Category: Twitter News

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Social Media Twitter News

Should Profesional Athletes Be Allowed To Use Twitter?

With all of the drama going on with the recent death of Osama Bin Laden, many have voiced their opinion by posting comments on Twitter.  One such person just so happen to be a professional football player who plays for he Pittsburgh Steelers.  Running back Rashard Mendehall used Twitter to make comments on what he thought of people celebrating after the news of the killing of Osama Bin Laden.  He later apologized for those same comments and tried to help people understand where he was coming from when he made those comments.  Take a gander at the two videos below which are reports from ESPN on Mendehall’s comments.

Twitter has become a tool used for many pro athletes to voice their opinions, both good and bad. The question is should athletes, who represent their respective teams be allowed to send out messaged to social media sites? I tend to agree with the group that says Twitter and other social media sites like Facebook are a form of free speech. If you use these forms of communication you are subject to the same accolades and consequences you would get if you used traditional media.

That means you would also be subject to be reprimanded if you say something that is out of turn or character of your employer.  One should be very very careful when posting anything using social media. Hitting that send or publish button could take you to a point of no return. Just ask many of the people who have been fired from their jobs for posting something that didn’t agree with the wishes of their employers.

 

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Biz Stone Evan Williams Twitter Twitter News

Twitter Turns 5 Years Old

I have shoes older than Twitter, yet I seldom wear those shoes.  I use Twitter every day since I got my first Twitter account almost 4 years ago.  I didn’t understand it at first but my good friend @brentleary kept telling me that sending Tweets will be the next BIG thing. I resisted the urge to Tweet for almost a year then I got my first taste of how powerful Twitter really is in the world of communication.

This whole Twitter thing really hit me when the Twitter account of our current President of the United States, Barack Obama @BarackObama started to follow me.  Back then he was only the Senator of Illinois running for President but it meant a lot to me that he decided to follow me.  It was not until later on that I found out that he followed everyone who followed him at the time.

The point is I was so impressed that he thought to follow me, I started following others who in turn followed me. This time it was someone who actually knew me personally and wanted to follow the links I was sharing. We have been following each other ever since then and of course now I am hooked on Twitter.

So Happy Birthday Twitter!!! And thank you Brent for pushing me to Tweet for the first time.

All the best

JB

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Jack Dorsey The Power of Twitter Twitter News

Jack Dorsey Is Smelling Like A Rose With Twitter And Square

One person, two awesome ideas, millions of happy users. How is it that lighting can strike not once but twice with one person. Jack Dorsey, @jack co-founder of Twitter and founder of Square  has been in the right place at the right time with amazingly successful services.

Twitter has made the distribution of information to the masses both quick and easy. Square up has simplified how small businesses accept credit cards.

Jack’s ultimate goal in life is to make complex things simple.  He sat down with Charlie Rose on the Charlie Rose Show @CharlieRoseShow and explained how challenging it is to make things go from the very difficult to something that becomes very manageable and effortless.

Take a look and give us some feedback on how you use both Twitter and Square. Click here to check out the full interview.


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Social Media Twitter News

Radian6 Powers Social Media Command Centers

Are you listening to what is being said about your company or your brand? Well both Gatorade and Dell have taken listening to Social Media to the next level with the help of Radian6.  The Social Media landscape is ever changing and more and more companies are finding out that listening to their customers and potential customers pays dividends.

Gatorade’s Social Media Command center was one of the first to concentrate on listening and  monitoring for its brand from Pepsico. Dell’s  command center launch just brings more attention to what they have already been doing when it comes to monitoring Social Media to help their customers with buying decisions.

Take a look at the 2 videos below and let me know if you think having a Social Media Command center will become a growing trend or a flashy fad.

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The Power of Twitter Twitter News

Washington Post Twitter Account Under Fire From GLAAD

Does your company have a social media policy regarding the use of your company branded Twitter account? Well The Washington Post has just found out that they need to create a social media policy that protects both their company name and the integrity of their staff writers.

Check out the controversial article that prompted this whole issue of using a company branded Twitter account to defend the publishing of an article. “Christian compassion requires the truth about harms of sexuality,” by Tony Perkins.

This online article was written by a guest writer. The article argued that homosexuality is a mental health issue, which prompted GLAAD, a gay activist group to complain about the article via Twitter and on its site. Responding to GLAAD’s public tweets, a staffer from The Washington Post tried to defend the publishing of the article as giving a platform for “both sides” of the debate. The response only fueled more frustration from GLAAD, which took to TwitterTwitterto say that there aren’t two sides to the issue at all.

The Washington post has since sent out a memo to its staff by Post Managing Editor Raju Narisettithat that tried to explain the use/misuse of that company branded Twitter account.  See the full article and memo via Mashable.

I for one truly believe that every company, both large and small should have a social media policy.  Twitter has grown from something that was considered to be just a passing fad to a communication power house.  If large companies like the Washington Post have to rethink their use of Twitter, what should smaller companies do to insure that they make the right moves with social media as a whole.

So, has this issue sparked a thought on how your company should conduct itself on Twitter.  Have your employees spoken out of turn using your company branded Twitter account?  Isn’t it amazing how this new form of communication has made us have to think about how to respond to certain issues that may come up both now and in the future.

Please post your comments about this growing issue below.

All the best

JB