The Chameleon Net blog http://www.chameleonnet.co.uk/blog/ ...spreading *Web Karma* en-us Chameleon Net Ltd Thu, 01 Jul 2010 13:00:44 GMT newtelligence dasBlog 1.8.5223.2 danm@chameleonnet.co.uk danm@chameleonnet.co.uk http://www.chameleonnet.co.uk/blog/Trackback.aspx?guid=ef1c10f1-c148-4d7a-baaf-83f844480b0f http://www.chameleonnet.co.uk/blog/pingback.aspx http://www.chameleonnet.co.uk/blog/PermaLink,guid,ef1c10f1-c148-4d7a-baaf-83f844480b0f.aspx rossm@chameleonnet.co.uk (Ross Miles) http://www.chameleonnet.co.uk/blog/CommentView,guid,ef1c10f1-c148-4d7a-baaf-83f844480b0f.aspx http://www.chameleonnet.co.uk/blog/SyndicationService.asmx/GetEntryCommentsRss?guid=ef1c10f1-c148-4d7a-baaf-83f844480b0f The general consensus is that no matter how good your idea, strategy or marketing campaign, without KPIs or specific goals it is hard to qualify the success of what you have done. Also, when it comes to social media activity RoI is notoriously hard to measure.

So how much is a positive mention on Twitter really worth to your brand or product? If you cannot measure something and assign it a monetary value, does that then make the actions that caused the comments harder to justify? Why am I even asking these questions!? Well I recently attended a networking event for people in the digital and eCommerce industries in the guise of a poker evening, paid for by my employers under the agreement that I was to return and blog about my experiences, so let me continue…

The event was definitely well received. It ran smoothly and was carefully organised with the 60 players drawing their table numbers before play started, with professional dealers on each table. The venue was pleasant, centrally located and the staff were always accommodating. We got a free drink, some dinner and the cash prizes were certainly well received by the top 6 finishers. I thoroughly enjoyed myself and am already looking forward to its next incarnation later in the year. I should probably add a qualifier that I finished in the money and went home with a tidy profit. However, regardless of my financial gains I enjoyed the experience and would happily attend again. But was the event a success?

Strictly speaking we were at an industry networking event. Before we were seated and the first cards were dealt, people seemed to keep themselves to themselves, with the conversation limited to colleagues advising less experienced colleagues on the rules of Texas Hold ‘em. As soon as our chips were on the felt steely glares were exchanged and any chatter between players became poker related.

After one hour we broke for the buffet dinner where people joked about the lack of networking taking place around the tables and the serious nature of play! However, this did prove to be an ice-breaker to allow us to at least exchange business cards.

After around another 30 minutes of play ‘Barry the Broker’ jokingly introduced himself and laughed at how we hadn’t even told each other our names after an hour and a half of play! As the hands went on and players dwindled the tension on the tables led to more banter, but again, it wasn’t as if we were discussing possible business partnerships as the re-raises went in.

By the time we reached the final table of 10 rapport had been built through shared experiences and bad beats. Even some of the players who had been eliminated were hanging around, gathering around the table watching as we duelled out the final hands as the blinds and antes escalated at an alarming rate. It was around this point that I began to realise that by virtue of staying alive by the skin of my teeth a few times and making some outrageous bluffs (which I then showed) I had become a recognised figure at the table which put me in the enviable position of being ‘rememberable’, which is surely the purpose of such an event for me!

The morning after I made an effort to track down anyone tweeting about the event, send a quick e-mail to those I exchanged business cards with and added one contact on Linkedin. People tweeting about the event were positive and even those that mentioned their losses did so punctuated with emoticons. Did I uncover any immediate opportunities for Chameleon Net on the night? No. Did I leave enough of an impression for people to remember me? I hope so… I just have to hope they also remember I work for a Digital Solutions Agency!

So why the intro about measuring success and RoI? Well I was trying understand if the poker night was a success in terms of it being a networking event. Strictly speaking on traditional criteria it would be hard to say yes, but in those difficult to define, social-esque ways, it was. My positive feelings towards the event organisers have increased. No-one I encountered had a negative word to say about of the event. I did hand my business card out to several people, some of who eventually saw me make some ballsy bluffs on the final table (all-in three times in a row with 2 6, 2 3 and 2 7 on flagrant steals!) which meant I was someone they now remembered rather than just a random card in their pocket the next day.

In the same way that it can be hard to quantify my success with interaction via social media, it is difficult for me to quantify my success in selling Chameleon Net during that evening, but what I did do was establish personal connections with people on a real one-to-one basis, which hopefully makes me an approachable person when their company needs a digital solution.

