09th Oct 2007
Byrne twitters on the blog
As far as I can see WS UK and Ireland CEO, Colin Byrne is the first of our industry’s bloggers to start a twitter. Not entirely sure what it is but according to Wikipedia, Twitter is a free social networking and micro-blogging service that allows users to send “updates” (text-based posts, up to 140 characters long) via SMS, instant messaging, email, to the Twitter website, or an application such as Twitterrific. Twitter was founded in March 2006 by San Francisco start-up company Obvious Corp.Updates are displayed on the user’s profile page and also instantly delivered to other users who have signed up to receive them. The sender can restrict delivery to those in his or her circle of friends (delivery to everyone is the default). Users can receive updates via the Twitter website, instant messaging, SMS, RSS, email or through an application. For SMS, currently three gateway numbers are available: short codes for the USA and Canada and a UK number for international use. Several third parties offer posting and receiving updates via email.
Check it out on byrne baby byrne. Sorry Colin, could not resist the headline!
Twitter’s a funky wee system that levels the playing field somewhat between big media players such as the BBC and independent blogs and news sources in terms of ability to provide 24/7 communication with punters. During the recent southern election IrishElection.com, to which I occasionally contribute, and Politics.ie, on which I occasionally comment, used Twitter to keep people up-to-speed with developments. This meant that subscribers could get info sent to them, for instance by text, on things such as the threat of the PDs leaving the government pre-election, and results as they were announced post-election, without having to be near a computer.
Of course the success of the use of such systems by sites is wholly dependent on a) the info sent being relevent to the recipient and b) there actually being people signed-up for it to receive said info.
There is certainly scope for business and political interests here in the north utilising services such as this. Whether they do or not is another matter.