Twitter and the Micro-Messaging Revolution: Communication, Connections, and Immediacy—140 Characters at a Time

40 : Twitter and the Micro-Messaging Revolution

Twitter is the platform; in fact, for internal communica-

tions, Present.ly, Yammer, or any other system that lets

you share messages with a select group, may well be

a better choice:

■ It’s personal, and it’s casual, but it’s not a frat party.

Let people know you’re heading to lunch or about

to meet with a client or struggling with your wireless

mouse. They’ll appreciate the ambient awareness

even if you don’t reveal that you’re a little blurry from

the epic keg stands last night.

■ Let people know what you’re working on. If your

team can become accustomed to sharing micro-

updates, you may well be able to reduce the number

of regular status meetings you hold.

■ Ask for help. Spare everyone’s inbox and use micro-

messaging to find out who has the contact/book/

form/inspiration you need. You’ll get better results in

a semi-public forum, and other people will be able to

search those answers later on.

■ Share relevant links and other media. Again, keep

that juicy info out of email and your co-workers’

inboxes will thank you.

■ If you’re in IT, consider implementing a micro-

messaging system today.

If your employees are

already Twittering about their jobs, or if your firm

hires younger workers comfortable with Facebook

status updates, better to provide an internal system

for work-related posts—especially when they exist

at low cost and r ...