Twitter and the Telegram

     Is Twitter a part of your business social media plan?  It needs to be.  The latest figures show there are some 100 million active users.
     Now, granted, you can only Tweet a message of 140 characters or less, so economy and phrasing of message are paramount here.  For over 155 years, a telegram would have been the closest thing to Twitter.  Economy and phrasing of message ruled, since most telegram carriers charged by the word.  A Tweet costs nothing in the relative scheme of things, but that's still no reason to be a Chatty Cathy in its use.
     That being said, what's the best use of Twitter in your business social media portfolio?   Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey opines that "Social is just one part of what we do.  We think of it as an information utility...you don't have to tweet at all.  The biggest value is finding out what's happening in your world in real time."
     Use Twitter to promote your brand and get your message out to your followers.  Use it in conjunction with email campaigns and other methods of business social media. 140 characters can cover a lot of ground if you map out your message and get right to the point.  Unlike the old school telegram, Twitter is instant, is delivered to millions of people at the same time, and has virtually no costs associated.
     Oh, and if you're still old school, I have some bad news --Western Union shut down its telegram services on January 31, 2006.

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