The Un-Measurable Success of a Profitable Poker Night http://www.chameleonnet.co.uk/blog/PermaLink,guid,ef1c10f1-c148-4d7a-baaf-83f844480b0f.aspx http://www.chameleonnet.co.uk/blog/PermaLink,guid,ef1c10f1-c148-4d7a-baaf-83f844480b0f.aspx Thu, 01 Jul 2010 13:00:44 GMT The general consensus is that no matter how good your idea, strategy or marketing campaign, without KPIs or specific goals it is hard to qualify the success of what you have done. Also, when it comes to social media activity RoI is notoriously hard to measure. <br> <br> So how much is a positive mention on Twitter really worth to your brand or product? If you cannot measure something and assign it a monetary value, does that then make the actions that caused the comments harder to justify? Why am I even asking these questions!? Well I recently attended a networking event for people in the digital and eCommerce industries in the guise of a poker evening, paid for by my employers under the agreement that I was to return and blog about my experiences, so let me continue… <br> <br> The event was definitely well received. It ran smoothly and was carefully organised with the 60 players drawing their table numbers before play started, with professional dealers on each table. The venue was pleasant, centrally located and the staff were always accommodating. We got a free drink, some dinner and the cash prizes were certainly well received by the top 6 finishers. I thoroughly enjoyed myself and am already looking forward to its next incarnation later in the year. I should probably add a qualifier that I finished in the money and went home with a tidy profit. However, regardless of my financial gains I enjoyed the experience and would happily attend again. But was the event a success? <br> <br> Strictly speaking we were at an industry networking event. Before we were seated and the first cards were dealt, people seemed to keep themselves to themselves, with the conversation limited to colleagues advising less experienced colleagues on the rules of Texas Hold ‘em. As soon as our chips were on the felt steely glares were exchanged and any chatter between players became poker related. <br> <br> After one hour we broke for the buffet dinner where people joked about the lack of networking taking place around the tables and the serious nature of play! However, this did prove to be an ice-breaker to allow us to at least exchange business cards. <br> <br> After around another 30 minutes of play ‘Barry the Broker’ jokingly introduced himself and laughed at how we hadn’t even told each other our names after an hour and a half of play! As the hands went on and players dwindled the tension on the tables led to more banter, but again, it wasn’t as if we were discussing possible business partnerships as the re-raises went in. <br> <br> By the time we reached the final table of 10 rapport had been built through shared experiences and bad beats. Even some of the players who had been eliminated were hanging around, gathering around the table watching as we duelled out the final hands as the blinds and antes escalated at an alarming rate. It was around this point that I began to realise that by virtue of staying alive by the skin of my teeth a few times and making some outrageous bluffs (which I then showed) I had become a recognised figure at the table which put me in the enviable position of being ‘rememberable’, which is surely the purpose of such an event for me! <br> <br> The morning after I made an effort to track down anyone tweeting about the event, send a quick e-mail to those I exchanged business cards with and added one contact on Linkedin. People tweeting about the event were positive and even those that mentioned their losses did so punctuated with emoticons. Did I uncover any immediate opportunities for Chameleon Net on the night? No. Did I leave enough of an impression for people to remember me? I hope so… I just have to hope they also remember I work for a Digital Solutions Agency! <br> <br> So why the intro about measuring success and RoI? Well I was trying understand if the poker night was a success in terms of it being a networking event. Strictly speaking on traditional criteria it would be hard to say yes, but in those difficult to define, social-esque ways, it was. My positive feelings towards the event organisers have increased. No-one I encountered had a negative word to say about of the event. I did hand my business card out to several people, some of who eventually saw me make some ballsy bluffs on the final table (all-in three times in a row with 2 6, 2 3 and 2 7 on flagrant steals!) which meant I was someone they now remembered rather than just a random card in their pocket the next day. <br> <br> In the same way that it can be hard to quantify my success with interaction via social media, it is difficult for me to quantify my success in selling Chameleon Net during that evening, but what I did do was establish personal connections with people on a real one-to-one basis, which hopefully makes me an approachable person when their company needs a digital solution. <br> <br> <object width="450" height="278"> <param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/ypmfs3z8esI&amp;hl=en_GB&amp;fs=1?color1=0x234900&amp;color2=0x4e9e00">> <param name="allowFullScreen" value="true">> <param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always">><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/ypmfs3z8esI&amp;hl=en_GB&amp;fs=1?color1=0x234900&amp;color2=0x4e9e00" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="450" height="278"></embed> </object><img width="0" height="0" src="http://www.chameleonnet.co.uk/blog/aggbug.ashx?id=ef1c10f1-c148-4d7a-baaf-83f844480b0f" /> http://www.chameleonnet.co.uk/blog/CommentView,guid,ef1c10f1-c148-4d7a-baaf-83f844480b0f.aspx Events;Online Marketing;Social Networking;Twitter;What we're up to http://www.chameleonnet.co.uk/blog/Trackback.aspx?guid=999bdd54-bf8e-4b73-be71-d2a81cdf6107 http://www.chameleonnet.co.uk/blog/pingback.aspx http://www.chameleonnet.co.uk/blog/PermaLink,guid,999bdd54-bf8e-4b73-be71-d2a81cdf6107.aspx rossm@chameleonnet.co.uk (Ross Miles) http://www.chameleonnet.co.uk/blog/CommentView,guid,999bdd54-bf8e-4b73-be71-d2a81cdf6107.aspx http://www.chameleonnet.co.uk/blog/SyndicationService.asmx/GetEntryCommentsRss?guid=999bdd54-bf8e-4b73-be71-d2a81cdf6107 1

As I have grown more accustomed to Twitter I have created a way of managing what I am doing to maximise what I can get out of this short-messaging system and this blog post is intended to share that with you... and to throw in a few handy tips on best practice too!

The first and foremost thing for effective tweeting is a 3rd party app that allows you to tweet from your desktop. For me this is important as the website itself is a little clunky and limited in what it can display for you at any one time. Running a dedicated Twitter app from your desktop makes it easy to access and manage. My own personal favourite app is Tweetdeck, but it has a worthy rival in Seesmic Desktop. You can check out a comparison of the two here by Mashable. There are plenty of other clients out there such as Twhirl and Digsby that also do a great job, which can all be found at this handy wiki: Twitter Apps Wiki.

The reason I choose Tweetdeck originally was the ability to see all my tweets, @replies and DMs on one screen and be able to filter in/out certain search terms. This is still an extremely useful function that I use all the time, but the functionality of Tweetdeck in general as multiplied many times over! It now supports multi-account sign-in, the ability to update Facebook and MySpace, URL shorteners, organisation features via group creation, not to mention text translation options and spam reporting. Tweetdeck has quickly become the most powerful and popular 3rd party app for a reason...

One of the main problems people find with Twitter is how to process all the incoming tweets and still be a valuable contributor yourself. It is easy to get washed away in a tide of information, some of it relevant, plenty of it not. Rule 1 here I’d say is DO NOT just auto-follow people who follow you. There are a lot of junk/spam accounts out there. It is not a social faux pas to not follow someone back! My method is to quickly skim over the latest tweets and profile of anyone who has followed me and make a quick decision on if I want to follow them myself. Rule 2 is that setting up auto-DMs for new followers is a bad idea. People can tell they are not genuine. Those using auto-DMs and auto-follow are concerned with their number of followers. It is much more important, in my opinion, to have quality, not quantity, when it comes to twitter. Another tip I think worth noting is to have separate accounts for tweeting about work and/or personal musings. My love of American Football and discussion of the St Louis Rams has no place on my work account and I’m sure 99% of my followers would not be interested in receiving tweets about them. On the flipside, I don’t think my fellow NFL enthusiasts want to hear about Digital Rights Management and eBooks. It is a slightly grey area in some ways as you do want your ‘work’ Twitter account to have a personal side to it so you do not seem robotic link machine. The best way to do this is engage followers, RT their tweets and @reply and comment when you see fit. You can manage both accounts easily from within Tweetdeck these days which makes this very easy to manage.

As mentioned above I think it is far more important to focus on quality Tweople that you find interested and useful, rather than blanket following anyone who mentions your brand, industry or product etc... If you do find yourself in a position of following thousands of Twitterers you need to start really managing the information you will be receiving. Jesse Newhart’s HOW TO video here really helped me understand how to use Tweetdeck to keep on top of the torrent of tweets. I would note this video is several months old now and Tweetdeck has been massively upgraded and re-tooled since then, but the general principles still apply and can be used to great effect.

Once you have begun to tweet regularly and have built up a follower base you should use Tweetdeck’s group creation functionality to help organise the incoming follow of information. By creating separate columns showing tweets from a group of pre-defined users it makes it a lot easier to scan for relevant tweets. For example I have separate groups created for my work colleagues, target sectors and clients. If I want to know what people in the Publishing industry I follow are tweeting about its easy to scroll down and see etc...

So now you have a desktop Twitter client, a value-adding network of friends and a process of filtering the wheat from the chaff, but how can you provide useful content in return without coming across as a spammer? Well firstly it depends on the amount of tweets you send. If you are posting upwards of 5 tweets a day (not @replies or RTs) I would strongly consider using a tweet scheduling service such as Tweetlater, FutureTweets or Twuffer. I have always felt that posting several tweets in a row appears somewhat spammy and I also like to spread out my activity during the working day to maximise my chances of ‘being seen’. My own personal preferences are to tweet once an hour throughout the working day (starting around 9:30 and finishing at 5:30). Of course if I want to retweet or reply to anything this happens on an ad hoc basis. A few useful facts for you to help you tweet effectively: most RTs happen around 11:30am and 4:00pm. Tweeted links are clicked more often between 1:00pm and 2:00pm, while 2:30pm to 4:30pm is when there is the most conversation. Tuesday and Wednesday are the busiest days of the week and the weekends see a large drop in activity.

