News out this week: some CEO's are now using Twitter...
First, this new study shows that there has been an enormous increase in the number of CEO blogs.
Social Media in the Inc. 500: The First Longitudinal Study
Conducted By: Eric Mattson, Nora Ganim Barnes, Ph.D.
Given that previous research now shows that just 11.6% of the Fortune 500 currently having a public blog, it is astounding to see that 39% of the Inc. 500 are blogging.
The University of Massachusetts Dartmouth Center for Marketing Research recently conducted one of the first statistically significant, longitudinal studies on the usage of social media in corporations. Be sure to click the link to read more about corporate blogging and social media usage.
Next, you know you can spot a trend when busy CEOs start using a site like Twitter. Microblogging site Twitter.com is the latest tech tool to enter the C-suite. Here's what Business Week says is the CEO Take on Twitter:
Whether they are broadcasting quick company updates, sharing a personal side of their lives with employees, or networking with other executives, plenty of CEOs have begun to make tweets part of their daily routine. And it's not just the Silicon Valley crowd—chief executives in marketing, publishing, and retail are also populating the site.
Debbie Weil, the Corporate Blogging expert, says she found a handful of CEOs using Twitter at a recent conference of the Inc. 5000. She asks, Is Twitter a Waste of Time? No, Says (Busy) Inc. 5000 CEO.
Twitter now has over 1 million users a month. There are so many ways to use Twitter, it's not surprising busy CEOs find usage.
If you are at any conference in the near future, don't be surprised to see tweeters texting or using laptops to give running commentary about the speakers.
Using the hash sign (#) followed by a predetermined code name for the event or speaker, users can aggregate tweets and provide real time feedback in 140 characters. For example at BlogWorld Expo 08, people who put in the code #BWE08 could see all the other tweets with the same code.
If you haven't tried it yet, give it a whirl. Those that get bit by the Twitter bug are raving fans... we know several smart entrepreneurs who are making money through it's powerful networking capabilities (just ask The Blog Squad, but especially Denise who's a real tweet-heart!)
