Today's lesson on Twitter

I'm a Twitter newbie. (You can find me here.)  I have to admit that I've struggled, like many new users do, to figure out how to use it best.  After a couple of weeks, I'm getting the hang of it.  I've found some of my colleagues in the corporate communications, public relations and investor relations fields to follow.  Some of them have found me and are following me, too.

One of the things I've noticed about Twitter is that tweets from what would appear to be a business user often veer, sometimes abruptly, to the personal.  I've observed users who send four or five straightforward business tweets and then follow them with one about weekend party plans or some such.

A more nuanced, but no less significant, problem for corporate tweeters is who is entrusted with exercising judgment about what to tweet.  This is not an unimportant point. I think it's fair to assume that when a company tweets about something, they are signaling that the tweet's subject is worth noting within the context of the business and its product or service.  An interaction I had earlier today will illustrate the point and reinforce the danger.

One of my initial "follows" is "SuccessComGroup," the Twitter for a New Jersey-based full-service communications agency.  This morning, it posted the following: Google tests "Mail Goggles" to prevent drunk e-mailing: http://tinyurl.com/3m22tb.

I replied: @SuccessComGroup Do we really want to use technology to save us from personal lessons that are most often best learned the hard way?

SuccessComGroup replied: @LuminisGroup Think not of the sender, but of the receiver. Drunk email are often difficult to interpret.

Please recall this is a tweet from a business that advises clients, like I do, on all manner of public communication.  Though they may have carved out a position in a niche market that I remain soberly unaware of, I have never in my professional life been called into a client to provide counsel on the intoxicated use of Outlook or Lotus Notes.

And so I replied: @SuccessComGroup Precisely - why people should learn not to send them. Isn't much of a problem in the corporate world, is it?

SuccessComGroup replied: @LuminisGroup I imagine drunk emailing doesn't end well and is against corp policy. Nevertheless, interesting feature from Google.

I left it there.  But the question lingered: interesting to whom?  Personally interesting to the tweeter?  Absolutely.  Interesting to others on Twitter who happened to see the tweet?  Perhaps.  Interesting and, more importantly, germane to those like me who follow SuccessComGroup for good tweets about corporate communications and public relations?  Sadly, no.

These issues of germaneness, judgment and the sometimes blurry line between business and personal tweets are undoubtedly growing pains associated with a relatively new tool for corporate communicators.  Regardless of how the Twitter community sorts the issue out collectively, of what becomes the community standard, my best advice to my corporate clients will always be the same: don't mix business and personal tweeting.

Just like Google would like to help you not to mix cocktails and e-mails.

Comments

[Bobby McDonald]

It's definitely important to watch what you tweet. It's important to remember that even if you hit the trash icon, your tweet is never deleted.

That being said, I'm not sure I take issue with @SuccessComGroup's initial message, but rather the tone of their responses. I think it's important to show your companies culture or personality online. I don't consider Twitter to be part of "Corporate America" and don't expect or necessarily want perfect public relations prose on Twitter.

[Danny Brown]

I think there can be a good balance achieved on corporate Twitter accounts. Remember, social media is all about two-way conversation - people respond to a more personal touch. This is why corporate blogs that are written with a personal voice are more popular than straitlaced ones.

I feel that anyone following a corporate Twitter account wouldn't be too offended with a mix of business and personal speak (particularly if there is a dedicated voice of the company using the account).

Otherwise it would just become a broadcast, and no-one really likes these too much... ;-)

[Rod Hise]

A fair point and I agree absolutely. Your business is a great example of one that benefits from having folks get a feel for its personality. In any case, I'm sure I wouldn't want people to get sense of who's behind the screen by tweeting about drunk e-mailing.

[KGB Advertising]

While I would agree that purely personal matters do not belong on a corporate Twitter account, is it not helpful to use this new form of communication to help build the feel and identity of a business?

I think that there needs to be a balance between professional tweets and "character" tweets. People will eventually get bored if all you present is the professional side of things. By sharing items that help reflect the tone of the company, you help build more meaningful bonds with your twitter followers.

While business twitter accounts should strive to be professional, you still need to let people know there is a person on the other end of the screen.