microblog

I'm still processing the many great insights from the next09 conference in Hamburg, Germany, one of Europe's leading digital-creative-marketing forums. This year's theme was "Share Economy," and the 1,300 attendees consisted of European VCs and angel investors, Web 2.0 entrepreneurs, media, creative agencies, and executives from German corporations (from BMW and Deutsche Bank to Deutsche Telekom).

Jeff Jarvis: "The Great Restructuring"

The first day, the keynote day, was a little disappointing, maybe because expectations were so high. Jeff Jarvis warmed up the crowd with his trademark "What Would Google … Read more

By Kristina Loring

With the Twittersphere reaching critical mass, lots of companies are establishing accounts to speak directly with customers, monitor their brand, and respond to questions and rumors. Most of them are using the microblogging service to become more transparent and as a trustworthy resource for their followers, while also exposing a more personable aspect of their brand.

Here are some examples, researched by Brilliant Ink, a communications agency specializing in strategic messaging and content development:

- Ford used Twitter to host conversations and answer criticisms during the recent federal loan hearings in DC: http://twitter.com/scottmonty. Scott … Read more

That was quick.

In a blog post, Twitter co-founder Biz Stone has acknowledged that the company left quite a few users rather miffed when it opted to stop displaying @-replies (conversational "tweets" directed to another Twitter user) in members' feeds, if they didn't already follow the recipient of the reply.

"Folks loved this feature because it allowed them to discover new people and participate serendipitously in various conversations," Stone wrote. "The problem with the setting was that it didn't scale, and even if we rebuilt it, the feature was blunt. It was confusing … Read more

Twitter has made a small update that's left many avid users scratching their heads--to put it lightly.

A post on the Twitter blog explains the situation. Previously, Twitter users had been able to choose between two settings for viewing the feed of accounts that they follow: to turn on "@-replies" from members whom they follow directed to members whom they don't follow, or to leave those off and hence see fewer "tweets" that may not be relevant to them personally.

So, if I follow Twitter user @rafe, but I don't follow Twitter user … Read more

Twitter's much-publicized appearance on Oprah Winfrey's talk show last week did a real number for the microblogging tool's traffic, a report from Hitwise indicates.

On April 17, the day of the show--when CEO Evan Williams appeared on-air and Winfrey herself began Twittering--a whopping 37 percent of visits to the Twitter.com home page were new visitors. That's a high number even for the fast-growing Twitter. Keep in mind that many avid Twitter users rarely even visit the home page, instead relying on desktop- or mobile-based third-party applications, so the jump might not look quite as drastic … Read more

Something's afoot at Twitter. Well, something's always afoot at Twitter, but this time the founders are leaving everyone hanging by Twittering about it.

CEO and co-founder Evan Williams posted to his Twitter account on Thursday morning: "Tomorrow just became a very big day. (Sorry for the teaser--more later.)" Ooh! Fascinating!

So what's up with his fellow co-founder, Biz Stone? He's in Boston, which happens to be where one of Twitter's big investors, Spark Capital, is headquartered. Spark led Twitter's $15 million Series B funding round last year.

"It's almost midnight … Read more

Celebrities are migrating to Twitter in astounding numbers. Or so we think.

I've set out to determine if the most-followed celebrities (according to WeFollow) on Twitter are really who they say they are. Is it someone pretending to be a celeb? Is it their publicist taking care of the "trivial" task of updating their Twitter profile? You might be surprised to know that most celebrities are really tweeting. And that's pretty cool.

1. Britney Spears Britney Spears is a celebrity of the first order. But if you read through her profile, you quickly realize that she's only tweeting a portion of the time. When she's not, other people in her entourage are. Britney signs all her tweets with "~Britney." Seems possible.

Verdict: @BritneySpears is the real Britney Spears.

2. Jimmy Fallon Jimmy Fallon tweets on the @JimmyFallon Twitter account. There's no doubt about it. He talks about things only Jimmy could shed light on. And most importantly, he talks about his tweeting on his show, "Late Night with Jimmy Fallon." No worries here: it's the real guy.

Verdict: @JimmyFallon is really JimmyFallon.

3. Shaquille O'Neal Dubbed @THE_REAL_SHAQ, Shaquille O'Neal's Twitter account is one of the most entertaining in this roundup. Shaq posts pictures of himself, sends brief messages out to followers, and unleashes one-liners that will make you chuckle. I don't think there's any debating that @THE_REAL_SHAQ is the real Shaq.

Verdict: @THE_REAL_SHAQ is really him.

4. Lance Armstrong Lance Armstrong is definitely tweeting on the @LanceArmstrong account. He tweets about his travel around the U.S. He talks about where he's riding today and most importantly, he uploads personal pictures to his TwitPic account.

Verdict: @LanceArmstrong is the real deal.

5. Ellen DeGeneres Ellen DeGeneres is tweeting on her show's Twitter profile, @TheEllenShow. On multiple occasions she has said on her show that she tweets and a recent update provided a TwitPic link to an image of her mother. She also tends to make references to events in her life that others might not know.

Verdict:@TheEllenShow is the real Ellen DeGeneres… Read more

Twitter's co-founders are singing a new song when it comes to explaining why they famously haven't put a business plan in place yet: it's too expensive!

Maybe I'm being a little bit mean there. But in a video interview with AllThingsD's Kara Swisher, the so-buzzed-it's-ringing-in-your-ears company's founders, Biz Stone and Evan Williams, said possible revenue strategies are currently in the process of getting bounced off the walls.

But, they said, it will invariably take some time because the company has a whole lot else to deal with--you know, monster worm attacks and ravenous fail-whales, … Read more

Twitter is growing fast. Grab your name fast! Actually, it's probably too late. But don't give up and settle for a lame name. What you're called on Twitter matters. Here's our advice for picking your name:

1. Don't be afraid to use your real name. There's nothing wrong with using your name on Twitter. I do it. And so does Rafe. Granted, we're public figures, but that's not the point. If you're using Twitter as a networking tool or an opportunity to connect with others for personal or professional enrichment, calling yourself "DarthVader918345" isn't the smartest decision. Use your real name. Those you're communicating with will appreciate it.

If you want to hide, what are you doing on Twitter?

Related tip: Especially if your real name is taken, use your real picture. That way your friends will know it's you.

2. Don't use curse words or obscenity in your username. It's not common, but I've come across some folks who decided to throw some curse words or suggestive concepts into their username. I don't get it. Anyone who really wants to contribute something to the community won't use their username as a vehicle to shock others.

3. Do tell us about your profession or your interests. If you're using Twitter to expand your professional network, you can use your name to tell us what you do. If you're a plumber, say so. If you're an attorney, tell us. There's no better way to attract followers than to give them a hint about who you are. If your followers know you're a plumber, maybe they'll ask you how to unclog a drain. Even better, maybe they'll ask if they can hire you to fix their plumbing. For personal users, if you're a gamer, say so in your username. If you love PCs, we want to know it. Every time I see someone who puts "Yanksfan" or something like it in their username, I follow them because I know that we have something in common. There's nothing better than to have a Twitter dialogue with someone who shares your interests. … Read more