The power of Twitter for websites: own test results.

June 15, 2010 Leave a comment

Tweeting the day away via your smart phone?

If you’re a Twitter user, you know what it’s all about. For those who don’t: twitter is a micro-blogging platform that allows you to send out messages (limited to 140 characters) to the entire world.

Twitter - search for information

Twitter - search for information

Twitter for business purposes?

If you’re in business you might think of adding a “Twitter account” to your marcomm mix. After all, it might drive traffic to your website. Once you have those “Twitter-people” on your website, you can start to convince them. But not everything will turn into sales…

What else might happen?

  • A “tweet-reader” ends up on your webpage and decides to tweet about your webpage…your webpage has been broadcasted to people you never reached in the first place…
  • A tweeter retweets your statement and as a result your phrase is shared with people that didn’t initially follow you.
  • A tweeter might list you within a specific theme
  • A tweeter is by definition rather unpredictable, so almost everything might happen
  • …

My test results: this blog, the Bizz2Sozz twitter account

Based on the date of my first post, I started this blog at the end of February. While setting-up the blog, it came to me that to spread the ideas on this blog, another channel should come into play – as I can’t solely rely on my bloggin’ skills (if I have them, for you to decide). For this reason, I turned to Twitter.com and set-up an account.

Every time I posted a story on my blog, I tried to give it publicity by tweeting my views over the twitter platform. (I have to be honest: I forgot it a couple of times and backed this up by tweeting all articles at once. I know, not the perfect strategy). The workflow is rather easy: I write a blogpost, after which I summarize what’s in the article and add a link to the article (all in a 140 character phrase!).

Result today: a nice woman from Italy re-tweeted one of my stories, started to follow me and added me to a themed list. What will this bring along? New followers? We truly hope so, since the Italian woman is already followed by over 1 000 people, my article is now within the reach of more people than the 20 daily visitors on this blog and my 5 twitter-followers. If I have a closer look at this blog web stats … I can already see that the re-tweeted article is currently my “most read article”…

A re-tweet in Italy: no more words, just an image

Twitter, micro-blogging, sharing

Twitter, micro-blogging, sharing

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Filed under Business, Economy, Marketing, Media, Society, Software & Technology Tagged with , , ,

Vuvuzela: why to love it? Lessons from ethnomusicological classes

June 14, 2010 Leave a comment

These days there’s a lot of “buzz” about the usage of vuvuzela instruments at the World Cup Football in South Africa. People seem to be annoyed by the “vuu-vuu” noize. Nevertheless, I want to make a case for the Vuvuzela.

vuvuzela

vuvuzela

Ethnomusicology.

A couple of years ago I was glad to take a class called “ethnomusicology”. Ethnomusicology is a branch within musicology. The first studies social and cultural aspects of music in local and global contexts as opposed to the latter which is more designed for and dedicated to Western art music (classical music). So to speak, ethnomusicology studies music as a human, social and cultural phenomenon.

Lesson from the classes about African music

One crucial aspect about the “music” (regardless of their diversity) in African societies is that it was (is) an inseparable part of societal live. This means e.g. that African music has to be understood within the realms of other structures that evolve around the “tones” and “noises”. Those structures are: events (religious or profane: a celebration), dance moves, costumes,  body paintings, …

Well, I guess you already start to see the link between the world cup and the vuvuzela. It’s just a habit, a ritual  – so don’t be annoyed by it.

The “vuu-vuu” noise as a means to a state of trance

Some traditional African music had the aim to get in some sort of “trance” in order to get closer to nature or God (for instance). I believe the monotone sound of the Vuvuzela is rather reverberating instead of annoying. I can imagine that the players on the pitch never really notice the “vuu-vuu” sound – but instead feel a certain “drive”, “tempo” that encourages their play.

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Filed under Culture & Arts, Media, Society Tagged with , ,

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