Twitter Tricks of the Trade

Twitter’s API allows for external web services to use the platform. This has led to a host of applications that help make managing your Twitter account easier – whether it be for business or personal. Here’s a few worth looking into:
Twitterfeed – Twitterfeed integrates with your blog so that every time you publish a new blog post, your Twitter feed is updated automatically.
Tweetmeme – For finding new memes and top tweets on Twitter. Sort options include subject, media types (news, images or video), and period of time.
We Follow – A director of Twitter users if you are looking to find people to follow, [...]

Twitter Announces Sponsored Tweets Platform

Today Twitter released it’s Sponsored Tweets advertising program.
In a nutshell, it gives advertisers the ability to move their tweets up in the timeline. As the New York Times article says:
Starbucks, for instance, often publishes Twitter posts about its promotions, like free pastries. But the messages quickly get lost in the thousands of posts from users who happen to mention meeting at Starbucks.
AdAge posted an example of an @Starbucks promoted tweet.
To begin with, the ads are being offered on a keyword focused CPM basis. There is a maximum of one sponsored Tweet will be shown on a search results page. Right [...]

News Flash – People Tweet about Pointless Babble

A rush of emails flew around the office this morning about Emarketer’s post claiming 40% of Tweets are babble. Not just babble but “pointless babble”.  At the time I wondered what babble with a point might look like. But let’s get past that mindblock.
I find it really interesting. The “pointless babble” is just random stuff that people shout out in the course of their daily life. An SEO expert might provide heaps of useful insight, flagging up useful links and helping their Twitter community with stucks and problems. Yet they may also shout out that their cat was just sick [...]

Why Would Google Acquire Twitter?

It’s possibly one of the fastest moving rumors on the internet (perhaps thanks to Twitter): TechCrunch has reported Google may be in talks to acquire Twitter. Whether it’s just a rumour, or the talks are fairly advanced, it’s worthwhile to take a step back and examine why Google might want to buy a service like Twitter, and what that might mean to either company.
Google Can Do Anything, Why Can’t It Make A Twitter?
Google knows what it’s good at. Like any smart company, they focus on what they’re good at and strategically outsource the rest. They also know that there are [...]

Skittles Viral Campaign Holds a Mirror to Twitter

Original Post: http://www.marketingfinger.com/2009/03/skittles-holds-a-mirror-to-twitter/
Skittles, a candy produced by Mars Incorporated, created a bit of an online uproar on March 1 when they made a dead simple, yet effective change to their web home page, www.skittles.com. Instead of a rainbow-colored product site as one would expect, users saw a Twitter feed for the search term Skittles.  The page was superimposed by an intercept survey asking users for their age, and acceptance of a simple terms and conditions statement:
"Just a heads up: Any stuff beyond the Skittles.com page is actually another site and not in our control.  This panel may be hovering [...]

B2B, Social Media and Twitter – an Interview with Ann Handley of MarketingProfs

B2B, Social Media and Twitter – an Interview with Ann Handley of MarketingProfs
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I recently had a chance to catch up with Ann Handley, Chief Content Officer at MarketingProfs. Ann has developed a successful online presence for MarketingProfs on popular social networking site, Twitter (see twitter.com/marketingprofs). In the interview, she shares her thoughts and personal experiences on Twitter as it relates to her role as a B2B marketer and promoter of the MarketingProfs brand.