Twitter This, Twitter That

Twitter, one of the newest social networking sites, has steadily been gaining momentum. According to TwitDir, a Tweeter directory, an estimated 2.1 million people or organizations are using Twitter today. This micro-blogging service allows users to send text-based “tweets” (updates) ranging up to 140 characters long. Users can update their Twitter and receive updates from the Twitterers they follow via the Twitter website, instant messaging, SMS, RSS, email or through an application such as Facebook.

What does this mean to you? Well, Twitter can be used as a marketing tool since, essentially, it’s a blog. And blogs help a brand to enhance their online presence. Some in the marketing industry have even compared it to an online water cooler – a place where people can bounce around ideas, talk about current events, or ask for advice.

In fact, many well-known organizations are jumping on the Twitter bandwagon, such as Whole Foods, which uses the tool to inform followers of any specials they can currently find at the store. Dell employees aim to give a human touch to the company as they tweet about their life at Dell. According to Wired News, NASA even used Twitter to break the news of what appeared to be the discovery of water ice on Mars by the Phoenix Mars Lander. CNN uses it to report sport highlights or to report breaking news. Even Barack Obama and Paula Deen, Food Network’s Queen, use Twitter to update their followers on the day-to-day events they have planned.

Twitter blogging can be both informational and entertaining, and because it’s limited to 140 characters, the tweets are short and sweet. It’s less commitment than a blog (although blogs are recommended) and very simple to maintain. The user provides all the content, however, other Twitterers (in your Twitter network) are able to comment on whatever you post, but for the most part Twitter blogging is relatively controlled, therefore providing a positive voice for your organization.