Valuable content is one thing, but it needs to be tweeted in a way that will encourage a click-through. Check out this blog post for more info on writing effective twitter headlines. Tweetdeck automatically shortens the URL which is handy, but I make a point to copy and paste the article’s title and add credit when I know the Twitter handle of the author. Sometimes I might edit the title if it’s unclear what the article I’m linking is about, but my general rule is to use the title. It’s also important to add hashtags in order for other users to find your tweets (and you if you tweet about the topic regularly). It is certainly worth being aware of the commonly used hashtags for topics you tweet or read about in order to fully engage users in the same genre. For example when tweeting about Social Media I will use both #socialmedia and #sm. When tweeting about the Third Sector I’d add the hashtag #nfp (not for profit), and so on. To save characters I will make any keyword in the article title a hashtag rather than adding it again at the end (i.e. Case Study and #ROI of a #Twitter Engagement (by @socialmedia2day) http://bit.ly/2dPreF#sm #socialmedia). I’d also add that where possible you should also leave 20 characters so that it is easier to retweet. By easier I mean that the user re-tweeting you is less likely to have to re-word your original tweet in order for it to fit the 140 character limit including the name-check to the original author. In summary, my basic tweet format is:

(by )

(i.e.) The 5 Big Myths of #SocialMedia (by @socialmedia2day) http://bit.ly/12jTIG #sm

When it comes to hashtags it is important to use them correctly. By correctly I mean using those that are relevant to your tweet. By hijacking popular hashtags in order to get your tweets seen you are open to heavy criticism for breaking social media protocols, as seen by UK furniture brand Habitat’s foray into social media. It is also important to hashtag your tweets as you will become much more visible to people that use the search functionality, or those looking to aggregate tweets of a particular topic.

So, in summary:

• Use a 3rd party desktop app (I recommend Tweetdeck).

• Create separate accounts for work and personal use.

• Focus on the quality of people you follow, NOT the quantity.

• Organise those you follow into quick reference groups.

• Engage those you find interesting. RT, comment, reply!

• Do NOT use auto-follow or auto-DM services.

• Use a tweet scheduling service rather than send your tweets in quick succession.

• Make your tweets concise, clear and give credit to authors.

• Use relevant hashtags to help yourself be found.

