If you have been an avid blogger for a while now or your journey has just begun as one, have you tried micro blogging? Micro-blogging combines the elements of blogging with instant messaging and social networking.
Micro-blogging defined by Wikipedia
Microblogging is a form of multimedia blogging that allows users to send brief text updates or micromedia such as photos or audio clips and publish them, either to be viewed by anyone or by a restricted group which can be chosen by the user. These messages can be submitted by a variety of means, including text messaging, instant messaging, email, digital audio or the web. Wikipedia
The leader at the moment in the Micro-blogging field is Twitter. If you haven’t heard about Twitter before, I suggest you get a computer with an internet connection and start browsing the web.
Twitter has millions of users where people connect and thousands are using it every day. There’s a couple of other popular Micro-blogging tools including Floopo and Jaiku, which offers various different features but for the purpose of this post, I’ll focus on Twitter- tweet tweet.
Twitter users can send messages of up to 140 characters instantly via multiple platforms. Statistics shows that 90% of Twitter interactions are not made via the Twitter website, but via mobile text messaging, instant messaging or desktop applications such as Twitterrific. Twitter’s extra flexibility is even further enhanced by the ability to subscribe to updates via RSS. Simply put, you can find information on the Twitterverse immediately as it happens. Real time information and news is king.
The users of Twitter vary. It is popular amongst home workers and freelancers that uses it for instant communication with friends, colleagues and family. It is also used to network and share thoughts or to start conversations. Its suitability as a vehicle for breaking news has encourages BBC and CNN to introduce Twitter feeds (RSS). Even candidates in politics have taken to Twitter and its popularity. Have a look at Helen Zille: http://twitter.com/helenzille and Barack Obama: http://twitter.com/BARACKOBAMA
An important feature of Twitter is that it can be indexed via Google. As with so much on the web, it’s a public platform, so it’s worth remembering that as such use of it may become part of your business schedule.
Twitter benefits
As with most of the social media tools available, Twitter has benefits.
- Research tool – Use Twitter to research about trendy topics, your niche or important news events. As said before – Real time information is king.
- There’s always something interesting to read and see on Twitter
- Improve brand awareness for your company. In the social media world it is all about conversation. Start the conversation and encourage others to join in.
- Promote your content. If you have a blog or you want to market a product or service, let the Twitterverse know about it.
A couple of hours each day I spend on blogging. There’s also good benefits on Twitter for a blogger like me.
Twitter benefits for bloggers
- Improve the visibility of your blogs
- Networking with other bloggers
- Get more readers to your blog
- Build trust and credibility
- Drive traffic to your blog
Micro-blogging is an easy way for companies to expand on their network online. Comment below if you have any questions regarding this topic or contact us for more information.