Talking Twitter
This article was originally printed in the Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ staff newspaper, .
does it, does it and does it too. is the latest Web 2.0 tool to get everybody talking - and people and programmes all over the Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ are at it as well.
For the uninitiated, Twitter is a . You answer the question 'what are you doing?' in 140 letters or less, as often as you like. Other people can then sign up to 'follow' you and receive your updates. They can also reply to you, either in public by using their own update or in private via a Direct Message, a bit like an email.
Conversational
Twitter is 'a highly conversational, lightweight and highly interconnected blog,' explains Portfolio Executive (Social Media) Roo Reynolds (), whose Twitter feed gets more followers and reaction than .
Generally people use it to gossip, gather information and share news - from the mundane (at time of writing Twitter user Stefnet is 'enjoying a cup of tea') to the significant (director of Global News ).
Twittering as the Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ
It's very easy writing short sentences about what you are doing as an individual, but writing them on behalf of the Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ is a different matter. The tone has to be informal and conversational because that's the nature of the site - but with the underlying authority and impartiality the audience expects from the Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ whatever platform it's on.
Getting that right is difficult, whoever you are, warns James Cridland (, Head of FM&T, A&M Interactive. 'If a presenter wants to use Twitter in a personal capacity, that would be brilliant - but I'd recommend them asking for guidance,' he says. 'While he's excellent at it now, Jonathan Ross' () first faltering steps were a little like watching your dad dance at a disco...'
Public vs Private
Technology correspondent Rory Cellan Jones (), a veteran Tweeter, says he always has in mind that his Twitter updates are like updates on any other newswire. His tweets, as the updates are called, tend to be technology focused but he does also write about his private life - from casual snippets about walking the dog and cooking for the in-laws to .
'I'm self-aware,' he says,' I know Twitter is public. Writing about my son felt weird but I was just so proud! The borders between personal and professional break down with social media - you get to know people more. But people have always built relationships in business - I don't think it gets in the way.'
It's a delicate balance though, warns James Cridland. 'I'm fairly careful about what I publish online,' he says. 'There are some people out to 'get you' on the web, so it's important not to give them too much ammunition.'
Working Lunch
Also bear in mind the editorial responsibilities of your part of the Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ. For example, as a business programme, (whose ) has additional journalistic guidelines on top of standard Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ policy. We follow the financial journalism code laid out by the Financial Services Authority - so does our Twitter feed.
I post a variety of Working Lunch updates generally no more than 3 or 4 times a day but almost always at least once - sometimes links to things we're doing on the programme, sometimes I ask a question (it's an amazing way of getting a swift snapshot of opinion, and even finding contributors), sometimes it's just a small piece of gossip or chit chat, like the time I lost my voice half way through recording a voiceover for a film I was working on.
I reply to most of the messages that address Working Lunch - even if it's a case of 'thanks but no thanks'. I also check out the Twitter site of everyone who joins us and, if they're not direct marketing or spam (Twitter spam accounts are easy enough to spot and are usually swiftly taken down by the site itself), Working Lunch follows them back.
Followers
The most well-meaning Twitter feeds cause massive irritation when they fail to engage with their followers. Be warned though - it's time consuming. With a few hundred followers it's manageable for us at the moment... although that may change as the number of subscribers snowballs, as it has done this week.
I soft-launched Working Lunch () on Twitter in October 2008 and acquired about 100 by mentioning it in our weekly email newsletter but never on the programme. Until last Tuesday, when we ran an item about Twitter on the show, looking at how businesses are using it to make money (one of our guests, a wine merchant, runs virtual wine tastings, in which Twitter folk post their tasting notes on the site after simultaneously sipping wherever they are). We also mentioned our own Twitter address - twitter.com/workinglunch - and the inbox instantly went mad with subscribers.
Fake Account
Hundreds of people signed up to follow us, started sending us replies and direct messages - and then a problem arose. Someone set up a fake Working Lunch account. After an hour (and a couple of very stern Direct Messages from me) the imposters owned up and deactivated their account.
The Twitter crowd was up in arms about the deceit. 'Why on earth would you want to pretend to be a TV programme?' asked one indignantly. Well quite, I thought... but the lesson I learned was about branding. I had registered 'workinglunch' but hadn't thought to register Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔworkinglunch. I was lucky - the fake Working Lunch didn't say anything editorially compromising - they were mainly re-tweeting the official updates. But don't make the same mistake.
Building Relationships
Overall so far, the experience has paid off though - it's brought us into immediate contact with a whole new section of the audience who probably wouldn't think to send us an email. We now refer to Twitter regularly on the programme and reference Twitter responses to topical finance issues as well as the traditional emailed opinions from viewers.
It's becoming a very useful tool for programme support - but the time consuming process of relationship-building online is essential to its success.
Interaction really is the golden rule. 'Follow users, be a good citizen, don't just broadcast,' concludes Jem Stone (). 'Don't just use it for feeds for an event and then vanish. Twitter is for life, not just for Christmas.'
Zoe Kleinman is a Website Broadcast Journalist on Working Lunch. Follow Working Lunch updates on Twitter .
You can also follow the Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Internet Blog on Twitter .
Comment number 1.
At 20th Jan 2009, daveac wrote:Well I have been using twitter for a few months now and I find it a great little app.
You can even join TwitPic and great images up quickly.
I even had my twit shown on Working Lunch!
Cheers, daveac
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Comment number 2.
At 20th Jan 2009, DanielSkel wrote:Glad to see the beeb is twittering. an we expect a consolidated list of Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ twiiter accounts any time soon?
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Comment number 3.
At 20th Jan 2009, BoilerBloke wrote:I'd love to see Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ News make greater use of twitter on big breaking stories.
I thought of it as a toy (and a fairly useless one at that) until the Mumbai attacks, but seeing updates come in second-by-second in the #mubai group, along with links to pics, video etc minutes after they were taken...well, it was something else. 30-45 minutes ahead of the news and so much more immediate. The closest thing to that I can think of was receiving texts from friends during the 7/7 bombings.
Andy
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Comment number 4.
At 21st Jan 2009, jcbradley33 wrote:I still haven't caught the Twitter fever yet, #1 - I am already in info overload and would only cause me more distraction and #2 -- still a mental block over it...lol..like i really care if someone is out to lunch, ...I know, it does have alot of useful purposes but in one of my industries, it does not...so bottom line, it guess it depends on what industry you are in.
Chris
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Comment number 5.
At 22nd Jan 2009, AsherAwesome wrote:This comment was removed because the moderators found it broke the house rules. Explain.
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Comment number 6.
At 4th Feb 2009, anw001 wrote:I recently joined twitter after hearing so much talk about it. Needless to say, I am loving it very much. I make some random comments here and there during the day about what I am doing. Enjoying the experience.
Regards,
[Unsuitable/Broken URL removed by Moderator] Anwar from India
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Comment number 7.
At 26th Mar 2009, conwaysw wrote:first time use of twitter so what is it all about
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Comment number 8.
At 26th Mar 2009, conwaysw wrote:who uses this site and what can be learned by loging on with comments
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Comment number 9.
At 13th Sep 2009, U14134634 wrote:This comment was removed because the moderators found it broke the house rules. Explain.
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