Micro-blogging is yet another invention that separates the echo-boomers from Gen X and the Baby Boomers. In micro-blogging you are connecting with your “friends” and colleagues and giving them frequent updates of what you are doing often many times a day. For those familiar with Facebook, micro-blogging is similar to “status update”.
I have to admit that at first I did not understand why I would want other people to know what I am doing at all times of the day. So when I first signed on to Facebook and Twitter, I refrained from updating my current happenings. However, slowly but surely I am updating what I am doing and checking to see what my friends are doing.
How about this analogy: Let your whole day be represented by a glass. The rocks in a glass represent your planned, scheduled daily appointments; your cell phone calls would be the pebbles; your blackberry or iphone web app would be your sand; and micro-blogging would be the water that fills every ounce of your day with…something.
Waiting in line for a Chipotle Burrito? No problem, check Twitter, Pownce or Facebook to see what others are doing. Oh, and don’t forget to let them know you are in line waiting for a veggie burritos with extra Guacamole.
Personal habits aside, let’s look at some good company uses for micro-blogging…
While company’s certainly don’t want to spam their followers, micro-blogging can be very useful in conveying timely information. Companies could take advantage of micro-blogging by:
a. Sharing new product launch info or even “leak” pre-product launch info to its followers.
b. Announcing upcoming events, coupons or special offers, or web site updates.
c. Reminding fans when a new show will premiere.
Pownce adds a slightly different twist allowing file sharing and event invitations among friends. Twitter has a much larget user base than Pownce but Pownce is newer to the scene and could break loose.
Jaiku is the third micro-blogging app but is currently in distant third. Jaiku makes heavy use of icons and was recently acquired by Google so don’t count this service out as Google has a knack for figuring things out.
