Confessions of a Tweet-a-Holic

Before I began this program, I will admit that I had signed up for a Twitter account. This was mostly inspired by instructors at my previous institution encouraging me that Twitter was the way of the future, and if I was going to become a public relations professional that I too must have a presence in the Twittersphere. I really didn’t see the point of using such a medium to broadcast my every movement, such as some of my followers do. However, in recent weeks, I have begun to understand the importance of Twitter, and why as a budding professional, I must be present.

I currently work in a post secondary institution, where our main public is students. And where are students?! That’s right; students are on the Internet, at least that’s where the students at my tech-savvy institution can be found. In order to reach students then, I have had to develop creative social media tactics, including the use of Twitter, with #hashtags and all! So, from my own experiences at work, I definitely can understand how Twitter can be helpful in spreading one’s message.

However, the most powerful use of Twitter that I have seen in recent weeks has come in the wake of a horrible disaster, the BP oil spill. A previous PR practitioner from BP has created a Twitter account and released article’s explaining his dissatisfaction with the way in which BP has been handling the crises. The biggest argument is that while the oil spill in ruining more and more of the ocean and the lives of millions of aquatic life, BP is concerned about rebuilding its reputation instead of fixing the crisis. Through a series of mocking Tweets , the outraged public has joined together as the reputation of BP continues to decline as they fail at fixing the global crisis which they created.
What I’ve learned from this – there is a purpose for the existence of Twitter. There is an entire community of Tweeters who voice their concerns, communicate with friends and obtain information from this social medium. I’m proud to say that this community now includes yours truly.