This is the full version of my final Belfast Telegraph Twitter column. An email from Biz Stone arrives in my inbox as I sit wondering what to write in my final Word on Tweet column. By chance Biz (one of the owners of Twitter) is announcing the next phase for what has become a byword for social media. This time four years ago very few people had heard of Twitter. The first “Tweet” had not even been sent. Work on the project started on March 21, 2006, when founder Jack Dorsey published the first Twitter message at 9:50 PM Pacific Standard Time: “just setting up my twttr”. Twttr was the original name and was only intended for people working in Odeo.com but a full-scale public version was launched a few months later. The SMS of the internet grew quickly. Soon it filled with news, conversation, spam, and pointless babble. It – like most social media – reflects the world it occupies and the people who use it. It has been central to some political campaigns, charitable appeals, live reporting of disasters, near disasters and earthquakes, political demonstrations, pleas for help, boasts of triumph and rather good recipes. Search Amazon and you will find pages and pages of books about Twitter. In his email Biz Stone announced their 140th employee (significant as140 characters is the maximum length of a Twitter message). “In the course of a year, registered Twitter accounts have grown more than 1,500%.” says Stone. One of the reasons for Twitter’s growth and popularity is the army of what Stone describes as “dedicated platform developers who have now created more than 70,000 registered Twitter applications creating variety and utility for all of us.” But Twitter is growing up. That informal group of developers working into the night fuelled by pizza and a brand new idea may become a little more formal as Twitter announce their first developer conference. It will be called Chirp. Once, it might have been called a Tweet-up. Now, that is a sign of growing up. When the first telephone engineers sent the first text (SMS) messages, no one would have predicted the impact of that simple messaging system. That was almost 30 years ago. Texting is stronger than ever. Twitter still dominates short messaging but there are others such as identi.ca. What will be the impact of these in 25 years time? 140 – it appears – is the magic number.

What do users think about Google Buzz? Not much, it would appear. See my column in the Belfast Telegraph.

This week's Twitter column in the Belfast Telegraph is 10 (very) basic rules for using Twitter for business. Read all about it ...

This is a version of my Belfast Telegraph column from 2 Feb 2010

It is more than a year since the Great Twitter Adoption.  Within a few months Twitter stories were all over the media. @StephenFry earned acres of coverage when he sent a photograph and Tweets from inside a lift stuck between two floors.  This was the new frontier and Mr. Fry was elevated to be the great public Twitter leader of the non-digerati – rightly so.  Stories of an easy way to communicate with strangers (in or out of a lift) emerged just as the economy was crumbling. Businesses saw this mass migration to one platform as a new way to market. Some blundered in and started firing off marketing messages to an audience they hadn’t got to know and without understanding that the great thing about Twitter (and other social media) you can chose not to listen to someone.

Some got it right. From their experience I offer the following as “learnings”.  Businesses can use Twitter successfully; they just have to appreciate the local customs.

1 – Human or Business?  People like people and they tend to be less interested in corporations and businesses.  A business is there to sell – social media is about being social.  Be a person, use your own name not your businesses.  There are some exceptions – information providers like newspapers and magazines are generally OK to use their business name, only.  But a person is even better.

2 –Write with a personal voice, write the way you speak.

3 – Beware, 140 characters does not lend itself to subtlety or irony.

4 – Follow and be followed. Twitter is a place to get to know people.  Find followers.  What are you interested in? Find people posting on the same topics. Follow them and some will follow you.

5 –Sell? Sell? Sell? – No! No! No! But do provide information.

6 – Reply. If someone sends a message – reply, unless you want to ignore them.

7 – Share.   Don’t just promote your business.  Tell people about what you are doing, reading, exploring and find interesting.

8  – Unless you are amazingly talented – humour rarely works.

9 – Re-Tweet.  Someone you follow said something interesting?  Then Re-Tweet.  Support your friends and they’ll support you.

10 – Remember #followfriday.  Recommend people you find interesting to others.

Posted via email from Davy Sims Posterous Site

The Belfast Telegraph Business Section have asked me to do an new monthy column as part of Web Watch - the editorial thrust is "how businesses can use the web". In the first article I discuss using the web/internet to build a relationship with customers with Russell Moore.

