The #SMPR Blog

I’ve talked too much about Pizza Hut & Domino’s and their various Social Media Exploits, I know. But after the Domino’s Debacle and the initial Aftermath, I couldn’t help but gauge how they’ve since handled their digital ventures. We all saw the apology videos…ok not bad, a bit late, but not bad. @dpzinfo was created after the public practically dictated they invoke a legitimate presence…again, not bad, but waaay too late.

So how has dpzinfo handled the pressure? Until yesterday, I would have given him/her a B+. He/she has been fairly responsive to my inquiries and seems to be a viable customer service channel, though, as expected, most responses are as ‘safe’ as they can be, only a few details away from being a ‘no comment.’ Either way, you can see that they’re trying, and for that, I must admit, they were moving in the right direction. The only negative was the endless promotion of the new “breadbowl.” Again, however, a certain amount of shameless product plugging is expected, maybe even warranted, when you’re a brand.

But here’s where they went wrong, in my opinion. In a move that reeks of desperation; in a sour attempt to negate their social media ineptness, as made public by the Domino’s PR Social Media Crisis, Domino’s now allows you to integrate your online order status, or “Pizza Tracker” (which has always seemed a bit…um, shady, perhaps automated & meaningless…at least to me anyway) with your Facebook profile.

Is This Really Neccessary?

My Question – Does ANYONE really give a proclaim to their Facebook ‘Friends’ – half of which they’ve never even met or interacted with – their pizza’s estimated time of arrival, per an automated, poorly constructed, and probably inaccurate, widget? Yes, Facebook is known for offering individuals the ability to broadcast the inane, mundane & TMI to the world, even in that light, this move seems a bit much.

This move practically screams “We Still Don’t Get Social Media.” In fact, all it does is acknowledge that there’s a demographic overlap in those who use Facebook and those who eat pizza and pretty much banks on the hope that some of those individuals will be bored enough to use this app.

And while we’re on the subject…in the words of Julian Matthews “Dear Domino’s Pizza @dpzinfo One wonders why you haven’t claimed @dominos and @dominospizza yet after the fiasco.”

Julian…Spot on!

But what do I know? I’m not an expert, just an observer, an experimenter, a pontificator (man I hate that word). So PLEASE, let me know what you think about this!

What Did the “Oprah-effect” Really Do For Twitter?

April 28th, 2009 | @keithtrivitt | No Comments »

Submitted by @KeithTrivitt

It’s beginning to become old news now, but for heavy Twitter users, the “Oprah-effect,” that migration of common folk using Twitter following Oprah joining the fun on the heels of the great Ashton Kutcher (@aplusk) and CNN (@cnnbrk) race to 1 million followers, had a profound impact on how the world now views Twitter, and how the application can be leveraged in everyday life and business practices.

As Brian Solis pointed out recently on his PR 2.0 blog, “According to estimates sourced by Engadget Editor-in-Chief Ryan Block, Twitter grew by 1.2 million users simply as a result of the “Oprah-effect.”

That’s a huge surge of users for a social media application that just last year had less than five million users.

What will be interesting (and I’m sure some people far smarter than I are already working on this) will be to figure out the demographics of those users who have swarmed to Twitter in the wake of Oprah’s blessing off the social media application. It’s widely known that before Oprah, Ashton, Brittney and many other celebrities got involved with their quest for total social media fandom domination (MC Hammer (@MCHammer) ranking No. 22 with the highest number of Twitter followers according to Twitterholic.com is testament to the “outstretched arms” approach some celebs have taken with Twitter), Twitter was primarily used by social media junkies and tech-savvy people who were interacting with like-minded individuals.

That has all changed now, as the “Oprah-effect” has brought in soccer moms, dads, small business owners and nearly every other lay person who has a general interest with keeping up with celebrities, gossip and their friends. I will be the first to admit that when this whole Oprah thing came about, I was not a fan of it (I’m still not the biggest fan of Oprah’s use of Twitter, as I think she has used it for opportunistic reasons), but after reading over some other views and reviewing some of the data, I have to say, the extra exposure for Twitter could end up being a good thing, and for a rather unlikely benefactor.

