Ah Twitter. As one of the most popular social media sites, many, many professional individuals as well as large companies use this site to promote themselves, their products, or provide additional customer support after purchase. It is a well know fact that Tweets are limited to a simple 140 characters, but several companies use those 140 characters to convey just as much as a blog post can in 200+ words. Customers use these 140 character messages to reach out for help and oftentimes receive a response almost instantly as opposed to the possible week long wait that comes with customer support via email.
Twitter can be an amazing help to the business community. As I stated before, customer support can be provided at a much faster rate than is provided by email. Celebrities can reach out to their fans, businesses can promote products, and up and coming designers (wink, wink) can promote themselves with no cost beyond what is paid for internet access. However, as with everything else in the realm of social media, Twitter can act as a double edged blade. Sure, a tweet can be funny to its poster and the poster’s inner-circle, but to an employer, potential employer, or even a loyal fan a tweet can come off as harsh, offensive, and even worth a termination of employment.
Several companies use Twitter effectively, but the one that comes to the front of my mind is the game developer, Bungie. The company’s account is used to instantly connect with fans whether it be for community event purposes or for receiving feedback on bugs or glitches. Bungie effectively summarizes news about the company and directs the reader back to their website for more reading. Adobe is another company that is great about using Twitter. There is an account for each Adobe program that individuals can contact for support and advice concerning the program of choice.
As for my view of Twitter? It’s a social networking site and I tend to avoid that kind of thing. I do very much appreciate that the limit is 140 characters as it forces the author to be short and to the point. I see how it could be an extremely valuable tool, and some day, if I go into business for myself, I’m sure I will be more open minded to social media like Twitter. Now, to summarize what I learned in class these past couple weeks in a simple 140 characters:
“Web writing should be short, sweet, and easy to scan for readers who don’t feel like wading through paragraphs of text.”
Interested in checking out Bungie or Adobe’s Twitter accounts? Find them here! Bungie & Adobe
Until next time, readers!
SAikins Designs 