Tag Archives: twitter
COMMUNITIES
While the World Watches, Japan Tweets Its Way Out of Disaster
Devastation and heartbreak hit Japan late last week with both the earthquake and the tsunami. Now, in the aftermath, social media is playing a bigger and more important role than ever. Many loved ones have been able to reconnect due to tools like Twitter and Facebook, and many tourists in Japan have been able to alert their families across seas that they are, in fact, safe. People Finder, powered by Google, is in use once again after its creation for the Haiti earthquake in 2010, and helping people locate lost victims. Social media is even helping in the fight to raise monetary donations for the cause. Within an hour of the disaster, tweets from Japan were flying out at a speed of 1,200 per minute. Fundraising efforts have also been set up through social media, so to find out how to donate and help, check out the rest of this article.
TOOLS & TECHNOLOGIES
Twitter Adds Permanent HTTPS Setting to Improve Security
Twitter is looking to improve their security, and many think that their most recent development will most certainly help in this area. Twitter has added a setting that will permanently enable your HTTPS (Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure) setting. Basically, this setting creates a more secure network, decreasing the chance that someone will be able to access users account information. This Yahoo! article does a wonderful job explaining the mechanics behind it. While this feature is now available, Twitter notes that it is not possible for its mobile website to enforce HTTPS settings permanently, but they are working on a solution.
Another confession, Mum. I’m writing this posthumously. All the opinions and positions in this document have gone through at least two hazy evenings, 3 hamburgers and a bucket or two of Shiner Bock (mixed with razor blades and hipster cred). In fact, the number of hamburgers, seared on the side and glowing salmon in the middle, that I’ve eaten has astounded me. It’s a contest, I suppose: My brain cells vs my weight. One’s a race to the bottom while the other increases in order to decrease…
Bill Simmons, a writer for ESPN, has postulated (smart talk for: said) that we should wait 5 years before selecting a best movie/actor/director/etc. Why? Perspective, of course. The matured opinion is usually the reasonable one. We want to make sure what we say holds up to posterity.
I’m not bringing this up to support the late nature of my next few posts. Those were conditional, not intentional. No, I bring it up in order to address the relationship between real-time, always-on communication platforms like twitter and foursquare and events like SXSW. Do they add anything to it? Are they more than just background noise? Do they pump out any content that I, Kerry Janes, finds interesting or enjoyable?
The short answer is, No. The long answer is Noe.
I’m being obnoxious, of course. But, take a look at #sxswi. The thread runs from anticipation to arrival, through talk and party, and ends with everyone bitching about the airport. There’s really not much substance. Sure, you could farm the feed and find some interesting quotes and a few links but, for the most part, it’s a steady diet of nothing.
It’s official: the Guinness Book of World Records has declared a new record for the fastest time to reach 1 million followers on Twitter. Not surprisingly, the “#winning” honor goes to the psycho celeb du jour, Charlie Sheen. Like a car crash, his bite-sized, 140-character nuggets of crazy have captured the attention of Tweeple the world over—at last count, his following is well over 2 million strong.
Is it Sheen’s extraordinary social media savvy that has everyone riveted? I think we’d all agree that’s not it. It’s more likely the poetic verse rolling from his fingertips and the spectacle of a train wreck unraveling before our eyes.
“This Warlock is in the breach. Poised. T – minus 51 mins. read my tigerblood dripping lips; you’ve been warned.”
Right…. Sheen, like the Ashton Kutchers and Kim Kardashians of the world, has what most of us do not: spell-bind celebrity status that draws people into their digital web of antics like moths to a flame.
So what strategy should the rest of us (whether brands or individuals) employ in order to achieve social media success?
COMMUNITIES
Employees using social media: Empower & reward them–or risk fallout
We all know how important it is for a company’s culture to be in line with their main objectives. But where does social media fall into this? This article lays out the facts. If you plan on having a strong social media presence for your brand and company, it is important to encourage and empower employees to feel comfortable using these resources. The article encourages “HERO employees” who are described as “driven to succeed at work and shift pre-existing, unhealthy paradigms as needed to ensure success.” The article also encourages the shifting of unhealthy paradigms in order to move into the future.
TOOLS & TECHNOLOGIES
Twitter for iPhone and iPad Get New Features
With the release of the iPad 2 this week, Twitter has also released new features for the iPad and iPhone apps. The new features include updates to the photo options, and a “Quick Bar”, which is a new take on viewing trending topics. 