Read it here in the Belfast Telegraph web site

This week’s Belfast Telegraph column:

The third series of the brilliant BBC TV comedy “The Thick of It” has come to an end. It tells the story of the fictional Department of Social Affairs and Citizenship and in particular the relationship between the Number 10 “enforcer” Malcolm Tucker played by Peter Capaldi and – in the most recent series – the Minister for the department Nicola Murray MP played by Rebecca Front.

“And this has got to do with Twitter because …?” It has to do with Twitter because of the number of members of the cast and writers who use Twitter and the way they interact with fans who follow them. After each programme Rebecca Front (@rebeccafront) will be on Twitter talking to people who have just watched the programme. You’ll also find Chris Addison (@mrchrisaddison) who plays Oliver Reeder, writer Ian Martin @IanMartin and others. Before the end of the series I sent this “Follow Friday” • #ff Special for fans of The Thick of It @mrchrisaddison @rebeccafront @IanMartin @jessearmstrong1 @richardpbacon @willsmithuk @AIannucci

The next day I got this message from Ian Martin:

• IanMartin @davy_sims plus… @joannascanlan @pollykemp and the massive massive writing talent that is @simonblackwell x

Here is the point. A programme has just been broadcast – a fairly controversial one, too (“contains strong language”). And the writing and acting talent are in a public place to talk to each other and their friends and their fans. It’s not a construct, it’s not a publicity stunt. It’s just people talking to people. When I talk to businesses about engaging in Social Media the first response is always “but what if somebody says something bad about us?” Then we have the conversation about talking to your customers as friends not as potential whingers and whiners. I tell them that if they are a good business then people will speak well of them and anyway, if someone has a complaint, should you not be dealing with it and even better to be seen to be dealing with it?

It’s hard to identify anyone more exposed to complaints and whinges than an actor who has just been on TV in a controversial programme. But there is the cast and creator Armando Iannucci (@AIannucci) having perfectly decent conversations. Would Social Media be good for your business? Yes, unless you have something to hide.

This week’s Belfast Telegraph column:

The third series of the brilliant BBC TV comedy “The Thick of It” has come to an end.  It tells the story of the  fictional Department of Social Affairs and Citizenship and in particular the relationship between the Number 10 “enforcer” Malcolm Tucker played by Peter Capaldi and – in the most recent series – the Minister for the department Nicola Murray MP played by Rebecca Front.

“And this has got to do with Twitter because …?” It has to do with Twitter because of the number of members of the cast and writers who use Twitter and the way they interact with fans who follow them. After each programme Rebecca Front (@rebeccafront) will be on Twitter talking to people who have just watched the programme.  You’ll also find Chris Addison (@mrchrisaddison) who plays Oliver Reeder, writer Ian Martin @IanMartin and others. Before the end of the series I sent this “Follow Friday” • #ff Special for fans of The Thick of It @mrchrisaddison @rebeccafront @IanMartin @jessearmstrong1 @richardpbacon @willsmithuk @AIannucci

The next day I got this message from Ian Martin:

• IanMartin @davy_sims plus… @joannascanlan @pollykemp and the massive massive writing talent that is @simonblackwell x

Here is the point.  A programme has just been broadcast – a fairly controversial one, too (“contains strong language”).  And the writing and acting talent are in a public place to talk to each other and their friends and their fans.  It’s not a construct, it’s not a publicity stunt.  It’s just people talking to people. When I talk to businesses about engaging in Social Media the first response is always “but what if somebody says something bad about us?”  Then we have the conversation about talking to your customers as friends not as potential whingers and whiners. I tell them that if they are a good business then people will speak well of them and anyway, if someone has a complaint, should you not be dealing with it and even better to be seen to be dealing with it?

It’s hard to identify anyone more exposed to complaints and whinges than an actor who has just been on TV in a controversial programme.  But there is the cast and creator Armando Iannucci (@AIannucci) having perfectly decent conversations. Would Social Media be good for your business? Yes, unless you have something to hide. Posted via email from Davy Sims Posterous Site

This week's Belfast Telegraph article

It's called “Slacktivism”: a mix of Activism and Slacker describing how some people support a cause by doing no more than signing an online petition, or joining a Facebook group or taking part in a Twitter-storm.

