One of the challenges organizations face on Twitter is presenting themselves in a space built for individual human exchange. Tools like Twitter are built for connection. If you want to see how one large brand handles their Twitter presence, look at Cook Medical. They deliver the most elegant solution to personal social presentation that I've seen from a large ... Continue Reading about How Cook Medical Makes Twitter Human
Curators and Dumpers: Twitter’s Two Citizens
In the information age we’re increasingly defined by who we listen to. After 7 years I’ve found that there are two types of social citizens on Twitter: Curators and dumpers. Curators are careful and intentional with what they share. Dumpers create movement, visibility and noise. Like a type of digital brownian movement, the dumper is constantly running and ... Continue Reading about Curators and Dumpers: Twitter’s Two Citizens
Twitter and the Dean of Harvard Medical School
Today the Wall Street Journal profiled Harvard Medical School’s Jeffrey Flier and his views on Twitter. It’s worth a read and it's brief. Most importantly, it can and should be shared with medical educators as an emerging standard. If you can overlook a degree of naiveté (you have no control over who your followers will be), the piece reflects the basic value ... Continue Reading about Twitter and the Dean of Harvard Medical School
When Your Boss Mandates Twitter
I had lunch with a surgeon recently. Salad, hummus and small talk. Then he announces, “My boss wants me to be on Twitter. He wants me to Tweet. You know, become a Twitterer.” The sarcasm was palpable. Here’s the problem: Nobody can make someone participate in a conversation. They can try, but it won’t work. We have to come into public dialog because we want ... Continue Reading about When Your Boss Mandates Twitter
Why Your Twitter Disclaimer Doesn’t Make Sense
It seems that I’m the only individual in the free world without a Twitter disclaimer that ‘my tweets are my own.’ You’ve seen them, I’m sure. Vague disclaimers invariably copied from someone else intended to create a fuzzy feeling of security. Here’s why I believe token disclaimers don’t make sense: You represent your organization. While you may not deliver ... Continue Reading about Why Your Twitter Disclaimer Doesn’t Make Sense
Why the Measles Truth Twitter Storm Worked
Yesterday the American Academy of Pediatrics hosted a novel twitter event around measles information. Packaged as a ‘Twitter storm’ and tagged as #MeaslesTruth, it was a 10 minute measles power session designed to push a little vaccine truth into the infosphere. Here’s why the #MeaslesTruth Twitter storm worked: It was a constrained affair. As a short-form ... Continue Reading about Why the Measles Truth Twitter Storm Worked