Social Media

Twitter has signed it’s first ever staffer from D.C. Adam Sharp, past C-SPAN employee, is going to advice the politicans on Capital Hill how to use Twitter to reach constituents.

Sharp Tweeted

Will be @Twitter’s 1st DC staff, but join 300+ strong team committed to improving govt, political debate. Start 11/29. #gov20

OnTuesday’s election, many of the politicans used Twitter as a way to congratul

18 year old Singer and actress Demi Lovato is seeking treatment at a rehabilitation center  for “emotional and physical issues”. She recently permanently deleted her Twitter account after taking a break from her it  last September.

A close source of Lovato’s family told People Magazine

She fought through eating disorders and has struggled with cutting. [She] is taking control by getting help.

Demi has also been speaking out against bullying. She said she was bullied in middleschool and decided to escape her troubles and decided to be homeschooled.

It remains in question if when Demi leaves her treatment if she will return to Twitter and social media.

This comes in the wake of the bullying episodes occurring around the nation. Sources reveal that Lovato’s decision to delete her Twitter account was because she was bullied. Twitter might have in fact been a factor in her behaviors. She had a huge following on Twitter.

http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/39959716/ns/today-entertainment/

In class tonight we had a discussion about sports journalists use (and shouldn’t use) social media and Twitter. How media members communicate with their followers and with each other is a developing issue and we have yet to truly explore it.

However, Twitter has turned into one giant quote machine for sports writers. Gone are the days when journalists need to pick up the phone if they need a quick quote, or go to the locker room after a game to hear a player’s opinion. While some leagues have strict policies on Twitter (the NFL and NBA don’t let players tweet a certain amount of time before the game or during the game), most high-profile athletes have an account, because, like I said in my earlier post, they’re commodities too.

Recently, a pretty huge sports news story broke on noted anti-hero, Boston Celtic Kevin Garnett, who allegedly said alopecia universalis-sufferer Charlie Villanueva of the Detroit Pistons looked “like a cancer patient.” How did they story break? You guessed it – Twitter. Not just some journalist tweeted it though. Villanueva himself was the tweeter.

What does a story like this teach us? Does it mean that the world no longer need sports journalists? Obviously not, ESPN’s profit margin is evidence of that. But it does mean that the job of a sports journalist just got a little easier. While twitter is not a reliable source for news or stories, if you’re writing a story and an athlete tweets about it, it’s fair game to use and can offer a fresh, modern feel to the reader if they’re reader a tweet in the story.

In a recent post on web/tech blog Mashable.com, three small business owners participated in a round table discussion about using Twitter to build their business. The word “no-brainer” was tossed around a fair amount, and if you really think about it, Twitter is a godsend for anyone who cares about people caring about them/their product.

As journalists, we live and die with our readership. The more “Tweeps” we have, the more page views we’ll get when we link to our articles. Small businesses rely even more on their equivalent of readership: customers. Wal-Mart doesn’t really need a Twitter (even though they have many), because they have brand-name recognition, an established customer base of millions, not to mention great prices and near-slave labor.

Twitter allows business like Cupcake Stop (which is one of the businesses in the article) to connect to its customers, inform them of product/menu changes, locations, and build loyalty, which is the foundation of any small business.

What can journalists learn from small businesses? Well, unless you’re Adam Schefter, the football journalist equivalent of Wal-Mart, connecting with followers is the perfect way to commoditize yourself. It’s not just about building a base with thousands of followers, it’s about how you interact with them that can set you apart. As the owner of Cupcake Stop said, he responds to 99 percent of questions on Twitter.

If a reader asks you a question, retweet and respond to it. That reader will likely stick with you, read your stuff, and tell his/her friends about you now because they feel personally connected. This is also a much safer way of interacting with readers than handing out your phone number or e-mail address, for obvious reasons.

Remember, in the modern world of journalism, the only way to ensure that you stay relevant, thus employable, is if you are a commodity that a news organization wishes to acquire. Commoditize yourself, and build your customer base.

A new study conducted by TNS, a British research agency, found that people who are online are, on average, spending more time on social networking sites than e-mail. The research comes from 50,000 interviews with people in 46 countries.

 So, who has the most friends on social networks? The study found that Malaysians have an average of 233 friends. They also spend an average of nine hours a week using social media, more than any other country studied. Brazilians came in second with an average of 231 friends. The Japanese have the lowest number of social media friends with an average of 29 and Tanzanians have 38, according to the study.

The research also shows that 88 percent of online users in China, and 51 percent in Brazil, have written their own blog or forum entry. In the United States, only 32 percent of users have done the same.

Finally, the study found that 61 percent of online users get their news from the Internet daily, compared to 54 percent from television, 36 percent from radio, and 32 percent from newspapers.

It’s interesting that Malaysians are the most popular on social networking sites and that they spend the most time using social media. Given the amount of time I see people on Facebook or Twitter in class and around campus, I would have bet money that it was the United States.

Less surprising is the fact that people are using the Internet as their daily source for news. There are many more places to get news online, and it’s much more accessible with laptops and smart phones.