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Issue 2: May 8, 2009

By the Numbers

61,000 
The average number of tweets sent on Twitter.com every hour.

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Issue 1: April 15, 2009
 

Editorial Staff

Senior Editor:
Gini Dietrich 
 
Editor:
Jennifer Thomas 
 
Contributing Editor:
Diane Blazek 
 
Writer:
Joe Moylan
 
Designer:
Christine Heim
 

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Keeping it fresh
  
The way people communicate evolves over time, and since the dawn of the Internet age, the public has embraced computers as their source for news, entertainment, and communication. The latest example of this evolution is social media.
 
Social media, in case you have had your eyes closed and your ears covered since the 1990s, encompasses all of the digital mediums people use today to communicate and share information. Though the venues are constantly changing and you never know what the next big network like Facebook or LinkedIn is going to be, social media is not a trend or a passing fad; it is here to stay.
 
The reigning king of the social media world today is Twitter. At this time a year ago there were a little over one million active users on Twitter. Today there are more than 14 million active users visiting Twitter.com almost 100 million times each month. Approximately 1.5 million tweets are sent back and forth each day, and more than 10.5 million are sent every week. That's a ton of information flying through cyber space!
 
Social media is driving how we share information today and changing the landscape of the communication industry as we know it. We are staying ahead of the curve, and identifying ethical and transparent ways to use social media in communication. In fact, we recently started a discussion on our blog, FADS, about Land Rover paying people to tweet on the company's behalf. Check it out and join the conversation.
Quick Tips: Getting started on Twitter
 
As budding experts on social media, believe us when we say Twitter is not dominated by gossiping teenagers and social butterflies (though they are there). Many corporate executives, reporters, and entrepreneurs recognize social media not only as a powerful tool for communication, but also as a resource for networking and attracting new business. And though the excuses people use to avoid social media are plentiful ("I don't get it," or "it takes too  long," or "I don't know how to get started"), it really isn't painful or difficult, as long as you commit a little time to get started.
 
 Twitter Bird
 
So what is Twitter?

Twitter is a social networking site where you can meet new people and exchange ideas and information. You are allowed to say whatever you want, as often as you want (in 140 characters or less), in a message called a "tweet." 
 
Types of Tweets
DMs, RTs, and @replies. What do all of those mean? A DM is a direct message you send to anyone in your network who is also following you (we'll get to following later), and is not viewable by anyone else. It is like an email between you and another person. If you find a tweet of particular interest, you can RT or retweet it. All of your followers may not be connected, and retweeting a post shares the information with your network. Lastly, @replies are simply a reply to someone else's tweet. Your followers may not see the initial message, but they will be able to read your @reply on your Twitter page.
 
When you're tweeting, don't forget that Twitter is just like any other information source, so it's important to give credit where credit is due and reference your source when sharing other people's tweets. 
 
Getting started
First create a Twitter handle (also known as a screen name), upload a picture, and write a bio. Use your real name and a current picture so people recognize you. (For some quick tips on how to write an online bio, check out Gini's recent post on the Geek Girls Guide.)
 
Start networking
If you want anyone to read what you are writing, you need some followers. When you subscribe to someone else's Twitter stream, it is called following. The easiest way to build your online community is to search for people you already know using Twitter and start following them. (Follow the Arment Dietrich team here!) You can also search keywords to find like-minded people. And, start tweeting! Use DMs, RTs, and @replies to engage and connect.
 
Making time for Twitter
Check Twitter morning, noon, and night. Or, at least three times per day at first. Once you get used to checking it and reading your updates, you'll see you don't have to make a huge time investment to become involved.
 
There are many programs out there to make your Twitter experience as easy as possible (such as TweetDeck), and allow you to group your followers and track tweets based on interests or people.  Programs like these are a big timesaver.
PR in practice
  
We strive to be on the cutting edge of all social media trends and participate in a number of social mediums including our own blog, FADS. This week, we are discussing the pros and cons of value-based compensation for agencies. Value-based compensation is a topic that many companies, across all industries, need to address at some point and we would love to hear your thoughts.