of the British Prime Minister, has started using Twitter.
As Twitter continues to grow it is important for anyone working in investor relations, public relations and corporate communications to join the network and experience how this service is truly changing the face of communications around the world.
One of our clients, Barrick Gold, just started using Twitter to broadcast earning releases and other updates and large companies like Sun Microsystems, Dell and GE are posting press releases and financial releases through Twitter.
There are tons of services available that connect to Twitter or allow you to search tweets or people. Here is a list to the Top 40 Twitter Tools out there.
Go sign-up at twitter.com if you haven’t already and start following the companies and people that you’re interested in. You’ll quickly see how useful it is.
Here are some Q4 Twiiter accounts you can follow to get started:
www.twitter.com/chris_vickerson
Related posts:
- The Power of Information Distribution using Twitter
- Buy-Side seminar points to the web and social media as prime channels of communication
- How Rio Tinto Uses Twitter for Investor Relations
- From NIRI 2009 – The Evolution of Financial Communication
- Report reveals early adopters using Twitter for Investor Relations
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