The Big Money Twitter 12

Slate’s financial page The Big Money rated the top 12 corporate Twitter accounts. They all have more than 1 million followers. They all post several times a day. They are useful to their customers by getting right to the deal, or by connecting with a very human, personal tone. Twitter is becoming essential in a cyber-fast marketing environment.

Small shops, non-profits and celebrities will find that building a following requires a facility with one’s smart phone. Ideas come at all hours of the day, and you will sometimes want to pull the car over and compose and send a good message.

There are hundreds, thousands of great ways to use Twitter. But please, edit thyself. Be interesting. No more dinner plans or bedtime announcements, unless you are inviting the rest of us to join you.

Friending, tweeting, and other new behaviors

My first blog post of 2009 is on the matter of social media. One month not long ago MySpace captured an amazing 7-8% of all Internet visits. Facebook is coming on strong, jumping to a full 1% of all Internet visits. Twitter is coming on strong too, and marketers are paying attention to the little 140-character personal updates.

Why do people care so much about mundane personal matters and “shout outs”?

These social networks are a way to interact personally in an increasingly impersonal computer age. A “high touch” reaction to a high tech world. A book from nearly a decade ago, The Cluetrain Manifesto, highlights the importance of a “human voice” in corporate communications. Enough with the jargon and corporate-speak!

Back in December 19, 2008, new media guru Tim O’Reilly was a guest on NPR’s “Talk of the Nation – Science Friday.” It’s worth 23 minutes to get a better handle on the future of social media.

Coming next, notes from my workshop at Dangerous Man Day on communicating to men in the 21st century.