Do you Twitter? If you haven't heard of the term, you're either living under a rock or don't have a tween or teenager using it.
My first exposure to this social networking phenomenon was from my own 12-year old son who embraced it as if it was nothing special. Soon I heard him using the term like a verb, similar to how we refer to Google. Instead of "I just googled it," he was saying, "I just got twittered" I had no idea what he meant.
After realizing he wasn't referring to some sort of sickness or pain, I had to learn more. It never ceases to amaze me how quickly his generation accepts new technology, while it takes my generation more time to adapt.
Check out this simple explanation of what Twitter is. It brilliantly explains it all. I love how they use paper cut-outs.
My biggest question was "so what?" Why does anyone want to know what I'm doing minute-by-minute? Who cares? But, after further investigation, I was more intrigued than ever that this could actually be another powerful PR tool.
According to the Publicity Hound (aka, Joan Stewart), Twittering can be used in the PR world as follows:
-As a crisis communications tool.
-To announce new products and services.
-To promote articles and blog posts.
-To follow journalists who Twitter and learn what they think is
important.
-To respond to media coverage, good or bad.
-To monitor what others are saying about you and your brand.
Now I'm following several Twitterers, and soon I will be using it as a productive PR tool. I get it, Twittering can be a good thing.
My 12 year old said to me after learning what I thought was a brilliant revelation, "What took you so long?"
