Twestival: a new use of twitter

Twitter seems to be a new platform for use in PR industry.Everyone has
emphasized its significance because it provides a new way of communication,
however, is it possible to explore the charity use of Twitter?

Yes, the Twestival, or Twitter-Festival. It is a series of global events organized by
volunteers on Twitter, aiming to bring Twitter users offline for a good cause. This
idea inspired by an event which took place in London in September 2008. A group
of London Twitter users gathered people on Twitter to collect donations for a
non-for-profit organization. The number of participants was far more than the
organizers expected at the end.

The success in London encouraged more and more Twitter users from other
cities to get involved. Therefore, the organizers extended it into a large scale
event: by establishing and connecting local communities on Twitter to build a
worldwide network. Subsequently, Twistival Local and Twestival Global were
brought into existence.

Twefestival was remarkably successful. The first Twestival Global on 2009
raised over 250$k in one day to benefit charity: water, a non-for-profit organization
devoted to get access drinking water for least-developed countries.Now, the team is working on Twestival Global 2010.

While there are so many people are discussing the influence of Twitter in
communication technology and social media, this profound meaning project
indicates another possibility of Twitter. Many organizations have acknowledged
the opportunities presented by social media,but it is not merely a tool of
instant communication or a platform for commercial publicity.

By giving insight into this case, Twestival expanded the use of social media, I mean,
collaborated on charity business. This cooperation is not only a new experience
for Twitter users,but also for all PR practitioners. On the other hand, this event provided
a new way for us to look at social media: the interaction of people is not only limited
on the Internet, it may transform into a real life.Whereas we already know that Twitter
is a much more open space than other social networks, as to PR practitioners, how can
we innovated by this characteristic than apply it to other aspects? The potential
of social media is worth exploring further for us.

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Did You Know 4.0?

Did You Know that “what used to fit in a building now fits in your pocket, what fits in your pocket now will fit inside a blood cell in 25 years” says a futurist named Kurzweil.

Raymond Kurzweil is a technology innovator and although the 4.0 is a presentation designed to make people aware of the shifts that are occurring in today’s world in technology, it also illustrates all the implications for children in kindergarten up to 12th (K-12) grade and higher education. It’s all about educating the children and preparing them for the 21st century. (Good luck doing that!!)

Did you know 4.0 has been released in 2009 in response to “Shift Happens, Did You Know” developed by Karl Fisch, Scott McLeod and Jeff Brenman. The updated fall 2009 presentation was designed by Xplane who were in partnership with The Economist.

Although it raises concerns if the children are ready to face the 21st century and if they are receiving the proper education, I believe it is of main interest for the people involved in Public Relations. This is because it makes us aware of how the future in reaching to our audiences and maintaining relationships is all about. Some companies fail to take social media seriously and personally I think that is a major risk. Do you think it’s better to stick to the traditional way of thinking? One of the most important tactics of PR is a news release and getting journalists convinced to put your piece of work in a newspaper. But did you know that the print circulation is down by 7 million in the last 25 years? That in the last 5 years online newspapers has up to 30 million readers?

What about campaigns? How do you reach to your publics? Did you know that in 2008 John McCaid raised $11 million for his U.S presidential bid while Barack Obama leveraged the online social networks world and raised $55 million in just 29 days?

How do you make your publics aware of an event? Can you think of a better way than splashing it in people’s faces in the almighty online world? Just take a look at the short video below, check out all the facts it gives, I was amazed.



Social Media is the future, it is easier than ever to reach a large audience, but no one says it’s easy to connect with. This online world is important for every organisation, but I feel it’s even more important for PR people to up their game by leveraging this scary world we live in.

So, “this is convergence, and now...

YOU KNOW”

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Blogging about blogging

First of all, my Office Word 2003 doesn’t even recognize the word “blogging”. So, why did this way of communication manage to become so used in the context of such a short history?

There are many answers. It is a way of expressing yourself freely. It is a way of connecting with people that have the same interests as you.

For example, for PR professionals, blogging has become a part of their job for many reasons. They exercise their writing, they do personal branding, they share opinions regarding the latest updates in practice, comment upon others’ opinions, and with this debate they improve their practice. In other words, they add value to each others’ work.

But many people started blogging just because it is ‘fashionable’, like having a facebook or hi5 profile. In my opinion, the thing they don’t know is that having a blog does not mean socializing primarily, it’s sharing valuable opinions and ideas. Socializing is just a secondary effect of blogging.

A negative aspect of blogging, if we look at the definition, even for ‘professional’ bloggers is updating, writing regularly. It can happen not to have all the time ideas to write about, but the pressure of updating the blog may have as a result a post with low level of quality comparing with the others, so the overall image of the blog might be altered.

In conclusion, if you have something to say and you consider it useful to share, even for you, as you get feedback on what you write and you might find other interesting points of view on the specific subject, start blogging. But don’t cross the limit and blogg just because it’s fancy or it’s been a month since you didn’t write.

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