Are You Twittering Yet?
May 10, 2008
Twitter. Some are calling it the new standard in public relations, others are calling it a waste of time fad that won’t last long.
Before I divulge my thoughts on Twitter, let’s go over the basics of the online service. Check out this video, “Twitter in Plain English” for a simple visual explanation.
After reading a number of blog posts on the social media tool and its benefits to PR professionals, I created my account a few nights ago and set out to see if Twitter is worth all the buzz.
I must say that so far it seems to be.
One of the first things I did after joining Twitter was look up PR bloggers, practitioners and professors to follow. This is one of the best things PR students can do on Twitter. Why?
1. Knowledge: Find out what the PR community is talking about. Get in the know.
2. Networking: If you follow someone on Twitter, they will likely follow you back. I’m following influential PR bloggers, professionals and professors that I’ve never met before and most are following me too. This allows you to interact with people working in the industry and make contacts all across the world.
If these reasons aren’t enough to convince you to sign up, there’s always personal branding. Use Twitter to market yourself and stand out in the competitive PR field. Just remember to keep your “tweets” professional. Want to learn more ways to brand yourself? Check out recent USF PR grad Meg Roberts’s post on the topic.
Twitter will be a useful tool when you start working in the PR industry. So why not get familiar with it now?
Once you decide to set up your Twitter account, you’re welcome to follow me here.
Entry Filed under: Branding, PR, Social Media. Tags: PR, Social Media, students, Twitter.
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Alisha Levin
1.
catalysta | June 22, 2008 at 1:46 pm
Hello. I just came across your blog from Twitter. I recently joined the Tweeple community myself and I’ve found great exercises in how to be succinct with just the small tweet of 140 characters. It’s difficult to do. I’ve also learned lessons on what NOT to say when people from work are listening. It’s a great tool and it’s also helping for me to network with people I wouldn’t know otherwise. I can also promote MY blog a bit! http://catalysta.wordpress.com. I blog about my transition from college to professional and the mishaps I incur along the way.
Nice to meet you and hope to hear from you on my blog sometime!
2.
Alisha Levin | June 22, 2008 at 5:13 pm
@catalysta - thanks for your comment and for visiting my blog. Twitter is probably my top referrer. I love that Twitter allows us to interact with people we wouldn’t otherwise meet as well!
I definitely agree that it can be so difficult to get everything you want to say into 140 characters, but you’re right it is a great exercise!
Nice to meet you and I look forward to checking out your blog!