Slacktivism is a pejorative term, but the motivation behind a person’s engagement in an issue can be positive. Most of us are not in a position to change public perception or opinion even if we had the time and resources, even the inclination to put our boots on and take to the streets. Following the Iranian elections in June supporters of the Iranian opposition did take to the streets in protest. Some Twitter users outside Iran added a green tinge to their profile photo to show support to the protesters. Some even changed their profile location to Tehran believing that this would hinder the Iranian authorities. We were told Iranians were using Twitter to arrange protests, the government was trying to monitor them and it was though that the more people on the platform with a false Tehran location the harder it would be to track the real organisers. Who knows whether it did or not.

In October newsrooms were prevented from reporting information about Trafigura by threat of severe legal action. It was a Twitter-storm that brought the story into the public domain showing the “super-injunction” to be impotent. While some registered outrage others became online detectives digging up the information that the public was being prevented from knowing. This was not slacktivism, this was mass collaboration that confounded the legal status quo. But every hash-tag helped.

Signing up to a Facebook page in protest or support doesn’t take much effort. People have been hoodwinked. As a part of a psychological experiment, Anders Colding-Jørgensen created a Facebook protest group that went from 125 to 27,500 members in two weeks. The cause, “Save the Stork Fountain” was a totally fictitious protest against the demolition of a famous Danish fountain. He wanted to understand if political campaigns like that could work. His conclusion was that they don’t. People sign-up to the headline not the issue.

Some Twitter and Facebook campaigns might be superficial and transient but Slactivism is surely better than apathy. It is us Slackers 40th birthday present to the Internet.

My column for the Belfast Telegraph is here.

Only occasionally will you find “breaking news” on Twitter. If you are following the right people and reading at the right time you might. If you follow any of the newspaper feeds including the Belfast Telegraph, you will get a headline linking to the story online. Once or twice news has been broken on Twitter. The biggest story was the US Airways plane crash landing on Hudson accompanied by Photos on Twitpic. It is said – although I’ve yet to see the evidence – that Michael Jackson’s was announced on Twitter 13 minutes after it was declared from within the hospital. News of earthquakes is Tweeted and sometimes other major disasters are covered by citizens caught up in them. More >>>

This is my column for Belfast Telegraph for this week. Only occasionally will you find “breaking news” on Twitter. If you are following the right people and reading at the right time you might. If you follow any of the newspaper feeds including the Belfast Telegraph, you will get a headline linking to the story online.  Once or twice news has been broken on Twitter.  The biggest story was the US Airways plane crash landing on Hudson accompanied by Photos on Twitpic.  It is said – although I’ve yet to see the evidence – that Michael Jackson’s was announced on Twitter 13 minutes after it was declared from within the hospital.  News of earthquakes is Tweeted and sometimes other major disasters are covered by citizens caught up in them. Instant communications about events are enhanced by micro-blogging.  Although back in the summer on 10 July when there was a bomb alert in Belfast, only two people Tweeted about it – me and someone else milling around the Waterfront.  At that time there was smoke coming from a building in west London which was getting a lot more attention from the Twitterati.  London was recently recognised as the Twitter capital of the world.  So we haven’t got the bulk users yet. Short form messaging will play a real part in breaking news in the future, but for now Twitter and similar are reactive spaces. Throughout September there was hardly a mention of the Nobel Prize. Yet on 9 October according to trendistic.com the Nobel Peace Prize was the biggest topic – for a day.

Great comment on TIME: Nobel committee should be given a peace prize for uniting the twitterverse in sarcasm Was that thunder we heard? Or Alfred Nobel rolling over in his grave? Must have been the “beer summit” that put #obama over the top for the Nobel Peace Prize. What else could it have been?

You don’t get a lot of analysis in 140 characters, but you do get sense the mood.  Sometimes you’ll find pithy observations.

But that’s what it’s for.  If there is something more interesting or important a link with the comment will take you to there.  It’s not news, but it is a global editorial page where everyone’s view has equal exposure.

