Two years ago I was at a conference and heard about the ‘next big thing’ – Twitter… since then Twitter news has been filtering through with an upsurge in recent months… so time to check it out.
- New York Times calls Twitter “one of the fastest-growing phenomena on the Internet.”
- TIME Magazine says, “Twitter is on its way to becoming the next killer app.”
- Newsweek noted that “Suddenly, it seems as though all the world’s a-twitter.”
- Our very own NBR (March 13, 2009) states “only a twit wouldn’t twitter.
Considered the new on-line phenomenon, Twitter has grown to over 6 million users with 800% uptake in the last 12 months.
Simply put, Twitter allows you to network with others and post Tweets (up to 140 characters, or in other words; a short, sharp message) and you can tweet as often as you like. http://twitter.com
Twitter’s premise is simple: find people to follow (like thought leaders or respected people in your industry), check in on them, and participate as much or as little as you like. This is one very savvy way of keeping up with what’s going on in the world with the latest thinking.
According to on-line industry pundits – it’s the ultimate way to network; it’s a way to build your personal brand and as NBR journo Hazel Phillips notes, ‘people discover your perspective and way of doing things.’ And it is extremely easy on Twitter.
Again in Phillip’s article, she quotes Bullet PR’s MD Nicholas O’Flaherty’s comments about the early days when people tweeted about pretty much anything, “but now there is a remarkably high level of serious communication taking place on Twitter… and more significantly, this is exclusively taking place on Twitter …in other words if you are not there in the first place, how can you take part?’
According to Twitter… ‘Using Twitter is going to change the way you think about staying in touch with friends and family. And – you can send and receive Twitter updates via mobile texting or the web.’
So – with all this information (and there is a whole lot more where this came from) what better way to find out more than to jump right in – which I have done.
Immediately upon logging in (easy) I was provided a pre-selected group of people to follow if I so wished. They included: 10 Downing Street, Cold Play and a few other randoms (!).
The next step is to refine this, sort out a profile and find a few cool industry people to follow (like Kevin Wheeler, US recruitment guru), as well as a few mates and a few others.
It’s all about hooking into what’s happening in the world, keeping an open mind, staying right in touch and up to date.
But better watch out.
News in just this week reported that Jennifer Anniston has broken up with John Mayer because he was obsessed by Twitter. And yes, I confess, whist trotting along the beach for a Saturday morning walk, I found myself wishing I was able to twitter at the same time.
Its easy peasy… and worth a look!