The updates also include local trends based on location, a redefined tweet box design and new ways for direct messaging. But one of the most convenient new features will be an auto completion implementation that will be used for @usernames and hashtags. This will allow users to more easily search for friends without having to remember everyone’s @usernames
MEASUREMENT
The Oscars, On Twitter: Over 1.2 Million Tweets, 388K Users Tweeting
Hollywood’s most glamorous night was one of Twitters busiest. Twitter saw tons of action, and some people claimed that they did not even watch the show itself, just the response it got on Twitter. Over 1.2 million tweets and over 1 billion potential impressions came out of the evening, with a total of 388,717 users tweeting. With these crazy numbers surfacing, what was everyone talking about? The most mentioned accounts included @TheAcademy, @jamesfranco, @ZacharyLevi and @oscars. Some of the biggest moments were of course, Natalie Portman being announced winner for a female leading role, and The Kings Speech winning movie of the year. But what was the most retweeted tweet sent out during the event? Check out this article to find out.
INFLUENCERS
Man behind @MayorEmanuel Twitter feed revealed
In the recent Chicago mayoral elections, more than just the candidates were getting attention. Many people who were interested in following the elections decided to do so through twitter. But those who tried to follow @MayorEmanuel probably got more than they bargained for.
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COMMUNITIES
Super Bowl TV ads to unleash social media campaigns
I don’t know about any of you, but I personally only watch the Super Bowl for the commercials. But this year, many of the campaigns will take their commercials to a whole new level by adding in a social media component. By taking these campaigns off of the television and engaging with consumers on their turf, experts are predicting that these ads will be far more successful. Research has shown that about one-third of Super Bowl watchers with smart phones will be using their phones to connect with social media sites. One of the strongest examples of campaigns including social media will be from Budweiser. They have aired spots leading up to the game that challenge viewers to guess the plots of 3 of its Super Bowl commercials.
Publicity Fail: Kenneth Cole Tweets About Cairo to Sell Shoes
Whoops! This week, Kenneth Cole made one of the biggest Twitter mistakes possible. In order to promote their new spring collection, the tweet at left was sent out. After thousands of Twitter users spoke out against this insensitive post, Kenneth Cole realized that maybe it is too early to be joking about the Egypt situation. In fact, an apology tweet was posted about two hours after this one. Many people however, believe that this was not enough and are still upset about the tweet. An @KennethColePR handle has already been created and is pushing out other inappropriate tweets, mocking the situation.
TOOLS & TECHNOLOGIES
Google Goes High Brow – Unveils Museum Art Project Powered By Street View ‘Indoor’ Tech
Google is launching an awesome new feature called “Art Project” that will bring the beauty and excitement of a museum right to your home. The new feature will allow users to browse through art from some of the finest museums in the world (MoMA, Museo Reina Sofia, National Gallery, Tate, Uffizi and plenty of others) right from their computers. Using the same technology that is used for Google’s “Street Views”, they will take the same concept indoors to where the art is displayed. Then users will be able to login and check out their favorite pieces. This sounds like an outstanding feature that users will have access to in the near future.
COMMUNITIES
When Should You Thank Someone for a Retweet?
Getting retweeted is always exciting. So naturally, plenty of users want to thank that great person who retweeted them. But wait! That might not be the best way to go about handling the situation. In fact, saying thank you for a retweet might put some of your other followers off. People might find it an act of immodesty and that’s not what you want your followers to think, now is it? Instead, this opinion article suggests sending a DM in order to thank people.
TOOLS & TECHNOLOGIES
Starbucks Kicks Off eGift Card Program Aimed at Facebook Community
Starbucks is making gift shopping even easier than before. The brand is now allowing users to purchase gift cards and send them virtually through email or Facebook. The idea is to make gift shopping less stressful, even if you wait until the last moment. The cards come with multiple themes, for birthdays, holidays, and oh yes, Valentines Day, which is right around the corner. Users have the option to even to pull in their Facebook friend’s birthday information in order to set up auto-delivery on specific dates. How convenient!
MEASUREMENT
PeopleBrowsr’s ReSearch.ly Lets You Search 1,000 Days Of Past Twitter Conversations
A new Twitter analytics and search platform ReSearch.ly has recently been launched and they are making finding Twitter information easier than ever. In fact, by using this program, you can seamlessly search from 1,000 days of Twitter data. For free. Awesome. They also offer the opportunity for users to pay for service to receive more specific reports. ReSearch.ly, which is powered by PeopleBrowsr, is basically just a high tech Twitter search that allows users to narrow down searches by keyword, demographic, location, sentiment and community.
INFLUENCERS
WHOOPS: Mark Zuckerberg’s Facebook Fan Page Gets Hacked
It seems that Facebook hackers have a new target, Mark Zuckerberg, himself.
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