In that same blog post mentioned above, Brian Solis provides some interesting data for how Twitter’s expanded use may actually be benefitting traditional media, primarily newspapers and magazines. Going off his earlier mention of Twitter’s exponential growth, Solis notes: “Comscore is also observing what I believe to represent the hope and potential future for traditional media.

“When Comscore examined the percentage of visitors to Twitter who also visited the top online news brands and compared it to that of the total U.S. Internet audience, it discovered a strong level of overlap. The result is that the average Twitter user was often 2 and 3 times as likely to visit the top online news brands as the average person. For example, while 17 percent of the total U.S. Internet audience visited CNN.com in March, more than double that percentage (38 percent) of Twitter users did so.”

This is a huge breakthrough for traditional media and Twitter, and something I truly hope those who work and reside within the traditional media landscape actively embrace. The fact that Twitter, through its ubiquitous linking to and retweeting of traditional news stories back to the newspaper’s Web site, may actually help to save newspapers and magazines through no extra expense of the newspaper or magazine itself is proof of what I believe to be a new beginning, rather than an ending, for legacy media. Too bad Maureen Dowd and her antiquated, pompous view of Twitter’s impact on positive social change shows that the legacy media still has very little clue that it no longer rules the land, but a savior may be on the horizon, if only it would listen.

So how do you leverage this for your clients who are pushing hard for you to get them publicity and media coverage through both traditional and social media practices? In my opinion, showing them the data I mentioned above and getting them onboard with the fact that Twitter actually helps to drive traffic BACK to newspapers, magazines and other traditional media sources may help to alleviate any fears a client may have about not going with a purely traditional PR plan. After all, Twitter is becoming our No. 1 real-time search engine, news source and RSS aggregator. Why not embrace it now before your clients’ competitors do?

Social Media: How Much is Too Much?

April 24th, 2009 | @keithtrivitt | No Comments »

Submitted by @KeithTrivitt

Life is a balancing act. I can’t tell you how many times I heard my parents tell me this while growing up, and how many times I probably shrugged it off as nothing more than just another sage piece of advice from someone who still was paying most of my bills. But as I move along on this great social media experiment that all of us who work in public relations are now riding along on (you are integrating social media initiatives into your PR plans, right?), something that has been on my mind a lot lately is reaching a balance between social media practices and traditional PR practices, and where do both fit in within today’s always-connected world.

When I think of this balancing act between the two mediums of the business that are trying so hard to co-exist with one another, a major thought that comes to mind is, “How exactly are we going to balance all of this? Is there a limit to the amount of social media initiatives and applications you can use, specifically when working with clients?” Really, what I am asking is, “How much is too much?”

At what point do we hit social media overload, where we either overwhelm the client and its customers/clients/constituents with too much social media initiatives that we have tried to build into a PR campaign, or we add on so many social media initiatives that they begin to take away from one another or become muddled down and lack focus? Is there a tipping point where we reach too much? I don’t know the answer yet, but from my own perspective, I think I’m coming close to that point.

Don’t get me wrong, I love social media and what it can do for public relations. For me personally, the integration of social media practices with traditional public relations plans is one of my biggest career passions. But at a certain point, I find myself reaching social media overload with all of the Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, etc., that I am running. And I have to think that if I’m reaching a point of overload with social media practices, then the clients and organizations I work with might be as well.

(For a good counter-perspective of the points I just made, check out Louis Gray’s blog post “There is No Social Media Overload.” [Anyone who reads that post and can comprehend how he possibly keeps up with all of the social media platforms he uses, please let me know!])

When working with clients and organizations, I always try to keep this in mind: their wants, goals, dreams and business objectives have to come before my geeky desire to bring them the coolest new initiatives from Twitter, Facebook or one of the thousands of other new media products that pop up seemingly every day. The need to balance traditional public relations practices (which MANY clients still want and expect to see implemented in any PR plan) with the practices of social media, at least at this juncture in the integration of public relations and social media practices, needs to be kept in mind and strived for.

From my perspective, it’s much better to do one or two social media initiatives really well within a public relations campaign, rather than trying to cover the whole social media world with eight, 10 or 12 mediocre attempts that you never keep up with, and eventually, become outdated and irrelevant almost the minute you start. If you are going to do the latter, you are probably better off not wasting your time or money on any of this. But, if you want to do the former, do it really well and are willing to experiment a little, let’s talk. I’d love to hear from you.

