This week it has been almost impossible to miss the impact that Twitter can have on news. Three events in particularly stand out and represent three different ways in which Twitter’s influence and power can be felt.
Firstly we have the medias as it happens reporting from G20, with an honourable mention to Sky News’ @EdConwaySky. The evening’s broadcast coverage and the morning newspaper coverage will have impact, but the rolling twitter reports have conveyed the drama of it all so much better than any other medium could. Comments from tweeters outside of the media have added depth and humour to the coverage too.
Secondly we see celebrity power in the form of @stephenfry. With more than 3.3 million followers it’s not unsurprising that when Mr Fry began tweeting about his grounded Qantas flight the Twittosphere noticed. Clearly the UK press follow Mr Fry as this made Friday morning’s news; would it have done without his voice?
Thirdly we see people power in the form of disgruntled HSBC customers. Unable to access their account information, or withdraw cash from ATMs they have taken to Twitter to ask @HSBC why and to complain about the fact to other Twitter users in sufficient volumes that the UK’s personal finance press took note and saw a newsworthy story. Credit to @hsbc_uk_press for their use of Twitter to address these appropriately, namely in a timely, polite and informative manner.
There’s still a great deal of discussion about whether or not companies should include Twitter in their communications strategies. The reality is, whether or not Twitter is the right channel for direct engagement for your company or not, at the very least you must monitor discussions. If you don’t then you may find that the last organisation to learn of a corporate reputation issue is your own.
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