Short and tweet: Insights from the 140 Character Conference

July 27, 2009

Copyright © 2009 PRSA. All rights reserved.

By Amy Jacques

The following article appears in the August issue of PR Tactics.

The Twitter elite came from all over the country for the 140 Character Conference experience at New World Stages in New York City on June 16.  A theater filled with twitterati and their computers and smartphones ensured that the sessions were carefully documented.

Conference organizer Jeff Keni Pulver (@jeffpulver) delivered the opening remarks, discussing the “State of Now” and how the advent of  Twitter has democratized access to information. He suggested that by sharing what is going on in our lives, we can help create numerous social media opportunities.

Twitter co-founder and Chairman  Jack Dorsey (@jack) addressed the crowd next, saying that Twitter appreciates how we are changing the micro-blogging tool by the ways that we are using it. He spoke of  Twitter’s approachability, transparency and immediacy and noted how people can now read the thoughts of many different types of followers from all over the world. Regarding Twitter usage, Dorsey said, “Expect the unexpected and, whenever possible, be the unexpected.”

Sessions during the two-day conference covered everything from sports to music to interviewing tactics to growing small businesses.  As a general rule, Pulver alloted 10 minutes for each presentation and 20 minutes for each panel discussion. Keeping in this spirit of brevity and simplicity, we’ve compiled our takeaways from the event in short Twitter-like bursts as well.

The effects of Twitter on my business:  The corporate perspective

Moderator: Brian Solis (@briansolis), principal, FutureWorks
Panelists:  Tony Hsieh (@zappos), CEO, Zappos.com; Marcel LeBrun (@lebrun), CEO, Radian6; Brook Lundy (@someecards), co-founder and writer, someecards.com.

Solis:
• “Twitter is the human network.”
• “Twitter is UN-marketing.”

Hsieh:
• “It’s all about relationships, so what’s the ROI of a hug? What’s the higher purpose of this vision?”
• “Twitter fits into our brand of delivering joy.”
• I use Twitter for building friendships within the company and Zappos
community.
• We have 400 employees representing us on Twitter and the employees are acting as themselves.
• I often send direct messages instead of @replies — it’s like customer service.
• We have a tweet center that re-routes messages to e-mail format, for easier answering. I only respond to the ones that I am personally most qualified to answer.
• For Zappos, Twitter is not a marketing tool, but it’s for the long-term branding and company culture.

LeBrun:
• “Listen for the point of need. People are talking about their needs on Twitter more than other sites.”
• “Every business function in the company that has to do with having a conversation with a customer is touched by Twitter. How do you measure all that ROI?”
• Line up for customers. Find them where they are so that they can respond.
• Have “conversational relationships” and understand that they have value.

Lundy:
• “Our business is about short-form comedy,  so it synched up well right away. It’s become a way to go in and see trending topics, and the audience tells us what they think is funny.”
• We let people guide our brand through Twitter.
• It’s a way to get an immediate response to see if a joke hits or not.

Twitter as a news-gathering tool

Moderator: Robert Scoble (@Scobleizer), author, blogger and technical evangelist
Panelists: Rick Sanchez (@ricksanchezcnn), host, CNN Newsroom at 3 p.m.; Ryan Osborn (@todayshow), producer, NBC “Today Show;” Ann Curry (@AnnCurry), news anchor, NBC “Today Show;” Clayton Morris (@ClaytonMorris), co-host, “FOX and Friends Weekend”
*Most of the conversation centered on the recent election protests in Iran.

Scoble:
• Twitter won’t take over the news media, but it will force it into a smaller role.
• News gathering is changing because of connectedness and speed.

Sanchez:
• Social media is pushing CNN to validate whether the elections were real or not.
• It’s imperative to use Twitter to have conversations with watchers — not to use it as a gimmick.
• If CNN or other news disappears, it takes away a lot of the content that social content creators can talk about.

Curry:
• “We need to stop reporting the news how America sees it. Let citizens report it.”
• It is important to make sure that the story is true, on Twitter or elsewhere. There is an obligation to tell the truth.
• Twitter is whatever you make of it, but for news, it’s two-way broadcasting.
• What people want to know, like celebrity gossip, needs to be overcome by what they need to know, like what’s happening in the world.
• “News judgment is changing away from U.S.-centered because we all have world connections.”
• “If one word can change everything, then what are the rules of engagement?”
• “Judgment is not taught in J-school — it is learned over time.”
• Must find out what will inform people.  Journalism is a service job, not just a business — you must be diligent.

Amy Jacques is the associate editor of  Tactics. E-mail: amy.jacques@prsa.org.

Illustration by Jonny Goldstein 

View Comments