You can reach me via Twitter at @KeithTrivitt or via e-mail at ktrivitt@gmail.com

Tweekonomics – Does Twitter’s Success Reflect a New Business Mentality: Collaboration and The Human Resource

April 24th, 2009 | @aerocles | No Comments »

submitted by @aerocles from his blog Legends of Aerocles

Business is competitive – nothing new there. It always has been and always will be. Evolutionary truism, as applied to the recession, would imply that as resources become less available – i.e. banks not lending, people becoming more frugal…etc. – we should expect behavior to become increasingly competitive. It is in our nature to fight for resources & value, when such subjects are scarce. And while I can’t deny that the recession has exacerbated many facets on the business world that are known for their hyper-competitive nature, I would suggest that twitter represents a new model, one that flourishes in the face of limited resources by actually creating and discovering objects and information of value – a reason many of us have embraced the service in the past few months – a process made possible only via collaboration. Although, I suppose it could simply be a fluke that the site’s popularity surge coincided with a particularly financially trying time in our nation’s history.

A few years ago – Google did something similar. Information, valued at one point for credibility, accuracy, and validity, suddenly became subject to a newer criterion by which to be judged – availability – accessibility. Yahoo Answers, Wikipedia…same premise. I’m not going so far as to say that nothing on the internet is true, but Generation Y, Millenials, Today’s Teens & Youth all hold by the same philosophy as I did as a child, with TV– “if it’s on the internet, it must be true.”

People have a difficult time defining twitter, explaining why it’s valuable and important. I would say that Twitter’s greatest capability is that all of its users, all twitters, become resources in and of themselves. Twitterers ask and answer each other’s questions, Twitterers form business connections and network, people from competing agencies come together and collaborate on mutually beneficial programs.

Example 1: #Masquertweet – 3 guys, from 3 separate, and thereby competing, firms, find each other on twitter and plan what is turning into a massive summer tweet-up costume party. (@PRCog @PRDude & Me)

Example 2: #SMPR – Every PR/Marketing/Advertising Agency is scrambling to untangle the web of social media and quickly understand how to best utilize the plethora of services and platform. Every day there are new case studies of triumphs and failures. People proclaim themselves as Social Media Experts, but I would argue that there’s no such thing. And this is the principal on which #SMPR was founded. Social Media changes. Not yearly, not monthly, not even daily. It’s constantly changing - All currently popular platforms are engaged in a perpetual race to add new features, on-upping each other while new innovative websites and social media endeavors pop up and die ad nauseum. All the while, PR & Marketing Execs desperately try to predict which one’s will take off and how to effectively employ their features on behalf of clientele. And each day brings new sites, new options, more material to digest. So…instead of competing for celebrity and status “who can be The social media expert, a group of us from different, again – competing, agencies, have come together to compare notes, share experiences, exchange information. We have case studies on Successes and Failures and roundtable discussions on the latest PR & Social Media News. We have become resources to each other – enabled by twitter.

Example 3: #IAMPR – After witnessing the success of #SMPR, @Elliotschimel and I, @Aerocles (David Teicher) Decided – Hey, we’re all in this boat together. PR & Social media is a growing industry, people talk about it, blog about it and tweet about it all day long…and twitter facilitates those conversations, so let’s get as many people involved in this dialogue as possible. So we wanted to allow PR People using twitter to Identify themselves and find others – a simple list – that was really a directory of valuable human resources. And so #IAMPR was born and within hours, it was tweeted and retweeted and already spawned a list of PR pros from across the country – found atwww.smprblog.blog.com and below. What was done here - creating a community in mere hours, taking a group of disparate individuals, united by interests and industry but distanced geographically - This is what social media is all about. I AM PR.

And this isn’t limited to our microcosmic Twitterverse. At a recent meeting, a client who runs an integrated marketing agency mentioned that they are planning to launch a website which would provide free services to start-ups…and even suggest other businesses for the rest of their budget-friendly, entrepreneurial needs. They want to create a community where businesses collaborate to encourage growth and development which will, in turn, increase consumer spending, and provide a much needed boost to the economy, and will allow the unemployed to found their own businesses.