Effective Tweeting Made Easy http://www.chameleonnet.co.uk/blog/PermaLink,guid,999bdd54-bf8e-4b73-be71-d2a81cdf6107.aspx http://www.chameleonnet.co.uk/blog/PermaLink,guid,999bdd54-bf8e-4b73-be71-d2a81cdf6107.aspx Wed, 30 Sep 2009 09:58:25 GMT <p> As I have grown more accustomed to Twitter I have created a way of managing what I am doing to maximise what I can get out of this short-messaging system and this blog post is intended to share that with you... and to throw in a few handy tips on best practice too! </p> <p> The first and foremost thing for effective tweeting is a 3rd party app that allows you to tweet from your desktop. For me this is important as the website itself is a little clunky and limited in what it can display for you at any one time. Running a dedicated Twitter app from your desktop makes it easy to access and manage. My own personal favourite app is Tweetdeck, but it has a worthy rival in Seesmic Desktop. You can check out a comparison of the two <a title="Tweetdeck vs Seesmic" target="_blank" href="http://mashable.com/2009/06/16/tweetdeck-vs-seesmic-desktop-2/">here</a> by Mashable. There are plenty of other clients out there such as Twhirl and Digsby that also do a great job, which can all be found at this handy wiki: <a title="Twitter Apps Wiki" target="_blank" href="http://twitter.pbworks.com/Apps">Twitter Apps Wiki</a>. </p> <p> The reason I choose Tweetdeck originally was the ability to see all my tweets, @replies and DMs on one screen and be able to filter in/out certain search terms. This is still an extremely useful function that I use all the time, but the functionality of Tweetdeck in general as multiplied many times over! It now supports multi-account sign-in, the ability to update Facebook and MySpace, URL shorteners, organisation features via group creation, not to mention text translation options and spam reporting. Tweetdeck has quickly become the most powerful and popular 3rd party app for a reason... </p> <p> One of the main problems people find with Twitter is how to process all the incoming tweets and still be a valuable contributor yourself. It is easy to get washed away in a tide of information, some of it relevant, plenty of it not. Rule 1 here I’d say is DO NOT just auto-follow people who follow you. There are a lot of junk/spam accounts out there. It is not a social faux pas to not follow someone back! My method is to quickly skim over the latest tweets and profile of anyone who has followed me and make a quick decision on if I want to follow them myself. Rule 2 is that setting up auto-DMs for new followers is a bad idea. People can tell they are not genuine. Those using auto-DMs and auto-follow are concerned with their number of followers. It is much more important, in my opinion, to have quality, not quantity, when it comes to twitter. Another tip I think worth noting is to have separate accounts for tweeting about work and/or personal musings. My love of American Football and discussion of the St Louis Rams has no place on my work account and I’m sure 99% of my followers would not be interested in receiving tweets about them. On the flipside, I don’t think my fellow NFL enthusiasts want to hear about Digital Rights Management and eBooks. It is a slightly grey area in some ways as you do want your ‘work’ Twitter account to have a personal side to it so you do not seem robotic link machine. The best way to do this is engage followers, RT their tweets and @reply and comment when you see fit. You can manage both accounts easily from within Tweetdeck these days which makes this very easy to manage. </p> <p> As mentioned above I think it is far more important to focus on quality Tweople that you find interested and useful, rather than blanket following anyone who mentions your brand, industry or product etc... If you do find yourself in a position of following thousands of Twitterers you need to start really managing the information you will be receiving. Jesse Newhart’s HOW TO video <a title="How To Follow 15000+ People On Twitter Using These Tweetdeck Tips" target="_blank" href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ByhBzwTCa_M">here</a> really helped me understand how to use Tweetdeck to keep on top of the torrent of tweets. I would note this video is several months old now and Tweetdeck has been massively upgraded and re-tooled since then, but the general principles still apply and can be used to great effect. </p> <p> Once you have begun to tweet regularly and have built up a follower base you should use Tweetdeck’s group creation functionality to help organise the incoming follow of information. By creating separate columns showing tweets from a group of pre-defined users it makes it a lot easier to scan for relevant tweets. For example I have separate groups created for my work colleagues, target sectors and clients. If I want to know what people in the Publishing industry I follow are tweeting about its easy to scroll down and see etc... </p> <p> So now you have a desktop Twitter client, a value-adding network of friends and a process of filtering the wheat from the chaff, but how can you provide useful content in return without coming across as a spammer? Well firstly it depends on the amount of tweets you send. If you are posting upwards of 5 tweets a day (not @replies or RTs) I would strongly consider using a tweet scheduling service such as <a title="Tweetlater" target="_blank" href="http://www.socialoomph.com/">Tweetlater</a>, <a title="FutureTweets" target="_blank" href="http://futuretweets.com/">FutureTweets</a> or <a title="Twuffer" target="_blank" href="http://twuffer.com/">Twuffer</a>. I have always felt that posting several tweets in a row appears somewhat spammy and I also like to spread out my activity during the working day to maximise my chances of ‘being seen’. My own personal preferences are to tweet once an hour throughout the working day (starting around 9:30 and finishing at 5:30). Of course if I want to retweet or reply to anything this happens on an ad hoc basis. A few useful facts for you to help you tweet effectively: most RTs happen around 11:30am and 4:00pm. Tweeted links are clicked more often between 1:00pm and 2:00pm, while 2:30pm to 4:30pm is when there is the most conversation. Tuesday and Wednesday are the busiest days of the week and the weekends see a large drop in activity. </p> <p> Valuable content is one thing, but it needs to be tweeted in a way that will encourage a click-through. Check out this blog post for more info on <a title="The Art of Writing Great Twitter Headlines" target="_blank" href="http://www.copyblogger.com/twitter-headlines/">writing effective twitter headlines</a>. Tweetdeck automatically shortens the URL which is handy, but I make a point to copy and paste the article’s title and add credit when I know the Twitter handle of the author. Sometimes I might edit the title if it’s unclear what the article I’m linking is about, but my general rule is to use the title. It’s also important to add hashtags in order for other users to find your tweets (and you if you tweet about the topic regularly). It is certainly worth being aware of the commonly used hashtags for topics you tweet or read about in order to fully engage users in the same genre. For example when tweeting about Social Media I will use both #socialmedia and #sm. When tweeting about the Third Sector I’d add the hashtag #nfp (not for profit), and so on. To save characters I will make any keyword in the article title a hashtag rather than adding it again at the end (i.e. Case Study and #ROI of a #Twitter Engagement (by @socialmedia2day) http://bit.ly/2dPreF#sm #socialmedia). I’d also add that where possible you should also leave 20 characters so that it is easier to retweet. By easier I mean that the user re-tweeting you is less likely to have to re-word your original tweet in order for it to fit the 140 character limit including the name-check to the original author. In summary, my basic tweet format is: </p> <p> <Article title> (by <author twitter handle if known> ) <shortened url> <hashtags> </p> <p> (i.e.) The 5 Big Myths of #SocialMedia (by @socialmedia2day) http://bit.ly/12jTIG #sm </p> <p> When it comes to hashtags it is important to use them correctly. By correctly I mean using those that are relevant to your tweet. By hijacking popular hashtags in order to get your tweets seen you are open to heavy criticism for breaking social media protocols, as seen by UK furniture brand <a title="How not to use Twitter: HabitatUK as a case study" target="_blank" href="http://www.socialmediatoday.com/SMC/103334">Habitat’s foray into social media</a>. It is also important to hashtag your tweets as you will become much more visible to people that use the search functionality, or those looking to aggregate tweets of a particular topic. </p> <p> So, in summary: </p> <p> • Use a 3rd party desktop app (I recommend Tweetdeck). </p> <p> • Create separate accounts for work and personal use. </p> <p> • Focus on the quality of people you follow, NOT the quantity. </p> <p> • Organise those you follow into quick reference groups. </p> <p> • Engage those you find interesting. RT, comment, reply! </p> <p> • Do NOT use auto-follow or auto-DM services. </p> <p> • Use a tweet scheduling service rather than send your tweets in quick succession. </p> <p> • Make your tweets concise, clear and give credit to authors. </p> <p> • Use relevant hashtags to help yourself be found. </p> <img width="0" height="0" src="http://www.chameleonnet.co.uk/blog/aggbug.ashx?id=999bdd54-bf8e-4b73-be71-d2a81cdf6107" /> http://www.chameleonnet.co.uk/blog/CommentView,guid,999bdd54-bf8e-4b73-be71-d2a81cdf6107.aspx Social Networking;Twitter http://www.chameleonnet.co.uk/blog/Trackback.aspx?guid=cd91aeec-d0eb-4e26-9aaa-ea64516cf04e http://www.chameleonnet.co.uk/blog/pingback.aspx http://www.chameleonnet.co.uk/blog/PermaLink,guid,cd91aeec-d0eb-4e26-9aaa-ea64516cf04e.aspx surajs@chameleonnet.co.uk (Suraj Shah) http://www.chameleonnet.co.uk/blog/CommentView,guid,cd91aeec-d0eb-4e26-9aaa-ea64516cf04e.aspx http://www.chameleonnet.co.uk/blog/SyndicationService.asmx/GetEntryCommentsRss?guid=cd91aeec-d0eb-4e26-9aaa-ea64516cf04e 1

This week's internal Chameleon Net seminar was run by Louise Ryan, our Head of Pre-Production Systems, who shared a developer's perspective on Facebook applications.

During the session, I briefly tweeted about Facebook applications from a business developer / marketing perspective:

  • RT @vickyreeves looking forward to hearing the internal @Chameleon_Net seminar on facebook application development from @louzoid
  • Internal seminar focused more on developer's perspective. Let's see what marketing / business uses I can pick out from it.
  • Facebook apps: publishing to the stream is most important in @louzoid's opinion - gives application a wide reach to user's friends...
  • Facebook connect allows your website to connect up to the user's facebook account so they can quickly publish news items on their stream.
  • The facebook OpenStream lets users read their streams wherever they want: mobile, desktop, etc. This means multiple interaction points...
  • Facebook have placed restrictions on apps to reduce spam - considerations: developer credibility, app popularity, if app verified...
  • Internal teams are considering niche facebook applications that our clients could develop. Your ideas for Higher Education apps..?
  • @louzoid Thanks for good overview of developing Facebook Apps - interested to see what specific apps we can create for our clients.

If have you ideas for a Facebook application which you'd like developed at your organisation to achieve specific objectives, then leave a comment below or tweet me @surajshah.

