As part of a (work) group that’s heavily involved in social and digital marketing, a good portion of my day revolves around the tools of the trade that let me stay connected and informed. But one in particular is constant, letting me reach thousands with 140-character blurbs, catch headlines, get weather and traffic updates, follow mentions of my clients and relevant issues, pitch story ideas, catch up with friends and tons more. What is it? Twitter, of course.
Thru Tweetdeck, Twirl and my Droid’s Social Network app, I can (and do) spend many a fun-filled moments Tweading (reading tweets); RT-ing fun, interesting tidbits; stalking the Twitteratti; DM-ing tweeps; blocking twammers; sharing hashtags; tweeting pics; and geotwittering with the help of Four Square. And with 65 milllion+ tweets generated a day, it’s obvious I’m not the only one having a twittastic good time.
But have you ever considered just how much that never-ending stream of thoughts and re-thoughts divulges about a person? Some things are, of course, obvious. If @JNewmarKittenQueen is always ranting and raving about kittens, chances are she either really likes them or is well educated and/or compulsive about the little fur balls. Similarly, if @Limbaugh4Prez continuously spouts the teachings of the familiar shock jock and conservative pundit, well… In my case, @BMBecker can unintentionally lead the casual reader to the other end of the phone line, armed with my likes, dislikes, etc. This was the case earlier in the week when I received a call from the AJC’s Sunday Living reporter in response to something she saw on my Twitter page.
To back track a bit, no, it’s not at all unusual for me to pick up my work line to find a reporter on the other end. But until Tuesday, 100% of those calls were in relation to something client related – a release, launch, stunt, crisis, etc. Imagine my surprise when this time the caller was interested in the fact that I had attended an event she was reporting on and was planning to attend herself this coming weekend -- #amcbps, or in regular plain ol’ English, AMC’s Best Picture Showcase.
We chatted for a few minutes. I told her all about my experience; that we’re planning on attending every year from here on out; gave her some tips for her upcoming 24-hour movie marathon; and also wished her luck on her story. But afterwards I got to thinking about just how many clues each and every tweet offers up about the author. True, with the advent of search engines and other tech it doesn’t take a renowned gumshoe to locate a person or item, especially when looking, but I was surprise how easy it was to map my whereabouts; and no Google search needed.
A quick assessment of reoccurring mentions. An even quicker glance through my lists. And Voila!
*Included Twitter handles are fictional. Any similarity to real people (living or dead) is mere coincidence, yet amusing and an obvious cry for help.
By @BMBecker