Tag Archives: twitter

Like Facebook, Twitter Starts Using Algorithms To Bulk Up Social Graph

Last month, we noted that Twitter was testing a “You both follow” feature, showing users you and another user both follow. That’s interesting, but not particularly useful. Today, they’ve begun to roll out a new “Suggestions for You” feature which looks at who you follow, and who the people you follow follow, and suggests new people for you to follow. Yes, just like Facebook does. This is very useful.

In fact, this is arguably the most useful social graph feature that Twitter has rolled out yet. A few weeks ago, Twitter rolled out a new name results area for search — which was incredibly helpful for finding celebrities or brands on Twitter. But this is better. This is all about finding people you may actually be interested in, but for whatever reason, haven’t connected with yet.

via techcrunch.com

What Your Company’s Twitter Account Says About You

medvedev twitter

Image: wikimedia

Note: This post was originally published on OPEN Forum.

Companies large and small have started using Twitter as a way to promote themselves, interact with customers, and handle customer service.

Some do it better than others.

Of course, how you should run your company’s Twitter account varies widely by the size and type of your company — a small coffee shop will obviously want a different Twitter presence than a large airline or utility company, or a news website.

But there are certain universal truths to what your company’s style of tweeting reveals about your corporate culture, your attitude towards social media, and what you think about your customers in general.

Want to know what people think about YOUR company’s Twitter account?

Take a look at it and compare:

– Your Twitter: An automated list of headlines and links to your site, blog, etc.

What it says: We don’t care about interacting with our customers, at least not on Twitter. We just want you to visit our website, where we might also not want to interact with you.

– Your Twitter: Mostly retweets of nice things that other people are saying about you.

What it says: We don’t have anything interesting to say, and we don’t care about you, or we wouldn’t be spamming you.

– Your Twitter: Mostly apologies for terrible service, and cues to call/email your customer service department.

What it says: We should probably fix our business first instead of hanging out on Twitter.

– Your Twitter: An engaging feed clearly written by humans, including a good mix of news, tips, deals, contests, photos/video and basic customer support.

What it says: We’re here in earnest and we care. And in exchange for giving us some of your attention, we’re going to reward you, or try to make you feel special.

Get a sense that #4 is the best? You’re paying attention! Some of the best we’ve seen include Virgin America.

They obviously won’t necessarily be the perfect model for your specific business, but they’re at least in the right spirit.

via businessinsider.com