This system of collaboration may have existed, in some ways, before twitter and before the recession, but in other ways, it did not. Collaboration is now more valuable that competition and Twitter’s success may just be predicated on tapping into that new market for teamwork and the human resource.

The #IAMPR List

April 23rd, 2009 | #IMPR | 3 Comments »

Here’s the initial list from #IAMPR this morning.

Not on the list? Let us know at @elliotschimel and @aerocles

@elliotschimel - http://smprblog.blog.com

@Aerocles - http://aerocles.wordpress.com/

@hdueitt - http://nycukalumni.com/

@RosemarieE

@josh_sternberg- http://www.sternbergcommunications.com/

@RTorossian - http://ronntorossian.com/

@karasilverman - http://runlikeagirl.tumblr.com/

@woodlandalyssa - http://woodlandcreature.tumblr.com/

@cassiopedia

@AnnaBella85 - http://www.linkedin.com/in/annatabakh

@peggyanntorney

@stevehoechster

@nikosey

@TiffanyPR - http://www.linkedin.com/in/tiffanywinbush

@KevinMercuri - http://www.prophetacomm.com/

@nicolejleblanc - http://www.blisspr.com/

@alexmpayne - http://www.linkedin.com/in/alexmpayne

@kbanks - http://www.blisspr.com/

@kellydavis226 - http://www.blisspr.com/

@ritaml

@hlsilver - http://www.linkedin.com/in/heatherlsilverberg

@PRCog - http://prcog.blogspot.com/

@KeithTrivitt

@PRevansneider - http://www.easyintroductions.net/

@amymengel - http://www.amymengel.com/

@PaigeHolden- http://www.blisspr.com/

@JennaSnacks - http://www.snackbox.us/

@AKwittken

@JSchlossberg

@KCOPR

@dslunceford - http://proreportertips.com/

@EyeAM

@chaimhaas - http://www.kaplowpr.com/

@barbaranixon - http://publicrelationsmatters.com/

@christammiller -http://christammiller.com

@Lex_D - http://www.costadevault.com/blog/

@ACousens

@kimberlylustig - http://www.linkedin.com/in/kimberlylustig

@melfi - http://www.nyhoosier.com/

@ssmirnov - http://ssmirnov.wordpress.com/

@iMeluny - http://www.visualcv.com/melanieensign

@AnnaKDeLeo - http://www.linkedin.com/in/annakdeleo

@RaToTheBec - http://www.blisspr.com/

@aribadler - http://unhub.com/aribadler/

@kred13

@TeakMedia - http://www.teakmedia.com/default.asp

@vedo - http://nextcommunications.blogspot.com/

@danyaray - http://danyaray.wordpress.com/

@ktreed

@notaboynamedmat

@meggarnett - http://www.articulatepr.com/

@ktcorcoran

@katyzack

@Natalie_Joy - http://greeen.msu.edu/

@Stuartcfoster - http://thelostjacket.com/

@rappublicist - http://www.facebook.com/nancybyron

@stephiscrazy - http://thedominicanvanwilder.blogspot.com/

@gail_nelson - http://www.burrellesluce.com/freshideas/

@rockstarjen - http://www.sandiegodogbeach.com/

@deegospel - http://www.christianfiction.blogspot.com/

@AlbanyKelly

@Mandy_Vavrinak - http://www.crossroadscommunications.com/

@verleysixfour -

@mmillberry

@jessisjuicy - http://www.jessicagreco.com/

@kathyoreilly - http://www.linkedin.com/in/kathyoreilly

@amanda4bes - http://twitter.com/amanda4bes

@Chiavi - http://www.chiavigroup.com/Chiavi_Group/Homebase.html

@Probyn

@Bobbiec - http://www.carltonprmarketing.com/

@D_Tailz - http://www.stratacomm.net/employee.cfm?employee_id=135

@tjdietderich - http://www.plannedtvarts.com/thebusiness/

@andrewschreck

@JBApr - http://www.baileypr.com/

@FightForOurKids - http://pierrekandorfer.com/

@jpalnau

@LankyStanky - http://www.linkedin.com/pub/4/5/347

@sandraproulx - http://www.linkedin.com/in/sandraproulx

@twittness_en - http://www.twittness.com/

@lauren_pearson

@bchesnutt - http://brandonchesnutt.wordpress.com/

@pjdixon77 - http://patrickdixon.wordpress.com/

@michbennett - http://www.linkedin.com/in/michellebennet

@smshipley - http://www.linkedin.com/in/sshipley

@petercoffin - http://www.petercoffin.com/

@AlexAizenberg - http://webershandwick.com/Default.aspx/Capabilities/SpecialtyServices/GlobalStrategicMedia

