Why Twitter?

For the uninitiated, Twitter is a free (for now) micro blogging service where you can share ideas 140 characters or less, so why Twitter?

A little bit of background first, I heard about Twitter at an IABC Toronto Social Media breakfast last spring with Shel Holz as the keynote speaker. My first thought, “Oh joy, yet another social media platform to keep track of.”

Eight months later I set up a profile and now I am on there way more often than Facebook. It is the ongoing conversation that got me hooked with professional peers and friends with mutual interests.

Who is on Twitter? It is a mix of people I am following and being followed by PR practitioners, journalists, marketing professionals, web gurus, industry thought leaders and the odd photographer, for the most part early adapters from communication based professions. That is my universe, there are millions signed up (no exact figure known), the Tweeting population demographics are probably more varied than my group.

So why Tweet? For me as a freshly minted PR and seasoned marketing professional, it is almost a given, I have to understand this technology for work. I find interesting articles relating to my profession, it is an ongoing conversation with your network and a news feed. For example, I found out about the closing down of the 150 year old Denver newspaper Rocky Mountain News four days before it hit traditional media. Twitter is excellent for reaching a very specific audience with your key messages 140characters or less along with a link.

So should you Tweet? Good question, I will ask you are going to be on Twitter representing your clients/organization, as a civilian or both? The usual rules governing journalism or public relations apply depending which side of the street you are on even as a civilian. If you are planning to tweet as the designated spokesperson of your organization, get buy in from senior communications executives, risk management (if that plays a role in your organization) and your corporate legal consul. The last thing you want to do is spook them, interesting things happen when you do. Remember, tweeting is the equivalent of speaking in a public place, be careful what you share, which leads to the next paragraph immediately below.

A strong word of caution, think before you tweet. While a tattoo commemorating a fling from a lost weekend ten years ago can be removed, Google is forever. All your Tweets are searchable by clients, present and future employers, colleagues, family, friends, lovers, you get the idea. To further re-enforce the point, type Ketchum and Twitter into Google and you will understand exactly what I am talking about.

With the above caveats, don’t be a afraid of Twitter, it is part of the remaking of the media universe, influences how receive information and it’s fun interacting with people with like minded interests all over the world.