Who Uses Twitter?
Sep 4th, 2008 by William Jones
What is Twitter? Well, Twitter is the wildly popular, free micro-blogging and social networking website that enables its readers to chat using up to 140 characters that is sent from the Twitter website, mobile devices, or third-party application. Twitter currently has over 2 million users! If my explanation of Twitter still has you confused or just wanting more clarification, CommonCraft has made an excellent video explaining Twitter in Plain English.
Who uses Twitter? That is a question with a never-ending answer, but Jonathan Kash (@time2simplify) of Fluent Simplicity initially created the Twitter Brand Index to begin to answer this question. The Twitter Brand Index has since been moved to its own website, the Social Brand Index. The Social Brand Index organizes all of the brands under the following top-level categories:
- Business
- Education
- Entertainment
- Executives & Notable Individuals
- For Consumers
- Government & Politics
- Media
- Non-Profit Organizations
- Service Providers
- Social Properties
- Technology
- Travel
And, as expected, each category is further delineated by sub-categories. For example, the Technology category is further categorized into
- Business News
- Certifications
- Enterprise Organizations
- Game Developers
- Mobile Applications
- Online Service Providers
- Open Source
- Platforms
- SaaS
- Search
- Software
- Tech Support
- Telecom/VOIP
I can only imagine the amount of time and research that went into compiling all of this great information. One thing that this evolving directory conveys to me is variety and diversity of businesses that is trying new and interesting ways to engage consumers, and doing it in a public forum that can be studied and picked apart by anyone to gauge its effectiveness.
It is extremely interesting to see how companies like CNN, NPR, AT&T, Ford, NY Times, Southwest Airline, and MGM are using Twitter as a new outlet.
It never ceases to amaze me of the creative ways that Twitter is being used. If you need some inspiration, Chris Brogan has put together a list of 50 ways to use Twitter. Chris offers some good insight on getting you started using Twitter effectively for business. He gives steps on getting started, ideas on what to Tweet about, useful tips and tools to use Twitter more effectively, and how to handle Twitter negatives and turn them into positives.
Of all the companies that I have come across on Twitter, one company stands at the forefront in being the epitome of how to leverage this popular service. That company is Zappos. The company uses Twitter to not only build customer relationships and give you a glimpse into the service-oriented culture, but also to foster relationships between employees within Zappos.
Zappos has integrated Twitter into their website and it is an integral part of company communication from the CEO, Tony Hsieh (@Zappos), on down the chain. What is interesting is that the company also offers classes on how to use Twitter, and I think that is awesome.
Want to find out what all 444 (as of 9/2/2008) employees using Twitter at Zappos is doing? Just point your browser at http://twitter.zappos.com/employee_tweets to find out in real-time what is happening on their public Twitter time line.
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Twitter icon from AODdesign.com