Facebook Applications from a Marketer's Perspective http://www.chameleonnet.co.uk/blog/PermaLink,guid,cd91aeec-d0eb-4e26-9aaa-ea64516cf04e.aspx http://www.chameleonnet.co.uk/blog/PermaLink,guid,cd91aeec-d0eb-4e26-9aaa-ea64516cf04e.aspx Wed, 10 Jun 2009 15:19:13 GMT <p> This week's internal Chameleon Net seminar was run by Louise Ryan, our Head of Pre-Production Systems, who shared a developer's perspective on <a href="http://developers.facebook.com/">Facebook applications</a>. </p> <p> During the session, I briefly tweeted about <a href="http://www.facebook.com/apps/directory.php">Facebook applications</a> from a business developer / marketing perspective: </p> <ul> <li> RT <a href="http://twitter.com/vickyreeves">@vickyreeves</a> looking forward to hearing the internal <a href="http://twitter.com/Chameleon_Net">@Chameleon_Net</a> seminar on facebook application development from <a href="http://twitter.com/louzoid">@louzoid</a> </li> <li> Internal seminar focused more on developer's perspective. Let's see what marketing / business uses I can pick out from it.</li> <li> Facebook apps: publishing to the stream is most important in <a href="http://twitter.com/louzoid">@louzoid</a>'s opinion - gives application a wide reach to user's friends...</li> <li> <a href="http://developers.facebook.com/connect.php">Facebook connect</a> allows your website to connect up to the user's facebook account so they can quickly publish news items on their stream.</li> <li> The <a href="http://mashable.com/2009/04/27/facebook-open-stream-api-the-next-huge-platform/">facebook OpenStream</a> lets users read their streams wherever they want: mobile, desktop, etc. This means multiple interaction points...</li> <li> Facebook have placed restrictions on apps to reduce spam - considerations: developer credibility, app popularity, if app verified...</li> <li> Internal teams are considering niche facebook applications that our clients could develop. Your ideas for Higher Education apps..?</li> <li> <a href="http://twitter.com/louzoid">@louzoid</a> Thanks for good overview of developing Facebook Apps - interested to see what specific apps we can create for our clients.</li> </ul> <p> If have you ideas for a Facebook application which you'd like developed at your organisation to achieve specific objectives, then leave a comment below or tweet me <a href="http://twitter.com/surajshah">@surajshah</a>. </p> <img width="0" height="0" src="http://www.chameleonnet.co.uk/blog/aggbug.ashx?id=cd91aeec-d0eb-4e26-9aaa-ea64516cf04e" /> http://www.chameleonnet.co.uk/blog/CommentView,guid,cd91aeec-d0eb-4e26-9aaa-ea64516cf04e.aspx Facebook;Higher Education;Social Networking;Twitter;widgets http://www.chameleonnet.co.uk/blog/Trackback.aspx?guid=58e7b5cf-ce8f-4809-a94f-c22758fdc6e6 http://www.chameleonnet.co.uk/blog/pingback.aspx http://www.chameleonnet.co.uk/blog/PermaLink,guid,58e7b5cf-ce8f-4809-a94f-c22758fdc6e6.aspx surajs@chameleonnet.co.uk (Suraj Shah) http://www.chameleonnet.co.uk/blog/CommentView,guid,58e7b5cf-ce8f-4809-a94f-c22758fdc6e6.aspx http://www.chameleonnet.co.uk/blog/SyndicationService.asmx/GetEntryCommentsRss?guid=58e7b5cf-ce8f-4809-a94f-c22758fdc6e6 2 Enhancing Student Experience via Twitter http://www.chameleonnet.co.uk/blog/PermaLink,guid,58e7b5cf-ce8f-4809-a94f-c22758fdc6e6.aspx http://www.chameleonnet.co.uk/blog/PermaLink,guid,58e7b5cf-ce8f-4809-a94f-c22758fdc6e6.aspx Wed, 03 Jun 2009 15:27:42 GMT <p> In the city of San Francisco, "citizens can send direct messages 24 hours a day to the <a href="http://twitter.com/sf311">sf311</a> Twitter account to report standard non-emergency city-related sightings (like pot holes), request street cleanings, and any other service already supported by the phone or website." This was reported by the Mashable article <a href="http://mashable.com/2009/06/02/san-francisco-311-twitter/">San Francisco First City to Instate City-Wide 311 Twitter Program</a>. </p> <p> It goes on to say: "Of course the real beauty of enabling 311 support through Twitter is that residents can now have the convenience of sending in their requests on their terms, include photos, relevant links, and do so while on the go." </p> <p> If a whole city can offer this service to enhance the experience for citizens, what are the possibilities for enhancing the student experience on a university campus? </p> <p> Potential notifications include: <ul> <li> lifts not working</li> <li> computer room out of operation</li> <li> security gates rusty and need oiling</li> <li> high-demand library books not available</li> <li> paths and rooms requiring cleaning</li> <li> lecturers inaccessible</li> <li> issues regarding transport into university - e.g. extending what University of Bath did on Twitter when the <a href="http://blogs.bath.ac.uk/webservices/2009/02/06/universities-on-twitter/">snow in Feb 2009 had a big impact on transport in Bath</a>.</li> </ul> > <p> Could you think of other non-emergency issues that students could report? Add your thoughts in the comments below. </p> <p> Using notifications received from students and academic staff, the university's student relations and administration teams could raise the issue with the relevant parties to get it resolved, and report back to the person who sent through the notification. Where appropriate, messages could be tweeted and blog posts published to inform many more people about developments. </p> <p> A service like this set up at the university could have a major impact, not only on how it serves current students and academic staff, but also on prospective students who take the university's online reputation into account when considering their university choices. </p> <p> Afterall, the lines between student relations and public relations is blurring, and a disgruntled student being transformed into a content or happy student has a direct impact on way the institution is perceived on the web and therefore on student intake. </p> <hr /> <p> The Chameleon Net <a href="http://www.chameleonnet.co.uk/seminar.aspx">strategy-oriented technology trends seminar</a> covers some of the latest mobile and web technologies including geo-tagging & geo-location. Other topics covered include augmented reality, social software, content moderation, web analytics & conversion. </p> <p> Our Online Technology Update seminar is taking place on Thursday 18th June in London and you can read more about it and register at <a href="http://www.chameleonnet.co.uk/seminar.aspx">www.chameleonnet.co.uk/seminar</a> </p> <img width="0" height="0" src="http://www.chameleonnet.co.uk/blog/aggbug.ashx?id=58e7b5cf-ce8f-4809-a94f-c22758fdc6e6" /> http://www.chameleonnet.co.uk/blog/CommentView,guid,58e7b5cf-ce8f-4809-a94f-c22758fdc6e6.aspx Higher Education;Mobile Web;Reputation Management;Twitter;UGC http://www.chameleonnet.co.uk/blog/Trackback.aspx?guid=b94ed602-e102-4833-91ee-2c7130297d72 http://www.chameleonnet.co.uk/blog/pingback.aspx http://www.chameleonnet.co.uk/blog/PermaLink,guid,b94ed602-e102-4833-91ee-2c7130297d72.aspx louiser@chameleonnet.com (Louise Ryan) http://www.chameleonnet.co.uk/blog/CommentView,guid,b94ed602-e102-4833-91ee-2c7130297d72.aspx http://www.chameleonnet.co.uk/blog/SyndicationService.asmx/GetEntryCommentsRss?guid=b94ed602-e102-4833-91ee-2c7130297d72 1 In November last year I took the mad decision to enter the 2009 Paris marathon - to be held this year on the 5th April.  I can't say that I'm particularly looking forward to it but I have enjoyed elements of my training.  Two things have kept me going.

