I’m @amurphy, nice to tweet ya!
I’m fairly active in a social network called Twitter. When mentioning this web community in passing, I usually forget there are still plenty of folks out there who don’t know what it is. If you’re one of them, don’t feel bad. I’m here to give you the low-down:
What the heck is Twitter?
Twitter is a micro-blogging service that allows users to send messages, or “tweets,” to other Twitter users in their network. A single tweet is limited to 140 characters max, and the social network is chosen by each user. You can choose to “follow” another Twitterer, which means you’ll have access to each message he sends, and others can choose to follow you.
How did Twitter get its start?
As an R&D project at a San Fran start-up called “Obvious” in 2006. Technology early adopters flocked to Twitter and are a big reason for its rapid growth and popularity.
Are there other services like Twitter?
Yep, there are several “look-alikes,” most notably, Pownce, FriendFeed and Jaiku.
Are businesses using Twitter?
Absolutely. Many media outlets are using Twitter as another way to feed news to readers, including CNN (@cnn), New York Times (@nytimes) and Reuters (@reuters). Major retailers and service providers also use it to keep in touch with customers, like Dell (@direct2dell), Comcast (@comcastcares) and Amazon (@amazonhits).
There are also several pioneering CEOs and company founders on Twitter, as a way to humanize their brands and stay connected to employees, competition and customers, including Tony Hsieh of Zappos (@zappos), Jonathan Schwartz of Sun Microsystems (@sunceoblog) and Pierre Omidyar of eBay (@pierre).
And of course, leaders in social media have a strong presence on Twitter like Chris Brogan (@chrisbrogan), Andy Sernovitz (@sernovitz) and Guy Kawasaki (@guykawasaki).
And I’m not just talking the talk. I brought Quizzle (@quizzle) to Twitter back in February of 2008, which was then followed by sister brands Quicken Loans (@quickenloans) and ePrize (@eprize).
For more on Twitter and business, check out BusinessWeek’s article on How Companies Use Twitter to Bolster Their Brands.
Why I do (personally) Twitter?
For me, Twitter is a news feed, an instantaneous feedback portal, a conversational medium and a way for me to chat with folks I look up to and respect – folks I would like have no access to otherwise (i.e. word of mouth marketing guru Andy Sernovitz, technology pioneer and entrepreneur Guy Kawasaki).
Find out what customers are saying on Twitter
Twitter has its own search engine. It’s a great way to keep in tune with what consumers may be interested in, the latest trends and what they’re saying about your brand: http://search.twitter.com
Additional Information
- 50 Ideas on Using Twitter for Business, from social media pioneer Chris Brogan (@chrisbrogan)
- Getting Intimate (with Customers) on Twitter, from Shel Israel (@shelisrael), BusinessWeek
- Various Twitter links on Del.icio.us