Guest blog written by Courtney Dial, the editor of

According to a study by Pingdom, the average age of the Twitter user is 39 and more than 60 percent of all Twitter users are 35 or older. Why is Generation Y not into Twitter?

As a Gen Y’er myself, I have found Twitter useful both personally and professionally, but I’m in the minority. There are two main reasons I believe Gen Y’ers are not using Twitter:

* They have not yet discovered how to leverage the platform to build their personal brand.
* They’re not comfortable engaging beyond their existing social network.

Gen Y’ers feel that Twitter is just “Facebook status updates” so why not stick with Facebook? In other words, they find value in the additional features of Facebook such as photos, groups, and videos.

We also saw this with the popularity of MySpace backgrounds and themes. Millennials completely customized and branded their pages.

Similarly, Facebook allows you to brand yourself in a multi-dimensional way through not only short status updates about last weekend’s formal but also pictures and videos to go along with it.

Millennials have yet to find a way to create their  personal brand through 140-character dispatches. And not only that, they say they don’t care what random people are eating for lunch or wearing that day. They do care on Facebook, though.

The difference is pushing past their current social circle. As one friend said, “I only care what my friends are doing. On Twitter, it seems to only be celebrities.”

The merits of following celebrities aside, it takes time to build your following, but those who make the effort soon realize the value of the global network they are building.

Some recent graduates are embracing that type of approach. Samantha Ogborn, a recent University of Missouri graduate, said, “I think Twitter can be a valuable resource for anyone in any niche. It’s what you make of it. You don’t have to be in the business of social media to participate in Twitter. It’s just another medium for you to pursue your passion.”

So why should my generation hop on the Twitter train? Here are my top three reasons:

* Networking and career preparation – No matter what the industry, there are leaders and entrepreneurs on Twitter who you can easily connect to in a matter of seconds. You never know where it might take your career!

* Talk to companies directly – When listening to horrible hold music from a cable company one afternoon, I hung up, tweeted my frustrations, and received an instant response from a company rep who was able to take care of my problem!

* Stay current on news and trends – I have discovered so many local activities, new venues and great deals on Twitter. It’s an unbelievable news source, too.

Why do you use Twitter?

Courtney Dial  satisfies her love for marketing, PR, and social media through various freelance projects to assist businesses with their online marketing needs. She lives in Nashville, Tenn., where she enjoys cheering for her alma mater, Vanderbilt University, and finding any excuse to throw a party.

Um, not so much.

From their blog…

Our open technology platform is well known and Twitter APIs are already widely implemented but this is a different approach because we’ve created something incredibly simple. Rather than implementing APIs, site owners need only drop in a few lines of javascript. This new set of frameworks is called @anywhere.

Okay. So say I want drop in a few lines of javascript to this blog. I do that and now people can tweet directly from my site? Isn’t that what the TweetMeme button does at the top of each post?

But there’s more.

When we’re ready to launch, initial participating sites will include Amazon, AdAge, Bing, Citysearch, Digg, eBay, The Huffington Post, Meebo, MSNBC.com, The New York Times, Salesforce.com, Yahoo!, and YouTube. Imagine being able to follow a New York Times journalist directly from her byline, tweet about a video without leaving YouTube, and discover new Twitter accounts while visiting the Yahoo! home page—and that’s just the beginning. Twitter has proven to be compelling in a variety of ways. With @anywhere, web site owners and operators will be able to offer visitors more value with less heavy lifting.

So, initially, this won’t be available to me. That’s fine. But what they’re describing sounds like an RSS feed to me. But instead of the content coming directly to me, I go to the New York Times (for instance) and I read a reporter I really like. From there, I can follow her on Twitter and read her stream, without leaving her article on the newspaper’s Web site.

Perhaps I’m dense. Or maybe it’s because I don’t understand programming and developing. But this makes no sense to me. Maybe it’ll be like Facebook Connect (which I still can’t find value in using) or it’ll create a way for me to stop using TweetDeck (please, no! I love my TweetDeck). There is still more news to come, which will be announced at their developer conference next month.

Until then…where is the advertising in this? How do they balance who participates on the social platform? How are they going to monetize it? What am I missing?

I  published this on Associated Content last week and thought it is a good post for Spin Sucks, as well. Enjoy!

By now, everyone has heard about Kevin Smith throwing a fit, and telling his more than one and a half million Twitter followers about his experience with Southwest Airlines.

Two weeks ago, the filmmaker was flying from Oakland to Burbank on Southwest Airlines. Smith is a big guy. So big, in fact, that he always books two seats when he flies. On this occasion though, there was only one seat available on the stand-by flight, so he took that, which is where the problems began.

Because I’m a communication professional, I’ll not go into why I think his getting stand-by on an earlier flight, and not having two seats available (which he purchased on the later flight), is the reason he was asked to leave the plane. Nor will I discuss whether or not he was profiled for being “fat”. Instead I’ll focus on what Southwest did really well, and what they could have done better, from a communication perspective.

First of all, Southwest has a policy that they abide by with every disgruntled customer… listen to what they have to say, reflect on the issue, apologize, and offer a voucher for continuing to do business with them. And that’s the policy they followed when responding to Kevin Smith on Twitter a couple of Saturday nights ago.

The problem, though, is that no amount of policy can quell a firestorm created on Twitter if not handled in the right way.

