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 ...

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 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 >>>