What's All the Tweeting About?

Is everybody at your office atwitter about Twitter? The number of users has surpassed 2 million, and big business is getting on board. I mean really, what’s not to like about being able to send your customers brief messages on a regular basis, sometimes even multiple messages a day.

Twitter is a free social networking service where users send and read other users' text-based messages, known as “tweets.” The messages are brief, no more than 140 characters. Updates are posted on a user’s profile page and delivered to other users who have signed up to receive them through the Twitter website, instant messaging, e-mail, cell phone or other means.

How would you use Twitter? Whole Foods Market and Cisco use it to send out product information. The American Red Cross uses it to communicate during local disasters. Political campaigns use Twitter to notify supporters about events and appearances.

Just like any social media, Twitter should be monitored for what’s being said about your brand and your products. Exxon-Mobil was all atwitter a few months ago when someone was tweeting about them like a company spokesperson. The petro poobah says it had nothing to do with the tweets, but thank goodness they were sweet tweets, singing the company’s praises.

Here are a few things businesses should know about Twitter:
• Learn how it works and the best way to do that is use it. Go to www.twitter.com, open an account and start tweeting.
• Don’t hide your identity or pretend to be someone you’re not.
• Don’t poo-poo it as a fad that doesn’t affect you. It has a lot of users – some of them influential, like bloggers or media. If they’re talking about you, shouldn’t you know what they’re saying? However, keep a cool head. Know when to respond and when to let it go.
• This isn’t War and Peace. Keep your messages short – 140 characters max.
• Twitter is like any other company communication. Have guidelines on what can be said and by whom.

Here’s a little Twitter Jargon
Tweet: A Twitter message
Twitterer: A user of Twitter.
Twittering: To send a Twitter message.
Twittermob: An unruly and ragtag horde of people who descend on an ill-prepared location after a provocative Twitter message.