My running gadgets

Of course being a software developer I am naturally a bit of a geek (only a very little bit though of course). Therefore when I do my running training I must have either my iPod or iPhone with me.  Obviously they keep me sane by enabling me to listen to music, podcasts and audiobooks during my training but they also record my progress.  Here's a quick overview of how they work:


Nike+ for my iPod
This consists of a wee little accelerometer that you can attach to or pop in your running shoes and a Nike+ receiver which you attach to your iPod.  It records how far and how fast you are running or walking.  You can then sync this data with your Nike+ account via iTunes and get a marvelous little summary of how your training is progressing and a breakdown of each run.  Here's a pic from the Nike+ website for you to take a look at.  I'm a bit of a fan of RIA (Rich Internet Applications) and really like how the site utilises Flash in a useful and very pretty fashion.  The main disadvantage of the Nike+ system is that it’s not totally accurate but I can live with that as it still gives me a good idea of how I'm doing.

RunKeeper for my iPhone
I love my iPhone. Probably too much.  This free app is the thing I show to my friends when I want to impress them with how cool the iPhone is.  RunKeeper uses the iPhones GPS (Global Positioning System) capabilities to track your run, or in fact your walk, cycle, sky, whatever.  Then when you have finished your run you can view a highly accurate breakdown of not only your time and pace but also your route via clever use of the Google maps API.  You can also view this same data on the web using the RunKeeper dashboard site.  Here's a pic to give you an idea.  You can share runs with friends and also have RunKeeper auto-tweet your twitter account with your run data!  This kind of really useful mashup application gets me all excited about web development!  However, GPS tracking apps also have all manner of privacy implications - for example, in this article I have linked to a picture of my run rather than sharing the run itself (which you can do via the RunKeeper dashboard) because I don't really want the world to know where I started and finished.

It does get you thinking about the world of possibilities that GPS tracking opens up though.  At the moment you can only provide geo targeted content via websites by inspecting the users incoming IP address or by asking the user to tell you where they are.  However, with more and more mobile devices supporting GPS being available more possibilities open up for useful applications of this marvelous technology.

Finally this brings me to the second thing that is keeping me going through training - I'm raising cash for MSF (Médecins Sans Frontières).  I realised what amazing work this charity does when I worked on their website last year.  In emergencies and their aftermath, MSF rehabilitates and runs hospitals and clinics, performs surgery, battles epidemics, carries out vaccination campaigns, operates feeding centres for malnourished children and offers mental health care. When needed, MSF also constructs wells, dispenses clean drinking water, and provides shelter materials like blankets and plastic sheeting.

If you've enjoyed reading about my pain or would like to help MSF please sponsor me or donate directly to MSF via their website.

Useful resources:

Nike+iPod: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nike%2BiPod
RunKeeper: http://www.runkeeper.com/
Sponsor me via Justgiving: http://www.justgiving.com/louiseryan2009
Médecins Sans Frontières UK: http://www.msf.org.uk/

Paris Marathon http://www.chameleonnet.co.uk/blog/PermaLink,guid,b94ed602-e102-4833-91ee-2c7130297d72.aspx http://www.chameleonnet.co.uk/blog/PermaLink,guid,b94ed602-e102-4833-91ee-2c7130297d72.aspx Thu, 19 Mar 2009 16:24:30 GMT In November last year I took the mad decision to enter the 2009 Paris marathon - to be held this year on the 5th April.&nbsp; I can't say that I'm particularly looking forward to it but I have enjoyed elements of my training.&nbsp; Two things have kept me going.<br> <p> <b>My running gadgets</b> <br> </p> <p> Of course being a software developer I am naturally a bit of a geek (only a very little bit though of course). Therefore when I do my running training I must have either my iPod or iPhone with me.&nbsp; Obviously they keep me sane by enabling me to listen to music, podcasts and audiobooks during my training but they also record my progress.&nbsp; Here's a quick overview of how they work:<br> </p> <b> <br> Nike+ for my iPod</b> <br> This consists of a wee little accelerometer that you can attach to or pop in your running shoes and a Nike+ receiver which you attach to your iPod.&nbsp; It records how far and how fast you are running or walking.&nbsp; You can then sync this data with your Nike+ account via iTunes and get a marvelous little summary of how your training is progressing and a breakdown of each run.&nbsp; <a href="http://twitpic.com/28sis" target="_blank">Here's a pic from the Nike+ website for you to take a look at</a>.&nbsp; I'm a bit of a fan of RIA (<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rich_Internet_application" target="_blank">Rich Internet Applications</a>) and really like how the site utilises Flash in a useful and very pretty fashion.&nbsp; The main disadvantage of the Nike+ system is that it’s not totally accurate but I can live with that as it still gives me a good idea of how I'm doing.<br> <br> <b>RunKeeper for my iPhone</b> <br> I love my iPhone. Probably too much.&nbsp; This free app is the thing I show to my friends when I want to impress them with how cool the iPhone is.&nbsp; <a href="http://www.runkeeper.com/" target="_blank">RunKeeper</a> uses the iPhones GPS (<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GPS" target="_blank">Global Positioning System</a>) capabilities to track your run, or in fact your walk, cycle, sky, whatever.&nbsp; Then when you have finished your run you can view a highly accurate breakdown of not only your time and pace but also your route via clever use of the Google maps API.&nbsp; You can also view this same data on the web using the RunKeeper dashboard site.&nbsp; <a href="http://twitpic.com/1jtq7" target="_blank">Here's a pic to give you an idea</a>.&nbsp; You can share runs with friends and also have RunKeeper auto-tweet your twitter account with your run data!&nbsp; This kind of really useful mashup application gets me all excited about web development!&nbsp; However, GPS tracking apps also have all manner of privacy implications - for example, in this article I have linked to a picture of my run rather than sharing the run itself (which you can do via the RunKeeper dashboard) because I don't really want the world to know where I started and finished.<br> <br> It does get you thinking about the world of possibilities that GPS tracking opens up though.&nbsp; At the moment you can only provide <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geo_targeting" target="_blank">geo targeted</a> content via websites by inspecting the users incoming IP address or by asking the user to tell you where they are.&nbsp; However, with more and more mobile devices supporting GPS being available more possibilities open up for useful applications of this marvelous technology.<br> <br> Finally this brings me to the second thing that is keeping me going through training - I'm raising cash for MSF (Médecins Sans Frontières).&nbsp; I realised what amazing work this charity does when I worked on their website last year.&nbsp; In emergencies and their aftermath, MSF rehabilitates and runs hospitals and clinics, performs surgery, battles epidemics, carries out vaccination campaigns, operates feeding centres for malnourished children and offers mental health care. When needed, MSF also constructs wells, dispenses clean drinking water, and provides shelter materials like blankets and plastic sheeting.<br> <br> If you've enjoyed reading about my pain or would like to help MSF please <a href="http://www.justgiving.com/louiseryan2009">sponsor me</a> or donate directly to MSF via their <a href="http://www.msf.org.uk/supportus.aspx">website</a>.<br> <br> <b>Useful resources:</b> <br> <br> Nike+iPod: <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nike%2BiPod">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nike%2BiPod</a> <br> RunKeeper: <a href="http://www.runkeeper.com/">http://www.runkeeper.com/</a> <br> Sponsor me via Justgiving: <a href="http://www.justgiving.com/louiseryan2009">http://www.justgiving.com/louiseryan2009</a> <br> Médecins Sans Frontières UK: <a href="http://www.msf.org.uk/">http://www.msf.org.uk/</a> <p> </p> <img width="0" height="0" src="http://www.chameleonnet.co.uk/blog/aggbug.ashx?id=b94ed602-e102-4833-91ee-2c7130297d72" /> http://www.chameleonnet.co.uk/blog/CommentView,guid,b94ed602-e102-4833-91ee-2c7130297d72.aspx Charity;Mobile Web;Non-profit;Twitter;Web 2.0;What we're up to http://www.chameleonnet.co.uk/blog/Trackback.aspx?guid=59ff7eab-fe5f-482e-aaae-f8d0d4032393 http://www.chameleonnet.co.uk/blog/pingback.aspx http://www.chameleonnet.co.uk/blog/PermaLink,guid,59ff7eab-fe5f-482e-aaae-f8d0d4032393.aspx richardk@chameleonnet.co.uk (Rich Kirk) http://www.chameleonnet.co.uk/blog/CommentView,guid,59ff7eab-fe5f-482e-aaae-f8d0d4032393.aspx http://www.chameleonnet.co.uk/blog/SyndicationService.asmx/GetEntryCommentsRss?guid=59ff7eab-fe5f-482e-aaae-f8d0d4032393 Like everyone in the digital marketing space, here at Chameleon Net we are twitter junkies. Even our table football has its own feed! The phenomenal growth the service has enjoyed over the last 5 – 6 months means that Twitter is the platform switched-on marketers are buzzing about right now. However, as with any service growing at an exponential rate, there are problems. This recent article warning of a “Twitter bubble” summed up some of our fears about the service and the industry springing up around it. The challenge Chameleon faces is to make Twitter part of the range of e-marketing services we offer to clients, in a way that can best guarantee a good ROI for both our clients and ourselves.

