My initial reaction was to question whether this source was worthy of being quoted on CNN. After all, anyone can say anything on Twitter. Visit Twittervision and you'll see all sorts of silly stuff. Should we really care what @starwarsfanboy1962 has to say about the latest news?
After I saw that, I tuned in for a few hours. I think CNN did a great job of covering the storm. Anchor Rick Sanchez referred to feedback from his Twitter account several times. I really like that CNN is using Twitter, MySpace and Facebook as a way to gather feedback and allow viewers to interact with the anchor.
A TV news anchor interviews eyewitnesses by phone all the time, so why not by Twitter, email or another social media tool? The only difference is that people use their real names when they do interviews by phone. I think I would have had a different reaction had Sanchez reported that John Smith, a school teacher from New Orleans, had witnessed something and reported it on Twitter.
Be Transparent
Be transparent on Twitter. I like to follow people that tell me who they are. Twitter allows people to link to their blogs, LinkedIn profile company web site, or more. Before I follow someone, I want to know why they are credible.
Some questions I ask myself before I follow someone on Twitter:
- Is this someone from whom I might be able to learn something?
- Are they just trying to sell me something?
- What do they usually write about?
Follow the Right People
The key to Twitter is selecting the right people to follow. If you're new to Twitter, one of the best ways to start is to select one person that is credible and well-known. Since I'm interested in PR, social media and online marketing, I started by following well-respected bloggers like Jeremiah Owyang, Louis Gray, Steve Rubel, Todd Defren, Brian Solis and of course Robert Scoble.
Slowly Add New Followers
Look to see who your trusted Twitterers follow. Who are they conversing with regularly? Slowly add some of these people after you review the topics they regularly write about. You can also remove people if they write too much about trivial or uninteresting topics. I follow most people that follow me. But if I get many tweets about what they are eating for lunch, I usually "unfollow" them. I also avoid following people that are following hundreds of people yet only have a handful of followers. This is usually a signal that they are using their Twitter account to spam people. A lot has been written about "twitter karma". My philosophy is that I have enough things to do at work. I'll only use Twitter as long as it helps me do my job better. As soon as it becomes more of a distraction than an aid, I'll drop it and move onto another tool (like Friendfeed, which has a lot more options for filtering content.)
Does Twitter Help You Do Your Job?
It can. As I mentioned above, it can also be a massive waste of time. It all depends on how you choose to use it. I have found that it can be an excellent way to network with people in my field. It can be a great way to learn too, since smart people often share the best content on the web.
Monitoring Twitter
Services such as Twitter Search and Tweetscan provide an excellent real-time window into live events and brand perception. Just type in any keyword and you get instant feedback. Since these tools are free and easy to use, every company should be actively monitoring their brand online.
Attendees to conferences, trade shows and other live events can now provide real-time feedback. A smart presenter will monitor these services and will modify their presentation as needed. I'm looking forward to checking these tools during our next Omniture Summit in February. I'm sure that presenters such as Adam Greco will poll his followers on which topics they'd like to learn about prior to his presentation.
What are some interesting ways that you use twitter? Have you found it to be a useful tool or a mindless distraction?
If you use Twitter or if you want to try it out, follow me at twitter.com/brianwatkins. I'll try not to waste your time too much.
