momentum » online PR

All A-Twitter

Nicky — Wed, 04 Feb 2009 21:03:46 +0000

With a veritable stampede of high-profile sign-ups in recent weeks, it’s fair to say that microblogging platform Twitter is having something of a ‘moment’. An estimated 2 million-plus ‘tweets’ are sent each day by over a million active users (which include mainstream media organisations), and we’re already counting down to the 2 billionth post. Having been well-trained in the art of brevity of expression by our enthusiasm for text messaging, it seems we’re taking to 140-character-limited bon mots like ducks to water. And the simile is fitting. One of the best pieces of advice I’ve read is to think of Twitter as a river (and a fast-moving one at that). Don’t try to keep up with everything - just dip in, take the temperature, enjoy yourself, and then get out.

While we’re still in learning-and-evolution mode, one of the early lessons from Twitter is how the ascendancy of social networking culture seems to be bringing about a fundamental (because socially-enforced) shift in how certain groups communicate online. The most significant trends that I see in my online activity are, firstly, the increasingly blurred line between the professional and the personal (this is particularly evident in Twitter due to its inherent transparency) and, secondly, ’hyperinteractivity’ - the ability to engage, critique, challenge, and support myriad individuals and communities in multiple ways and across a mind-boggling array of channels. It’s an interesting development and, whatever services ultimately triumph, it’s clear that there is a healthy appetite out there for exploring and exploiting these platforms.

I posted my first tweet almost two years ago but have been Twittering in earnest since the New Year. You can follow me here: http://www.twitter.com/nickydavis.

Look forward to seeing you in the Twitterverse but, in the meantime, here are some links to resources that I’ve found useful:

Twitterholic: http://twitterholic.com/
Twitter user rankings and statistics. With over 100,000 followers, Stephen Fry is ranked 2nd globally but, beaten only by Barack Obama’s team-maintained account, he could accurately be called the top individual Twitterer in the world.

GigaTweet: http://popacular.com/gigatweet/
A running tweet counter and trend analyser, for graph-lovers everywhere.

TweetDeck: http://www.tweetdeck.com/beta/
Currently in public beta, TweetDeck categorises your Twitter feeds, displays them in manageable columns, and provides a user-friendly dashboard to manage your Twitter activity. It might sound like overkill for a new user, but it proves surprisingly valuable as your following/follower numbers start to climb.

Valebrity: http://www.valebrity.com
A portmanteau of ‘validated’ and ‘celebrity’, Valebrity is a reference site that separates the real celebrity Twitterers from the (surprisingly common) fakes. As elsewhere on the web, trust is a real issue on Twitter and, according to WSJ, certifying identity could even be one of the business models that the founders of Twitter pursue in their quest to monetise the service.

The ghost in the blog

Nicky — Fri, 05 Jan 2007 13:27:52 +0000

There’s been a lot of “trend” talk recently in relation to the blogging phenomenum but, for now, one thing seems very clear: the impact of the online conversation is continuing to grow.For many businesses, the widening influence of social media means that getting to grips with these new channels is no longer optional, but now a fundamental part of connecting with important audiences. As a result, companies are increasingly taking a serious approach to social media tools such as blogs.
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The blogosphere of influence

Nicky — Thu, 09 Nov 2006 13:23:25 +0000

So, first things first: just what is the “blogosphere”? The blogosphere is the collective term for the vast, interconnected community of blogs out there in cyberspace. With over 60 million blogs currently in existence – being added to at the rate of a new blog every 10 seconds – the blogosphere can truly be said to be growing in size and influence daily.From “amateur” (independent and therefore largely unaccountable “citizen” bloggers) to “professional” (corporate or business bloggers), the global online community is delivering real-time commentary and journalism on an unprecedented scale.
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From instant to consistent messaging

Nicky — Mon, 09 Oct 2006 13:35:54 +0000

The foundation for any successful B2B communications campaign is strong messaging. In the B2B world, if your messages simply don’t resonate with your target audience, it doesn’t matter how often or how loudly you say them.“Instant messaging” may be the current communication tool of choice for the kids, but continually inventing your messaging on the fly is unlikely to yield the momentum, consistency and credibility required to build a brand and create sustainable differentiation in the longer-term. Only by understanding what your customers really care about, what problems they are seeking to solve, and by rigorously and consistently applying the “so what?” test to each proposition, can you begin to create a solid messaging framework to drive your communications programme.
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