Nov 0820
Unlike some of my friends and many staffers at Matrix Group, I’m relatively new to Twitter, the mini-blogging site that lets you broadcast your status, location and thoughts. I’ve been “twittering” for just a few months, but I’m addicted. I “tweet” all day long and read most of the tweets of the people I follow. On Twitter, btw, I’m jmpineda.
For those of you who are new to all this, you can “follow” people on Twitter and people can follow you. When you follow someone, their tweets are posted to your Twitter home page all day long. In my case, I’m following a random collection of friends, Web thought leaders and organizations. My friend Joe tweets his location, the books he’s reading, the articles he’s reading. The National Wildlife Federation tweets about promotions, events and issues. Read the rest of this entry
Nov 0812
I used to think that twittering was for individuals who wanted to broadcast their whereabouts and activities to friends and family. Most of my tweets have to do with where I am, what I’m reading, yada, yada. But I’ve found a growing number of companies using Twitter to raise awareness, reach new audiences, raise money, and disseminate news.
I can’t think of a more fitting match between Twitter and CNN’s breaking news. My god, Twitter is nothing but a bunch of headlines! Today, nearly 54,000 people follow CNN’s headline news on Twitter.
The National Wildlife Federation does a great job of using Twitter to promote events, broadcast NWF news and mobilize people to do something (vote, send an e-card, donate, watch a video). Over 1,600 people follow NWF on Twitter. Read the rest of this entry
Aug 0829
I’m noticing a curious trend lately. Instead of sending me e-mail, friends and family are sending me messages through Facebook.
My niece (age 17) and nephew (age 20) ignore my e-mails. But when I send either of them a message via Facebook, I’m likely to get a message back. When Facebook sends an automated messages about what I’m doing or posting, I might get a hello or an update. My older sister says she gets the same kind of treatment — that she needs to contact her kids through Facebook.
A friend who lives in Philaldelphia wrote on my Facebook wall to let me know he and his family were coming to the DC area and ask if we were interested in going to the Baltimore Aquarium.
After our trip to Costa Rica, I posted a few photos to Facebook and sent messages to friends. I’ve even had long lost high school friends send me messages via Facebook even though my e-mail is part of my Facebook profile. Finally, a friend is throwing a party next week and she sent an invite via Facebook.
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Aug 0826
The first night of the Democratic National Convention in Denver was watched by 22 million people who watched the speeches and commentaries on the major networks and cable outlets. Apparently, more people watched the convention proceedings than in previous years. But the real story is the proliferation of alternate news outlets that are providing real-time photos, video, news and commentary on the convention activities.
The array of outlets for political junkies is truly breathtaking.
The official DNC Web site offers a real-time feed in HD, in English and Spanish. There was about a 15 second delay, presumably to encode the feed. But HD in real-time? Amazing.
The DNC blog features news and videos. Read the rest of this entry
Jul 0817
Last Thursday, John and Ronia Weisner were at Dulles Airport, on their way to Saudi Arabia for a year-long assignment. Accompanying them was their beloved dog, Jeddah. Somehow, something went terribly wrong, Jeddah’s crate was damaged, and the dog escaped. Now, there is a Web site - http://www.HelpFindJeddah.com - devoted to finding Jeddah, as well as a Twitter account to keep people abreast of any news related to Jeddah’s whereabouts.
Just think about it. In the past, if a dog or cat went missing, we put up flyers in the neighborhood and told all our friends. Today, we use the Web, especially social networking sites, to tell the story, spread the word, and ask others to spread the word. If a cause or issue takes hold, thousands of people catch wind of the story within minutes, hours, days, without the involvement of any government or news outlet.
In Jeddah’s case, WJLA reported the story, which reached the ears of Kate Bland, who asked Matrix Group to put up a Web page and Twitter account. In between, dozens of people have e-mailed and actually joined the hunt for Jeddah at Dulles Airport and in Reston. Today, thousands of people have heard about Jeddah.
Can the Web, e-mail and Twitter help save Jeddah? Let’s hope so.
Jun 0810
A recent study by Nortel and IDC showed just how wired and connected we have become. The study found that:
- 16% of global workers are already “hyperconnected,” fully embracing a world of multiple devices and intense use of new communication applications. The hyperconnected worker uses a minimum of seven devices for work and personal access, plus at least nine applications like IM, text messaging, web conferencing, and social networks.
- 36% of global workers were designated as “increasingly connected,” meaning they use a minimum of four devices for work and personal access to six or more applications.
- The most hyperconnected country is China and the United States. The least hyperconnected countries were Canada and the United Arab Emirates.
- The ranks of the hyperconnected are expected to rise to 40% in the next few years.
Seven devices and nine applications! Okay, I use four devices: My laptop, iMac, regular phone, and cell phone. And I thought that was over the top, but seven?
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