@ryanr09 - http://www.springtoanything.blogspot.com/

@mollyblock - http://www.linkedin.com/pub/2/5aa/a59

@bsoler - http://betsy-pr.tumblr.com/

@EstrellaBella10 - http://nicolena10.blogspot.com/

@abrewis - http://www.octagonfirstcall.com/celebrityconsulting/Blog/

@NicolePRexec

@TeamMomMedia - http://www.childsplaypr.com/

@_nikimurray_

@scortina - http://blog.springboardpr.com/

@afontaine16

@Lauriesm - http://www.walkinginmysleep.com/

@AddyKujawa - http://www.saveyourknees.org/

@evoigt - http://www.linkedin.com/in/emilyvoigt

@AMattys

@pr8020 - http://jamesnunezgroup.com/

@DOROMarketing - http://www.doromarketing.com/

@psullivan85 - http://www.google.com/profiles/psullivan85

@LaurenBan624 - http://www.linkedin.com/in/laurenban

@gurnage - http://gurnage.wordpress.com/

@nataliesblack - http://www.blacklotuspr.com/

@apratt83 - http://www.linkedin.com/in/adampratt

@chillpr - http://www.myspace.com/realrandom2006

@tressalynne - http://www.linkedin.com/in/tressalynne

@megmroberts - http://megroberts.wordpress.com/

@lesliepardo

@wisepr - http://www.wisepublicrelations.com/

@DwriteN - http://www.nicolederuiter.mp/

@Narciso17 - http://methodandmoxie.wordpress.com/

@daveyarmon - http://www.pouncenow.com/

@millionbaker- http://www.ink-pr.com/

@RebeccaPRchick

@emilynave12 - http://www.informit.com/user_groups/index.aspx

@AgustinaP - http://agustinaprigoshin.com/

@infodude

@julesmck

@ArthurGermain - http://www.brandtelling.com/

@agallihar - http://durableslate.blogspot.com/

@karihanson - http://www.firstpersonpr.com/

@mkovo - http://www.linkedin.com/pub/dir/?last=kovalaske&first=megan

@LYLEHALVORSON

@hopwood - http://www.hopwood.co.uk/

@Loulou_belle

@drobitusin

@shahpriya - http://www.lucidlymesmerized.blogspot.com/

@kellynwilson

@prprof_mv- http://prconnections.net/

@packersgirl- http://sabykid.blogspot.com/

@DaveMinella - http://cranialooze.blogspot.com/

@gigigirls88 - http://twitter.com/gigigirls88

@khuntley - http://kehuntley.wordpress.com/

@Ashley0206

@Ms_Write - http://www.linkedin.com/pub/3/50a/b62

@BusyBee2B

@Bcourtney - http://www.linkedin.com/profile?viewProfile=&key=17523547&locale=en_US&trk=tab_pro

@DJBinPA- http://www.linkedin.com/profile?viewProfile=&key=9073777&trk=tab_pro

@kpiper - http://janes-list.com/

@geekgiant - http://thegeekgiant.com/

@heatherhuhman- http://heatherhuhman.com/?p=120

@AmyKauffman - http://www.bluebirdpublicrelations.com/

@jdotsmith - http://lovelove.typepad.com/weblog/

@PRJobsLondon

@tarahart - https://www.southernlivingathome.com/wbslah/skins/s01/index.aspx?repid=926905

