What's the Buzz over Twitter?

Twitter is micro-blogging. The concept at first leaves most people scratching their heads and saying "why?" I started two months ago after attending a webinar presented by Kevin O'Keefe at Lexblog, one of the leading legal social marketing experts around the country who discussed the various social marketing tools including blogging, LinkedIn and Twitter. Twitter works the following way...

In 140 characters or less, you answer the question "What are you doing?" Would you answer this question if your friend, colleague asked you? Sure. But the thought of sharing simple, random information with strangers? On Twitter, this is perfectly normal. It is a friendly environment. Twitter becomes a platform that promotes hyper-speed relationship development. You follow people if they so choose and you allow who you wish to follow you.

Business development wise? On Twitter, that powerful executive who generally would be impossible to contact is telling her twitter followers that her baby is celebrating her 4th birthday. The future business lead is sharing that he is a cubs fan. We use that kind of information gathering in the nonvirtual world. We capture and store that info in our client relationship software. It is networking on speed.

I started on twitter with no followers and following a handful of attorneys around the world, one CEO, CNN, a CNN reporter and several leading legal marketing companies. I used it initially as a news source and then began to get what was so powerful about it. Watched those with blogs tweat about a new blog entry and include a link. Learned about people all over the world. Carried on public conversations with these people I was following and began to gain followers myself. I am now following about 109 and have about 69 people following me @DebDobson. My followers and followees include more CEO's, some CMO's, attorneys and legal marketers from all over the world. Reporters and anchors in Kansas, St Louis, Houston and Omaha. I tracked the Hurricane watching live footage being tweeted by the emergency rescuers and a reporter hunckered down on the islands. Incredible.

Two months ago there were about 70 attorneys...today it is well into the hundreds. Pretty damn cool. One more tool in the marketing virtual arsenal.

And being the sports fan that I am, I can tell you that about on 10/30/08 Lance Armstrong was meeting with business leaders in Denmark. He rode his bike in Central Park, NY yesterday morning and froze before flying to Denmark.

On the same day, Andy Murray, the british tennis champion, tweeted from the hotel after dinner with family, including aunt and uncle. And LaDeanna Michelle (an up and coming music artist, among other creative ventures) had a birthday this week.

HeroCamp

This is one of the coolest projects I have seen. Follow this project. http://herocamp.net/2008/10/the-herocamp-project/

Social Media Article by ProBlogger

This article published on www.problogger.net was really interesting in discussing strategies with social media. Home Bases and Outposts - How I Use Social Media in My Blogging.