Many of our more forward thinking clients have expressed an interest in developing a Twitter account, and as a result this week we launched Drivers Jonas on Twitter. DJ is a commercial property consultancy turning over nearly £100m per year and employing over 700 staff, yet they remain remarkably agile when it comes to marketing their website. We're excited about this project because we feel that with the right aims and expectations, a B2B Twitter feed can easily harness all the best aspects of Micro-blogging.

As a B2B company Drivers Jonas is using Twitter to provide the company with a more human face than their corporate website can, as well as develop their reputation as a ‘thought leader’ within the property industry. We believe that in time, being active on Twitter will help Drivers Jonas unearth business leads, connect and interact with potential new recruits (especially undergraduates), as well as doing more routine things like publicising DJ events. One thing Drivers Jonas recognises is that Twitter isn’t a marketplace in which to sell, it’s a watering hole at which they can meet their stakeholders; something I believe is vital to good big-business tweeting.

We’ve also envisaged that in the absence of a DJ blog (which would be time consuming and difficult to operate in line with internal compliance procedures) the Twitter feed could be used as a rapid response in the case of a major PR event. This flexibility is something many B2B companies would love to have; for some blogging is the answer, but for marketers at larger companies getting sign-off for a controversial blog post is ‘worst nightmare’ territory. Twitter restricts you to 140 characters, and at the same time, restricts the barriers to getting a message out into the public domain.

I hope to blog again with more on this project as it develops, as I think it will provide some interesting insights into ‘corporate tweeting’. In the meantime, if your company thinks they could benefit from being on Twitter, but want a helping hand building a business case and launching an account, get in touch.

