Tweet, Tweet for PR

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?"

Comments

[Molly Butters]

I am a fellow PR professional and was looking for the historical definition of the term "PR flack" and stumbled upon your site. Quick point of feedback followed by a question. What is your twitter ID? I would assume you would post this in your blog about twittering, however I did not see it. Did I miss it?
Now for the question- My mother has worked in Advertising and PR and was on the Army account in New York during the coining of the "Be all that you can be" years and has explained to me that the term "PR Flack" means PR pros have to wear flack jackets in order to deflect all the bullets they take on behalf of their clients for bad press coming their way and is not intended to reflect poor performance on the part of the PR pro. This likely derives from military vernacular, however I'm curious about how the term has evolved over time. I think the term "Flack" has absorbed a negative connotation and when used it assumes some amount of ineptitude on behalf of the PR profession. I'm hoping since you have adopted the domain name DiaryofaPRFlack.com you may have some thoughts on this topic. I welcome the discussion.

Thanks!
Molly Butters