@tomokeefe1 - http://www.linkedin.com/in/tomokeefe1

@_nikimurray_ - http://tiny.cc/nEFxj

@Swallow_Doretti - http://www.drivenbydesign.com/

@cloudspark - http://www.cloudspark.com/

@metromixjersey - http://www.metromix.com/pick_your_city

@NicoleLawler

@PRtips - http://www.springboardpr.com/

@KristenKouk - http://www.bluebirdpublicrelations.com/

@LaraK - http://www.larakretler.com/

@CarMaxChris - http://www.carmax.com/

@Orchardo - http://www.ideagrove.com/

@mollyi - http://www.linkedin.com/pub/4/190/544

@MediaInk - http://www.mediaink.biz/

@ingarundquist - http://www.mindfirecomm.com/

@erinserkaian

@VictoryCom - http://www.victorypublicity.com/Home.html

@andreahrizk

@frani_lieberman - http://www.anothergalblogger.blogspot.com/

@DBarkoe - http://relatingpublicly.wordpress.com/

@Mel_CAP - http://www.capcreative.com/

@fishwithfeet - http://www.fishwithfeet.com/

@Publicity_Works - http://www.publicityworkspr.com/

@ChrissyEF - http://newmediastrategies.net/

@pjones84

@joshualogan

@ashleighmartin

@kluysterborg - http://fashionprinciples.wordpress.com/

@rsjewell - http://prontherun.wordpress.com/

@lisajbrown - http://www.informit.com/

@psullivan85 - http://twitter.com/daveyarmon

@Narciso17- http://methodandmoxie.wordpress.com/

@agallihar - http://durableslate.blogspot.com/

@CubanaLAF - http://laurenafernandez.wordpress.com/

@futureharvgrad

@AerialEllis - http://www.linkedin.com/in/aerialellis

@beccabandit

@beccareissman - http://www.newsinfusion.com/

@SherylBreuker - http://stardustglobalventures.com/

@DJBinPa - http://www.linkedin.com/profile?viewProfile=&key=9073777&trk=tab_pro

@vanhoosier

@bcourtney - http://www.linkedin.com/profile?viewProfile=&key=17523547&locale=en_US&trk=tab_pro

@blueskypr1 - http://www.blueskypr.com/

@richquigley - http://www.newsinfusion.com/

@gbender26 - http://genxyz.typepad.com/genxyz/

@StephanieUpdate

@marketingchoice

@darbydarni - http://www.darbydarnit.com/

@apegan

@madisoncraig

@kholloway - http://keepaskingquestions.blogspot.com/

#IAMPR

April 23rd, 2009 | #IMPR | 6 Comments »

We just created a hashtag #IAMPR for PR Professional to identify themselves on Twitter. This way we can spot and follow each other. That way we can learn from each other, network and communicate.

Later today we will post the list of everyone who identified themselves as PR pros on this blog. Stay Tuned.

Also, we are looking for PR bloggers for our blog roll (see right) and to syndicate content related to PR and social media. Contact us at @aerocles or @elliotschimel.

Pizza Hut’s Summer Twinternship: Good Idea? Bad Idea: What Are They Really Up To?

April 23rd, 2009 | @aerocles | No Comments »

Submitted by@Aerocles

New York Times’ Stephanie Clifford reported this morning that Pizza Hut will be hiring a College Student to Twitter on behalf of this ‘Yum! Foods’ Subsidiary. (see: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/20/business/media/20twitter.html?_r=1)

My Take: This is an obvious response to last Domino’s Fiasco. Come on…It’s not just a coincidence; they’re clearly trying to capitalize on their primary competitor’s PR debacle.

But is it a good idea to hire a college student to twitter on behalf of a big multinational brand like Pizza Hut? Can a college student really be trusted as the voice of any company? This isn’t reacting to last week’s social media PR Crisis, it’s practically begging for a repeat! Experienced PR and Communications professionals, can be trained in Twitter vernacular – why the college student? Is this whole thing a PR stunt, in and of itself? I hope for their sake that it is, and that this Twintern can’t just tweet whatever pops into his/her head

Second Mistake: IMHO, there’s no such thing as a “Social Media Campaign” or Twitter Campaign.” An active presence on these platforms is one that must be ongoing, perpetually linked to the brands movements. Not something that should change hands every few months. As Laura Halsch succinctly puts it, it’s a “Good idea to start listening and contributing. What happens to the account when the summer ends though?”

Amber Naslund aka @AmberCadabra says, “You have to start somewhere, and I support baby steps very much. But engaging in SM is a long term thing.”