Posted via email from Davy Sims Posterous Site

This week my article on social media is about how Stratagem NI engage with all media tools.

“We do politics,” says Quintin Oliver of Stratagem, “as a public affairs company, we help people and organisations navigate their way through the democratic process in Northern Ireland. We also do what we can to help develop a better understanding of how politics works.

Read more at Belfast Telegraph Online

This from Belfast Telegraph There’s more to Social Media than Twitter, so let’s look at one of the more businesses oriented tools.  About six years old with an estimated 43 million users, Linkedin is about extending connections through existing connections. Its focus is business providing platforms for job seekers and employers and forums for discussions. More here >>>

“There was a time a few months ago I dismissed Twitter as being a total waste of time, a place where sad geeks tweeted about anything and everything they did. Now I realise that people from all walks of life are connecting via Twitter in meaningful ways. I thought why not see if writers and poets and those with an interest in writing can connect on Twitter too?” Poet and blogger David Todd < http://www.google.com/profiles/davetodd7&gt; puts his finger on it. Social Media is useful if you have a reason to use it. Some who first look at Twitter see a long list of often short, unconnected and inconsequential messages amounting to no more than:

The cat just sneezed The cat just sneezed again The cat hasn’t sneezed for 10 minutes, now.

Others see an apparent lack of structure which puts them off, particularly when on their first few visits they don’t know any or many of the people who are posting. David started a group for writers through Tweetworks < http://www.tweetworks.com > a system which can help put a structure in place by arranging the posts. “With the creation of the group Writers’ Shebeen < http://www.tweetworks.com/groups/view/WritersShebeen > it means there’s a place where writers on Twitter can connect and they don’t waste valuable writing time.” He told me. “Also, there are so many talented writers and poets in Northern Ireland that don’t have the time or desire to join established creative writing groups and could join or just read tweets at Writers’ Shebeen group and hopefully read a tweet that might encourage or inspire them to write.” Northern Irish authors and publishers have realised that the Internet is a very important marketing tool; this group can be one of the tools used to help sell books. “I’ve seen tweets by authors read by thousands of people re-tweeted and the message they’ve sent reaches millions of people in a few minutes.” Writers’ Shebeen started with a few people but is growing. David is hoping real life connections will be made between writers. “Maybe these connections could result in workshops, poetry slams, readings and book launches being arranged or people just meeting [a tweet up] over a coffee or a pint for a chat about writing.”  

This is an update of my Belfast Telegraph column I got an email a few weeks ago. Bi11NY is following me on Twitter.  I recognise the screen name Bi11NY.  That is the name he uses for his email and Facebook. So I sent him an open message “hi @Bi11NY, welcome to Twitter”. Maybe I’ll recommend him to my friends as a #FollowFriday. A few days later a post appears from him: 

 “I just made $128 already today working from home for Google”

And there is a link to a site that promised to “Boost Your Income”. Bi11NY is the President of a US Television production company with offices opposite the UN building in Manhattan. He has online friends in London, LA and Belfast (where he was once a BBC producer).  He is not the sort of guy who gets excited about making $128. I sent him a Direct Message on Twitter “Bill is this really you?” and a note to him on Linkedin.  Bi11NY’s profile had been stolen.  Someone had lifted in Facebook name, checked against Twitter, used his list of Facebook “Friends” and spammed a rather suspicious site set up to con people out of money.  If I hadn’t checked, I could have linked other friends to him unwittingly extending this spamming network. But it’s not the only profile hi-jacking I have seen recently.  Invest NI appear to be on Twitter as of August 4:

Welcome to the Invest NI twitter account , http://www.investni.com start a business http://www.investni.com/ind… Social entrepreneur http://www.investni.com/ind… female entrepreneurs http://www.investni.com/ind…

It looks legitimate: name @investni, a link to the Invest NI site, lots of branding. But look at later posts.

What benefits will Invest NI get from using Twitter, those out there who are a little bit a head of the game let them know   Use this twitter to tell Invest NI , Why they should be using twitter?

