Why Twitter Matters

Laura Lee S. Dooley, Online Engagement Strategist, World Resources Institute

eMetrics | Washington, DC 2008 | Why Twitter Matters October 21, 2008

Why Twitter Matters

Laura Lee S. DooleyOnline Engagement StrategistWorld Resources Institute (www.wri.org)twitter.com/[email protected]

Followers, Friends and Fans:Expanding Your Online Community



www.wri.org



delicious tags for World Resources Institute



twitter.com/worldresources



initial idea for twitter (stat.us)



twitter co-founders

@jack

@biz

@ev



twitter is a microblog



422%August 2007 – August 2008

twitter traffic

2.3 million unique U.S. visitors



Twitter Traffic Worldwide

February 2008



140 characters

The habit and skill of revising for brevity and clarity is one of the secrets to good writing.

- @mike_elgan

microblogging easier than blogging



. . . first alert and news source . . .



. . . platform for timely action . . .



REASON 1:Be part of the

conversation or be invisible



Don’t see the purpose

of twitter

Twitter isn’t the way we do business

Twitter is a time

waster

Twitter is too much fun, get back to work

Twitter is not our

audience

http://www.flickr.com/photos/jeannab/2546668884/excuses, excuses, excuses



your website



companies = agencies = organizations



building and tearing down walls online



Remember the information superhighway?

Welcome to twitter …



Peter Choambient awareness … and presence



Current Listening Posts

http://www.symposiumc6.com/images/bio/details/DIETZhansen_big.jpg

… organizing online conversations …



REASON 2:Build tangible

community and shape conversation



Post ratio - 1:12 (1=you, 12=them)



Followers: following, followers, mutual





manage 2 twitter accounts in 2 browsers



#emetricssearch.twitter.com

tweetbeep.com

twist.flaptor.com

twemes.com

www.tweetdeck.com

Some tools for listening



search.twitter.com

www.twellow.com

www.chrisfinke.com/twitslikeme

www.socialbrandindex.com

twitter.com

Some tools to find others



REASON 3:Measure

with purpose in mind



AUTHORITY: Followers, frequency, @replies



FOLLOWERS DATA• Twittername• Real name• Location• URL• Biosketch• Tweet Type• Follower/Mutual• Date Followed• Time Followed• Blog feed (listen)• Blog contact info



Some tools for measuring reach

tweetburner.com

www.lessfriends.com

www.twittercounter.com

www.twinfluence.com



Source: www.tweetburner.com



Some tools for measuring performance

www.xefer.com/twitter/

twitter.grader.com



REASON 4:Twitter is a

conversation







Integration with SMS (Texting)

4,000

6,747

0 2,000 4,000 6,000 8,000

Cell phonesubscriptions

end of 2008

ProjectedPopulation Jan

1, 2009

Millions



Be part of the conversation or be invisible

Build tangible community and shape conversation

Measure with purpose in mind

Twitter is a conversation



ENDNOTE:Failwhale

doesn’t mean failure









October 16, 2008Jack Dorsey to step into the role of Chairman and Evan

Williams to become CEO



delicious.com/lldoolj2/emetrics2008-S04

delicious.com/tag/twitter



Technology

Why Twitter Matters