Twitter For B2B Websites http://www.chameleonnet.co.uk/blog/PermaLink,guid,59ff7eab-fe5f-482e-aaae-f8d0d4032393.aspx http://www.chameleonnet.co.uk/blog/PermaLink,guid,59ff7eab-fe5f-482e-aaae-f8d0d4032393.aspx Fri, 06 Mar 2009 11:27:39 GMT <font size="2" face="Verdana">Like everyone in the digital marketing space, here at Chameleon Net we are twitter junkies. Even our <a href="http://twitter.com/boardofshame">table football has its own feed</a>! The phenomenal growth the service has enjoyed over the last 5 – 6 months means that Twitter is the platform switched-on marketers are buzzing about right now. However, as with any service growing at an exponential rate, there are problems. <a href="http://www.twitip.com/twitter-bubble/">This recent article</a> warning of a “Twitter bubble” summed up some of our fears about the service and the industry springing up around it. The challenge Chameleon faces is to make Twitter part of the range of e-marketing services we offer to clients, in a way that can best guarantee a good ROI for both our clients and ourselves.<br> <br> Many of our more forward thinking clients have expressed an interest in developing a Twitter account, and as a result this week we launched <a href="http://twitter.com/driversjonas">Drivers Jonas on Twitter</a>. DJ is a commercial property consultancy turning over nearly £100m per year and employing over 700 staff, yet they remain remarkably agile when it comes to marketing their website. We're excited about this project because we feel that with the right aims and expectations, a B2B Twitter feed can easily harness all the best aspects of Micro-blogging.<br> <br> As a B2B company Drivers Jonas is using Twitter to provide the company with a more human face than their corporate website can, as well as develop their reputation as a ‘thought leader’ within the property industry. We believe that in time, being active on Twitter will help Drivers Jonas unearth business leads, connect and interact with potential new recruits (especially undergraduates), as well as doing more routine things like publicising DJ events. One thing Drivers Jonas recognises is that Twitter isn’t a marketplace in which to sell, it’s a watering hole at which they can meet their stakeholders; something I believe is vital to good big-business tweeting.<br> <br> We’ve also envisaged that in the absence of a DJ blog (which would be time consuming and difficult to operate in line with internal compliance procedures) the Twitter feed could be used as a rapid response in the case of a major PR event. This flexibility is something many B2B companies would love to have; for some blogging is the answer, but for marketers at larger companies getting sign-off for a controversial blog post is ‘worst nightmare’ territory. Twitter restricts you to 140 characters, and at the same time, restricts the barriers to getting a message out into the public domain.<br> <br> I hope to blog again with more on this project as it develops, as I think it will provide some interesting insights into ‘corporate tweeting’. In the meantime, if your company thinks they could benefit from being on Twitter, but want a helping hand building a business case and launching an account, get in touch.<br> </font> <br> <p> </p> <img width="0" height="0" src="http://www.chameleonnet.co.uk/blog/aggbug.ashx?id=59ff7eab-fe5f-482e-aaae-f8d0d4032393" /> http://www.chameleonnet.co.uk/blog/CommentView,guid,59ff7eab-fe5f-482e-aaae-f8d0d4032393.aspx Online Marketing;Reputation Management;Social Networking;Twitter;Web 2.0;What we're up to http://www.chameleonnet.co.uk/blog/Trackback.aspx?guid=4af56aae-dcc1-4151-862d-0817bca7475b http://www.chameleonnet.co.uk/blog/pingback.aspx http://www.chameleonnet.co.uk/blog/PermaLink,guid,4af56aae-dcc1-4151-862d-0817bca7475b.aspx rossm@chameleonnet.co.uk (Ross Miles) http://www.chameleonnet.co.uk/blog/CommentView,guid,4af56aae-dcc1-4151-862d-0817bca7475b.aspx http://www.chameleonnet.co.uk/blog/SyndicationService.asmx/GetEntryCommentsRss?guid=4af56aae-dcc1-4151-862d-0817bca7475b 1 The Rise of Twitter http://www.chameleonnet.co.uk/blog/PermaLink,guid,4af56aae-dcc1-4151-862d-0817bca7475b.aspx http://www.chameleonnet.co.uk/blog/PermaLink,guid,4af56aae-dcc1-4151-862d-0817bca7475b.aspx Tue, 17 Feb 2009 15:22:22 GMT <p> <font face=Tahoma color=#000000>Social Media is a fast-growing and rapidly evolving beast, and the latest website to be the darling of the Google Generation is micro-blogging site Twitter. The idea is simple, you have 140 characters, including spaces, to answer the question- <strong><em>What are you doing now?</em></strong> This however, as with all things Web 2.0, doesn’t tell the full story. Twitter acts as a bulletin board as well, where titbits of information, via links, can be shared between users. UK Celebrities such as Jonathon Ross, Stephen Fry and John Cleese are all advocates, and Barack Obama used it during his election campaign to motivate the masses (he has over 144,000 followers). Twitter has seen its popularity grow 10-fold in the UK in the past year and traffic rise 750% in the US where it is know a more visited site than Digg. As I write this blog post just under 2 million tweets are being submitted worldwide every day! </font> </p> <p> <font face=Tahoma color=#000000></font> </p> <p> <font color=#000000><font face=Tahoma>Whilst to ‘outsiders’ it might seem a trivial and almost pointless service, only for users with high levels of deluded self-importance, but Twitter played notable roles during a several significant events in the past 4 months. The part Twitter played in providing break-neck speed updates on the Mumbai terror attacks in November led Forbes Magazine to write <strong>Mumbai: Twitter’s Moment</strong>. Before News services had broken the event on television Tweeps such as </font><a href="http://twitter.com/rakesh314"><font face=Tahoma>@rakesh314 </font></a><font face=Tahoma>posted <em>“I'm hearing news of gun-firing in Mumbai. Can anyone confirm?”</em>. Updates from people involved even led to an internet myth that the terrorists themselves were following events on Twitter itself to counter the actions of the forces sent in to stop them. </font></font> </p> <p> <font face=Tahoma color=#000000></font> </p> <p> <font color=#000000><font face=Tahoma>The much more recent plane crash into the Hudson River was another example of Tweeps providing a rapid reaction. One Twitterer, </font><a href="http://twitter.com/jkrums"><font face=Tahoma>@jkrums</font></a><font face=Tahoma>, took a picture of the half-submerged aircraft with passengers standing on the wing from a passing-by ferry which quickly went viral and eventually landed him an interview on CNBC. Others tweeted about how they stood watching the drama from their office blocks. What was the most notable though was the integrity of the tweet-reporting which cited accurate numbers and stories relating to the event as information about what had happened disseminated among users. </font></font> </p> <p> <font face=Tahoma color=#000000></font> </p> <p> <font color=#000000><font face=Tahoma>As great as all this impartiality and interactivity sounds, how can Twitter serve the business community? And that’s exactly the point, this notion of impartial interactivity. Twitter provides a transparent window into an organisation for the consumer, a portal in which to directly interact. Several brands are using it as such a device to. </font><a href="http://twitter.com/ScottMonty"><font face=Tahoma>@ScottMonty </font></a><font face=Tahoma>is the face of car manufacturer, Ford, on Twitter (who have multiple employee accounts) and says <em>“It’s part of a larger social media strategy to humanize the Ford brand and put consumers in touch with Ford employees”</em>. Lisa Kim </font><a href="http://twitter.com/Americanapparel"><font face=Tahoma>@AmericanApparel </font></a><font face=Tahoma>is the Website Manager for American Apparel and is another advocate of Twitter as a way of increasing customer care, <em>“We saw a tweet from someone who received less than stellar customer service at a store in Canada & we got in touch with them to sort it out.”</em> Children’s Charity Barnardo’s used Twitter alongside their blog to engage the media storm around their controversial ‘Break the cycle’ ad campaign (managed by Chameleon Net) so successfully that Barnardo’s own staff kept abreast of the situation by following the charity’s own Twitter feed. Higher Education Institutions are now looking at using Twitter as a Personal Learning Network in which students can ask questions of their peers and teachers in order to increase feedback and accessibility. </font></font> </p> <p> <font face=Tahoma color=#000000></font> </p> <p> <font face=Tahoma color=#000000>Twitter is quickly evolving to become fundamental in the development of any digital strategy and with its thrust into the UK lime-light thanks to varying celebrity endorsements, its popularity is only set to grow. Businesses need to educate themselves and start twittering soon or risk being left behind by more media-savvy rivals.</font> </p> <p> <font face=Tahoma></font> </p> <p> <font face=Tahoma size=1>CREDIT TO:<br> <br> </font><a href="http://www.brandrepublic.com/Revolution/News/875017/Celebs-start-tweeting-Twitters-UK-popularity-rises-10-fold-year/"><font face=Tahoma size=1>http://www.brandrepublic.com/Revolution/News/875017/Celebs-start-tweeting-Twitters-UK-popularity-rises-10-fold-year/</font></a> </p> <p> <a href="http://nielsen-online.com/blog/2009/01/16/tweeting-the-us-airways-flight-1549-plane-crash/"><font face=Tahoma size=1>http://nielsen-online.com/blog/2009/01/16/tweeting-the-us-airways-flight-1549-plane-crash/</font></a> </p> <p> <a href="http://popacular.com/gigatweet/analytics.php"><font face=Tahoma size=1>http://popacular.com/gigatweet/analytics.php</font></a> </p> <p> <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/07/magazine/07awareness-t.html"><font face=Tahoma size=1>http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/07/magazine/07awareness-t.html</font></a> </p> <p> <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/technology/2008/12/twitter_the_mumbai_myths.html"><font face=Tahoma size=1>http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/technology/2008/12/twitter_the_mumbai_myths.html</font></a> <br> </p> <img width="0" height="0" src="http://www.chameleonnet.co.uk/blog/aggbug.ashx?id=4af56aae-dcc1-4151-862d-0817bca7475b" /> http://www.chameleonnet.co.uk/blog/CommentView,guid,4af56aae-dcc1-4151-862d-0817bca7475b.aspx Online Marketing;Reputation Management;Social Networking;Twitter;Web 2.0