And there is a disclaimer: “Unoffical [sic], Unauthorised, Cutting through the bureaucracy & red tape” Invest NI have been lucky.  Someone who has their interests at heart is helping them put out their message and encouraging them to use Twitter.  It could have been the converse – someone steeling their name for pernicious reasons. On Twitter, they lost control of their brand and their message. Invest NI’s official twitter feed is now to be @investninews. So in 140  characters or less “Protect your brand, protect your message, protect your reputation.”

Belfast Telegraph today carries a short feature about NIcrunchtalk. With only 400 words available, I wasn’t able to do justice Joanne Stuart’s interview. So, linked are both the article itself and the full interview with Joanne. The feature is only in the print edition and not online.

This article appeared in the print only edition of the Belfast Telegraph 28 July 2009

Two Web developers in Northern Ireland have each just launched Twitter based websites and applications; TweetNI.com and RTweeter.com. TweetNI aggregates the latest messages from Northern Ireland members who have tagged their Twitter posts “#tweetni”. It also automatically RT’s (re-tweets) the Belfast Telegraph’s news feed.

Read the full article here

This article appeared in the print only edition of the Belfast Telegraph 28 July 2009 Two Web developers in Northern Ireland have each just launched Twitter based websites and applications; TweetNI.com and RTweeter.com.  TweetNI aggregates the latest messages from Northern Ireland members who have tagged their Twitter posts “#tweetni”. It also automatically RT’s (re-tweets) the Belfast Telegraph’s news feed. TweetNI, developed by Lee Munroe (@leemunroe), bills itself as “An easier way to find and follow Twitter users in Northern Ireland.” One of the early members was Grace Smith (@gracesmith).  Grace is at the top of the list of members with the most Twitter followers – almost 8,000.  She is a freelance web designer working in north Antrim but has customers around the world.  These are some of her recent posts:

25 Essential Web Services for Designers http://bit.ly/9P2Wr 5 Tricks That Make You More Attractive to Clients: http://bit.ly/L0kKV How To Properly Archive Your Design Work: http://bit.ly/MdaZl      The Ultimate A-Z of the Best Design and Development Related Sites: http://bit.ly/aDb5Z

David Airey (@davidairey), a graphic designer, has just short of 6,000 followers and also shares information useful to him, his followers, anyone who reads his Twitter feed:

10 top notch typography websites — http://tr.im/t2fs — via @DesignerDepot Reading through the design process of @MaggieMacnab — excellent. Recession advice for designers — http://tr.im/rzmO

Sharing information and letting everyone know about interesting websites and blog posts is part of the community ethos, even if that means tipping off competitors about what might be useful to them. Sharing is a good way to help develop a following. Every Friday there is a rush of “#followfriday” posts.  Most people use the site as a business communication tool as well as for fun and will recommend people they follow. On the day Stuart Manning (@stuartmanning) launched RTweeter.com website and desktop application, his Friday recommendations were:

followfriday @RTweeter @antonmannering @markjfinlay @helentreacy @johngirvin @Straandlooper @belfastbiker @davymac @Jaoibh @maehara

Stuart explains that RTweeter started as a way for him to manage information on Twitter and put it into a more meaningful context. He calls it a “Swiss Army knife of sorts” for users and developers. “Twitter is a phenomenon and while it has been around for a while I think it’s in its infancy. RTweeter and its tools and services are used on more than 200 sites to help track, measure and share links across a multitude of social networks. That’s pretty good going for a service that didn’t exist two weeks ago.”

I expect the majority of people who read this post will have found it through a link from Twitter.  So you are already involved in social media.  Great; I want to know more. Others will have come to the post because they subscribe to the feed. So they are involved with Social Media, too. Great; I want to know more. (Help for pedants, here) We who have embedded ourselves in social media tend to think that … well, everybody does it.  Most people? Some? I recently met someone whose business card is only their Twitter @username.  They discovered very quickly that most businesses don’t Twitter. We Twitteratti, Identicatti, Blogatarians, Linkedinians and other social medians (wow! it is like a religion), we are in a minority. There is no objective data I know of that will support the next statement, but it’s not a wild stab in the dark, either.  Businesses that use social media are in an even smaller minority.  And having a flat web site does not qualify as using social media. (Sounds off stage) Well, get to the point, Sims. Yes, I know that there are businesses in Northern Ireland that use online social networking platforms. I’ve helped a few start.  I’ve see a few others fail because they really don’t get the concept.  I’m looking for lots and lots of examples of good practice, good stories and interviews with people who have something interesting to say about using Facebook, Twitter and so on in a business setting.  I’m not (at this stage anyway) looking for sales pitches, thanks. The Belfast Telegraph has asked me to do a regular column about Business and Social Media. Well, I’m going to need help.  And these are my first thoughts:

Businesses built around offering social media propositions People who have had success using social media People who go way beyond Twitter and Facebook Politicians who use networks properly (yes I have seen a twittering politician in real life – take a bow @basilmccrea) There is at least one business in Belfast building a new social media tool, are there others? Who’s got a ning site? Who’s got something better? What are the threats and the opportunities for social media in the work place.  Does anyone have a private network in the work place connecting you with people/offices in other sites or countries?

And beyond Northern Ireland, too.  I’m interested in hearing stories from anywhere – particularly how businesses in NI can benefit. Kick off is late July – I’ll begin compiling over the next few days. I’d appreciate any RT’s, links to or any other support.  I can offer nothing apart from the prospect of your screen name in print. Contact details are as usual: ds@davysims.co.uk davy001@gmail.com @davy_sims on Twitter A fuller list is available on the footer of davysims.co.uk

I was asked to put together a few thoughts about the Belfast Telegraph's web site. It was the quickest of quick reviews, and confidentiallity was not requested so as journos once said "Published and be Damned".

People buy bottled water.

If information on the internet is free – like water from a tap – then at some point, newspapers will need to have the equivalent of bottled water. The most likely paid for content will be business information. So the Belfast Telegraph’s strategy of developing business information (perhaps later to hive off as premier content) is probably the correct strategy.

The information needs to be unique – or at least presented in an easy, timely and accurate; but preferably unique. So let’s start with ease of getting the information. I don’t want to have to go th belfasttelegraph.co.uk to see what’s new there. I want it to be sent to me – so RSS feeds, good.

But I want it accessible where ever I am – is there a mobile/iphone/cutdown version for simpler wireless devices? I can’t see it. Think Business News on Kindle. Avantgo http://www.avantgo.com/frontdoor/index_uk.html hasn’t really become common, it was probably too early to the party, but there is an idea to build on. I can’t see a Belfast Telegraph channel for Avantgo.com So I’m busy bit not at my computer – can I get the Belfast Telegraph?

Quick word on finding stuff:

There is a hell of a lot on a page – looks good – but can I reorder that as relevant to me, please? No? Well can to do something with the navigation to make the good stuff rise to the top? Better still can you put in a voting system, so the “crowd” can do that? The “new” tag is no help, really. “New” is a relative concept; “New to what?” I ask. I can Digg and Facebook and Stumbleupon and delicious the story – but I want to rank it, too please. And when I’m signed in (can I sign in – I’d like to sign in – that would make commenting easier) ... when I sign in, can I put a story into my own personal archive, so I can check back later and compare.

Quick word on Content:

Company Profiles: Transport, haulage, construction, older established industries. I have zero interest in these and very disappointed to see nothing on new and emerging industries based on technology, knowledge and creativity. “I’m interested in investing in these industries”, says a foreign direct investor. “Where is the knowledge industry in Northern Ireland?” And I make this point because one of the crucial areas for development for BelTelBusiness is readers abroad.

Why does it all have to be text? The TV on the telegraph was worth trying, but was not a good move. If you are going to serve video, then make it something I can’t get in text in the BelTel or on BBC/ITV. Also I’m a slave to the static PC – “I’m a business man, busy and on the move – give me something I can take with me.” Get ahead of the curve – start serving podcasts that are unque to the BelTel and address an audience with the depth a Newspsper can give but a web page can’t.

Finally – use social media – use it now and you won’t have to play catch-up later.

Finally Finally – do all this now! Then teach Independent News Group how to do it – it’s the only route to survival.

Finally Finally Finally – establish an Editors Blog and have this conversation in real time with your readership.