Do you remember when I explained how the Chicago Bulls basketball team uses an offical Twitter name to update fans on team news? The tweets include game scores, player information and fan information. This is the ideal way to communicate to fans (and other stakeholders) quickly. There is usually no need for the messages to be over 140 characters, and can be checked on the go. If for example, you had to leave the house and could not see the end of a game, you could get updates via Twitter on your phone.
This blog is exploring Twitter’s use for
corporate communications, and sports teams are a corporation
with many stakeholders interested in the current events of that
corporation. However, a recent story has changed that way we
think about Twitter’s corporate use.
This story explained the controversy of an NBA player, Charlie Villanueva of the Milwaukee Bucks, tweeting during halftime. His coach believes using Twitter during halftime means that he is not focused on the game. Charlie Villanueva did not realize that his use of Twitter would come off that way, but respects the concern of his coach. Moreover, he does not want his fans to feel he is not focused, thus apologized for his tweets. In a later tweet Villanueva mentioned to his fans that he just wanted to keep them informed, and did not mean any harm.
The truth is Villanueva was just communicating with his stakeholders, the people who care about his “corporation”. Isn’t that what corp comm. is all about when it comes to new social media? But, where does the line need to be drawn? Employers do not want their employees spending their day on Twitter. Though, hospitals are tweeting from the operating room.
Companies who choose to use Twitter need to have guidelines, expectations, and specific people in charge of managing the microblogging. For example, Southwest Airlines (I keep using them because in my opinion they use Twitter the best of all companies I have studied) has one corporate communicator who manages the office Southwest Twitter account. This is one place where constituents can go to get information about the company, through a legitimate source. Stakeholders can be confident that the information is accurate and backed by the company. However, what if a random employee of Southwest started tweeting updates? What if a pilot was tweeting about flighting conditions while in the air? I would be terrified for the safety of Southwest passengers, at first, but then I would also be concerned whether I was getting legitimate information or not.
Therefore, Twitter is great for corporate comm. so long as everyone is on the same page with rules and guidelines.
Filed under: Corporate Use of Twitter, Twitter | 3 Comments
Tags: Charlie Villanueva, Milwaukee Bucks, NBA, Southwest Airlines, Twitter
Wow! I had no idea that Twitter was becoming so popular that people are doing it in the wrong place at the wrong time; an operating room!?!? REALLY? That’s crazy. I feel that “stakeholders” don’t need to know every detail when the person tweeting should be focusing on a game or surgery. Give the constituents some suspense! I feel there definitely needs to be a line drawn, but I think it’ll take a while for it to develop in these instances because they are individuals using Twitter in the work place. I think that to solve this problem there should be a company wide policy on using social media or networks during the work day. And I agree Southwest Airlines has done a good job hiring just one corporate communicator to interact with constituents through social media. So to those individuals who think Twitter is so important that it interrupts their real job. Put the phone down, log off, and FOCUS!
Kelsey,
When I first heard this story I could not believe that a player was Tweeting during a game. I thought it was very irresponsible and showed a lack of dedication to his teammates and coaches. But after I heard more about it and found out that he Tweeted about how the team was tied in an important game and that he needed to step up it did not seem as bad, especially considering the fact that he led his team to a victory in the second half. Looking back on the incident, I believe that this is a huge step in social media being involved with sports. Fans want to be as close to athlete’s as they can, and the fact that there are now players that can keep them informed on what is going on during games is a great way to get close. I am curious to see if more players will do this in the future since many of them already have Twitter accounts.
I had the same reaction as Karlyn when I first read that a surgeon had Tweeted during surgery. At first I thought that would be a terrible thing to be doing, we are talking about life and death here. After thinking it over, and seeing that the patient survived, I can see how it would be useful to do during surgery for the neurotic stakeholders in the patient’s life. I can imagine that there are people out there that do want to know, in a simplified, blood-free manner, what is going on with their loved ones. I can see a future in updates through Tweets, though I am sure the hospital would charge an arm and a leg for this added service.