Twitter’s role in a crisis
SmartPulse — our weekly reader poll in Smartbrief on Social Media — tracks feedback from leading marketers about social media practices and issues. Paul Chaney, Internet marketing director for Bizzuka and member of the SmartBrief on Social Media Advisory Board, helps create the questions and analyzes the results. We run the poll question each Wednesday in our e-newsletter. This week’s post is from Senior Editor Mary Ellen Slayter; Paul Chaney’s analysis returns next week.
Last week’s SmartPulse question: Has the use of Twitter in reporting news of the Iranian election and uprising changed your attitude toward its importance as a tool for crisis communications?
- It has improved my perception of Twitter as a critical tool for crisis communications, 46%
- I’ve always thought of Twitter as a useful tool for crisis communications, 24%
- I don’t view Twitter as a valid tool for crisis communications, 14%
- My opinion has remained unchanged, 12%
- I have no opinion one way or another, 4%
- It has lowered my opinion, 0%
“Twitter is rapidly outgrowing its reputation as primarily a source of inane drivel, but a few holdouts remain even among social media fans. What do you see as the biggest limitations on Twitter for serious conversation and crisis communications? Are they fixable? ” –Mary Ellen Slayter
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Tags: communications, politics, twitter
Categories: Ideas in Action, Polls
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Posted by Allen Voivod on July 1st, 2009 at 9:02 am
What’s truly fascinating is all the ways we’re discovering Twitter can be of use to us in business and in life – ways the founders all say they’d never envisioned when they first started Twitter back in ‘06.
Martin Murray, the senior news communications officer for Public Service of New Hampshire (@PSNH), the state’s largest electric utility, was on a panel at our recent “A-Ha!” Social Media Business Summit, and has been featured/profiled a lot this year because of their use of Twitter during the December 2008 ice storm. They provided updates to affected customers who didn’t have power, but could charge their cell phones in their cars and get information on their mobile devices.
We’ve more than skimmed the surface of what’s possible with Twitter, but I expect it’ll go a lot deeper than any of realize, even now.
Posted by Web Media Daily – July 1, 2009 | Reinventing Yourself... on July 1st, 2009 at 9:35 am
[...] Twitter’s role in a crisis …Smart Blog on Social Media [...]
Posted by Katja Schroeder on July 1st, 2009 at 11:59 am
In addition to the Iranian elections, the event of Michael Jackson’s death also proved the power of Twitter
Posted by Matthew Ray on July 1st, 2009 at 12:14 pm
Biggest limitation is that you cannot reach everyone. It’s very quick to post a message that is 140 characters or less with a link to your crisis communication message, but that will only go so far.
If you have no interactive audience, you will lose out.
If you have not caught the eyes of the media (media accounts), you may be ignored.
The Michael Jackson incident was only successful because everyone knew who he was and sometime in the past 40-50 years, he has been a part of the world culture. Some my age maybe just the past 10-15 yrs, but others older than me, maybe all 40 yrs since Jackson 5!
So.. if the audience doesn’t care or is not affected, then crisis communication on Twitter is not effective.
Let your audience (your customers, clients, sales folks, investors, etc) know where you are today. If you are on Twitter, ask them to follow you. If you have an interactive page on Facebook, ask them to become friends and ask questions.
I don’t think we can think of Twitter as a successful crisis communications tool unless the message directly affects the targeted/intended audience.
Posted by Jane Jordan-Meier on July 1st, 2009 at 12:43 pm
Twitter now has over 17 million users and has shown itself to be a major factor in crisis communication, both as a news source and also an important communciation channel, but it is only one tool cum channel and it does have its limitations. I always favour a triangular approach and using channels that your key audiences are using and trust. That said, Twitter is fast becoming a critical channel for many. Ignore at your peril I say.