We’ve all heard that old cliché about the early bird catching the worm. Meaning that if you jump on board an idea early… it can benefit you. One of the ‘birds’ you might want to pay attention to (both literally and figuratively) is Twitter (long time fans of the Bartender are probably already on Twitter so feel free to move to the next post).
Time Magazine recently told us that Twitter would change the way we live. Change my life?! Wow. That’s a pretty powerful statement. Then, USA Today reported businesses were using Twitter to communicate with customers. Twitter can help increase revenue…hmmm…that’s more than a little important right now (ya think?)
So it wasn’t any surprise to me when Dan Schawbel recently tweeted that 47% of Chief Marketing officers were building Twitter into their budgets for next year. Basically, that’s half.
Now you might be saying, good grief…another post about Twitter. But hear me out. For the 1 in 2 whose Chief Marketing Officer might be considering this, here’s what the statistic means for you:
You have to know enough about Twitter to –
- Write a job description for the person who will handle Twitter for your organization
- Develop interview questions to recruit that person
- Determine if someone is qualified to handle your company’s Twitter account (How many followers makes a person qualified?)
- Draft a company policy regarding Twitter (or know how to hire someone who can)
- Create a training program on how to use Twitter (or know how to hire someone who can)
- Understand when something done on Twitter should be rewarded or recognized
- Understand when something on Twitter went horribly wrong
I’m not here to convince you to open a Twitter account or use Twitter. But I’m saying you do need to understand how it works. I equate it to when I first started working at an airline, one of my first responsibilities was to hire a director of in-flight services. I said, “Great! Just one question – what does a director of in-flight services do?” It ends up that they manage the flight attendant work group. But the point is…if social media will become part of your workplace, you have to start understanding social media in order to support the operation.
As they say in the Pirates of Caribbean movies, “if you fall behind, you get left behind.” So, here are some resources to get you started:
Laura Fitton (aka @Pistachio on Twitter) has just written a new book called Twitter For Dummies. The Dummies books are excellent references and Laura has over 30,000 people following her on Twitter…so I think it’s pretty safe to say she knows what she’s talking about.
Also, SHRM and Michael Long (aka @theredrecruiter) partnered on a video series to get you started.
So whether you like to learn by reading or listening, here are two great resources to help you get your arms around Twitter. I invite you to check them out when you have the chance.
P.S. Don’t forget you can follow me on Twitter at @hrbartender
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Garrick Throckmorton says
Great post Sharlyn. I am new to twitter and your recent posts are helping me climb the learning curve of understanding. I am working with my organization to help our leaders gain an understanding of how social media can support our strategic goals. I will be using the “You have to know enough about Twitter to -” bullet points as a guide for identifying my knowledge gaps. The gap is closing!
@garrickt
ReviewSNAP says
I read an article a couple of months ago that Twitter’s member base had grown by 1,600% where Facebook had grown by 200%! That’s 8 times more than the current king of social media. I don’t think people, especially Gen X, understand the capabilities and potential that Twitter has. At the SHRM conference I had multiple booth visitors and potential clients because of a few simple tweets. It’s no surprise that such a large portion of CMO’s are building Twitter into their budget.
My question though is how long will Twitter last? Don’t get me wrong, I think Twitter is great, but I think it’s really just a question of when is it going to fizzle out and we’ll move on to the next social media tool (i.e. moving from MySpace to Facebook). Twitter will eventually get super-saturated with spammers and nobody is going to want anything to do with it. However, in the meantime businesses need to hop on board Twitter otherwise they are missing out on a lot of opportunities.
hr bartender says
Thanks Garrick and Chris for the comments!
Chris’ question about how long Twitter will last is interesting. We constantly hear about Twitter’s challenge to monetize. I attended a panel discussion of journalists talking about social media and they talked about this very thing. The feeling is even if Twitter goes away, something like Twitter will pop up. The information and conversation is too valuable to completely dispose of the concept.
ReviewSNAP says
I don’t think the concept of twitter or social media will go away for a long time, if ever, but I think Twitter itself will be gone at some point and everyone will move on to the next social media community.
Karla Porter says
Touché Sharlyn. It’s difficult to address something you have no idea about. As HR professionals we need to at the very least be familiar with the way technology is impacting the workforce.
If you don’t have social networking accounts make some popcorn and watch some YouTube videos then dive in.. @karla_porter
Celestine Allen says
I recently told some friends and family that I was becoming socially medialized. This may not be a word, but it does provide substance to becoming acquainted with the concept of Twitter, LinkedIn, and other like-minded sites. I am enjoying this journey and focusing on making it a part of my daily routine. What amazes me most is the learning that is available. As a baby boomer, I see sites like these akin to when the internet was launched into the reality of our lives. I didn’t believe it at first, but here it is, taking on a new dimension. I embrace it, see the viability, and looking forward to forging professional relationships with people that I would have never met before along with access to people, ideas, and concepts.
RecruiterGuy says
Thanks for the great post, Sharlyn. While I constantly wrestle with whether or not I feel that Twitter is long sustaining, the fact is that it’s a powerful tool that’s in play today.
I like the reference in your post that you’re not just posting another article telling people to use the tool but rather to understand it.
Always great to share my morning coffee with your writing. Good stuff.
Chris Hoyt
aka: RecruiterGuy
http://www.RecruiterGuy.net
Celestine Allen says
Twitter gives us an option as to whom we want to make a connection with. The social side of the site may be short-lived, but the professional relationship that can be forged on this site can stand the test of time. Selectivity and substance is the key. I am amazed at the professional talent on this site, and as a result, want to share in the learning. I don’t know the percentages of how much is professional networking, how much is “selling”, and how much is social in terms of day-to-day tweets, and yes, as with all internet communication, it can be abused. We can set the standard, though. The sustainability and the people that continue to tweet, will I feel, continue to appreciate it.