I’m not sure what to say at this point, only because, Pizza Hut’s real intentions are unknown here. If they plan on having a supervisor look over the shoulder of the intern 24/7 – well, what’s the point? If they’re going to trust the intern with the reputation of the company…well, I can’t really bring myself to believe that they would actually do that, given how easy a single tweet can bring down even the most established of brands.

What do you think? Is this a good idea, a step in the right directions? Is Pizza Hut asking for trouble? Are we just not privy to their real, big picture, plan? If that’s the case, please speculate – what do you think they really have in mind?

@Oprah, Welcome To Twitter. Now Please Don’t Break It: Why @Oprah & @Aplusk Don’t Belong on Twitter

April 17th, 2009 | @aerocles | No Comments »

-Submitted by @Aerocles

A great many people have attempted to define twitter. The site, so addictive and understood by its users – yet so difficult to explain to those who haven’t graced the twitterverse with their presence. Microblogging? That just begs the question…”well, what’s microblogging?”

However you want to define Twitter, one thing is for certain, it is a conversation…an ongoing and open dialogue between vast multitudes of people from every walk of life. A Plethora of simultaneous conversations intersecting and overlapping – leading to the valuable exchange of information. But this entire system is predicated on 2 (or 3 or 4 or more…)-way discourse.

Perhaps the most prominent criticism of brands and marketers who employ twitter for customer/consumer relations is the one-way broadcasting of information. Many brands – Dunkin Donuts, Starbucks, Dell…to name a few, and most recently Domino’s – have responded by evolving their twitter presence into actual human-human conversationalists. And props to them.

Arguably, the only excusable one-way broadcasting on twitter, IMHO is when it’s done by news outlets. That’s what people expect, and want, from them. Information. That’s not to say it isn’t awesome when journalists and reporters become active participants in the discussion, and many are, but people have come to accept and rely on actual outlets for simple headlines and breaking news. Wonderful.

Which brings us to celebrities. Shaq, as well as The Jet’s Kerry Rhodes, John Mayer, even Kim Kardashian, plus a few other celebrities, are known to utilize twitter as a means to converse with their fans. But Oprah & Ashton Kutcher – the recent poster children, spokespeople, sell-out twitter celebrities – the focal point of what must be half of all tweets in the last 24 hours – haven’t conversed. And my question is – “Will they?”

With a million+ followers – how do you choose who to reply to, if anyone at all? And if you don’t converse…why are you on twitter? Are TV, Movies, Celebrity, and Sheer Wealth just not enough? If you ask me, if feels cheap. At this moment – Oprah is following a totally of 9 people…and followed by over 94,000, while the man who brought us Dude Where’s My Car, Punkd and Beauty & The Geek has over 1 million and only follows 73. Crazy ratios right? And those lucky individuals – other celebrities, like Jimmy Fallon, Tony Hawk, and Larry King.

I’m sorry Oprah…you don’t need twitter. You probably won’t use it properly…but by all means, please, prove me wrong. Converse, Engage, Listen, Interact, Respond…You Too Ashton…btw, I liked you better on that 70’s show when you had a mustache…at least the you could poke fun at yourself.

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May 4th, 2009 | #IMPR | No Comments »

Domino’s Part II: “We Still Don’t Get Social Media”

April 30th, 2009 | @aerocles | No Comments »

What Did the “Oprah-effect” Really Do For Twitter?

April 28th, 2009 | @keithtrivitt | No Comments »

Social Media: How Much is Too Much?

April 24th, 2009 | @keithtrivitt | No Comments »

Tweekonomics – Does Twitter’s Success Reflect a New Business Mentality: Collaboration and The Human Resource

April 24th, 2009 | @aerocles | No Comments »

submitted by @aerocles from his blog Legends of Aerocles

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April 23rd, 2009 | #IMPR | 3 Comments »

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April 23rd, 2009 | #IMPR | 6 Comments »

Pizza Hut’s Summer Twinternship: Good Idea? Bad Idea: What Are They Really Up To?

April 23rd, 2009 | @aerocles | No Comments »

@Oprah, Welcome To Twitter. Now Please Don’t Break It: Why @Oprah & @Aplusk Don’t Belong on Twitter

April 17th, 2009 | @aerocles | No Comments »

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submitted by @aerocles from his blog Legends of Aerocles

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