All aboard the social network
The fact that news of a passenger flight landing in New York’s Hudson River was broken by social networking sites asks all of us involved in communications whether we can afford to ignore them.
Using a combination of Facebook and Twitter – news of the crash was communicated quickly and to a large audience before it hit TV and newspaper headlines.
For those of you who don’t already know, here are the facts. Twitter is a free social networking and micro blogging service that allows users to send and receive other user’s updates, known as tweets. Updates are displayed on the user’s profile page and delivered to other users who have signed up. Twitter has been around for a few years, gradually building its profile. It received more than 5m visitors in September 2008 and looks set to break into mainstream popular culture.
As the guardians of accuracy and truth, traditional media outlets have questioned the value of information reported in this way. However, a leading charity has stated that Twitter ‘proved the most successful tool in disaster response scenarios’.
Like all issues which attract points of view set at polar opposites, the truth of the matter probably lies somewhere in between.
Not for one minute are we suggesting that Twitter is set to replace print and broadcast media this very moment. However, clearly there is a role for social networking for all of us who are concerned with reaching out to as many people as possible.
I can see a particular use for it when responding quickly, controlling online criticism and protecting reputation. The digital age, unlike traditional media, no longer affords organisations the right of reply. The private sector is already taking measures into its own hands – with major companies such as PepsiCo and Ford using Twitter to talk to their customers directly – to diffuse potentially damaging situations.
From Stephen Fry ranting about computer software to local authorities announcing election results in real time, Twitter has its wings and 2009 could be the year we see it fly. The challenge now for organisations is to understand how the medium can be applied and do so in creative and positive ways.