The incident happened on a Saturday night and the Southwest Twitter stream was being managed by Christi Day. Good for her! It likely isn’t policy that Twitter be manned like that on the weekends; she probably was just scrolling through some things and the Smith tweet caught her eye.

She responded. And then the firestorm began. Because she didn’t have authority to offer anything but an apology, and follow policy, the message was retweeted until it became a communication crisis for Southwest.

On Sunday morning Christi wrote a heartfelt blog entry titled, “Not So Silent Bob.” By reading the entry, you know she really feels badly and is doing everything she can to appease the man. But it wasn’t enough, as the angry tweets from Smith continued (including using awful profanity) and upset people commented on the blog.

Here is where the company went wrong…

They treated the Smith complaint just like any other irate customer. Unfortunately, a man with 1.6 million Twitter followers and some semblance of celebrity, isn’t just any other irate customer. Christi did everything she was supposed to have done, except call her boss, who should have alerted Gary Kelly, Southwest Airlines CEO.

Southwest has one million Twitter followers — they have as much clout as Smith. Yet, they didn’t treat the situation as anything different until early the next week. But we all know in the world of Twitter, two or three days later may as well be months later.

If I were Southwest Airlines, I would have seen the tweet, and I would have responded publicly. I would have apologized and asked Smith if I could have our CEO call him, personally. Then I would have had Kelly call him on Saturday night. And I would have told my Twitter followers, “Gary Kelly, our CEO, just called Kevin Smith to personally apologize for his experience.”

Then I would have written the blog post on Sunday, including that information, except I would have had Kelly author it. There still would have been some anonymous comments about how much people don’t like the airline, but that’s to be expected.

By Sunday afternoon, Smith would have looked like a guy trying to use his celebrity to attack the company unfairly. But hindsight is 20/20.

What do you think?

So rather than listen to me talk about how Twitter is not a sales tool or say that, yes, some people talk about what they had for lunch, I thought I’d pull some of my favorite case studies to show how you can use Twitter for your business. By now it’s pretty easy to understand the consumer implications so, instead, I’m going to show you how businesses that work with other businesses use Twitter to generate leads (and revenue).

Caution – this is  really long post, so scan through the case study that is closely aligned with what your business does.

1. Pitney Bowes – a company that helps businesses with it’s mail, workflow, and customer engagement challenges.

A lot of bloggers and reporters have interviewed Pitney Bowes because they are perceived as an old, stody postal meter company. But they’ve done a great job of embracing the social tools to help change their brand’s image, as well as create a dynamic user experience for their customers.

In an interview with Aneta Hall, the company’s emerging media manager, Shel Israel explores how Pitney Bowes use Twitter to engage their customers.

“First, it’s listening and understanding what’s on the minds of the community Pitney Bowes engages with. Second, being helpful to our customers as well as others who want to know more about us. Third, advancing community-based initiatives such as “Holiday Mail for Heroes” (in collaboration with the American Red Cross).

“Twitter is for individuals rather than brands. If you are willing to engage in conversation on a person-to-person basis, it does not matter if you are B2B or B2C – Twitter is the tool for you. Ultimately customer service and listening to customers is about people and not B2B or B2C.“

2. Vistage International is a CEO membership organization whose audience are business owners and leaders

Because Vistage is a client and because I also am a member, I advocated they use the platform to prospect for new members and Chairs, namely the up-and-coming entrepreneurs who are Gen X and (in some cases) Gen Y. But, because their audience was the Baby Boomer, there was some discussion about whether or not their audience is on Twitter. So we tested a few tiny campaigns and began to show some results.

During a two month period, we had some pretty good success:

* There are a few hundred Vistage members, Chairs, and speakers on Twitter and this was an easy way to build relationships with them very efficiently. We  empowered them to talk about their Vistage experiences (good and bad) as part of what they already discuss on Twitter.

* Every time the Twitter community talked about their Vistage experience, five to 10 people asked us about the organization, which led to warm leads.

* A lot of the traditional communication tools we use (news releases, Webinars, and white papers) began to feature some of the really smart members we met on Twitter. So, instead of always using the same experts, we were able to widen our reach through adding new experts and new topics.

* In a two month period, the Twitter campaign secured 36 member inquiries and six new members, which was attributed to our network of members, Chairs, and speakers.

3. I’m a big fan of OPEN Forum because of the excellent business content it delivers on a daily basis.

The reason OPEN Forum uses Twitter is to provide information, strike up conversation with small business owners, and to drive people to their conversational site (which is separate and apart from its corporate Web site).  Their goals are to: Build brand equity, acquire new customers, and build loyalty among existing customers.

OPEN is totally hands-off when it comes to the conversational element. They have had the guts to let the conversation happen … to let the conversation be directed by small business owners and entrepreneurs, and not try to control it. Because of that, they have created even more brand loyalty among existing customers. I just wish their corporate side of things were better because, as much as I love OPEN Forum, using them as a finance option (as a small business owner) just isn’t an option.

4. Intel, as most of us know, provide the processors inside the machines we use for work.

According to Intel employee, Michael Brito, the company doesn’t have an official “Twitter strategy” but it is a tool that many employees use to build relationships, listen, learn from others/each other, and get the latest in news.  Their tweets are not typically Intel related because:

* Pe0ple relate to people, not logos or brands

* Twitter is a place for conversations, not one-way marketing messages

* Twitter builds community, connects people, and fosters relationships; and in order to do so requires authenticity. It’s difficult to be authentic when hiding behind a company logo

5. Last, but not least, and certainly very self-serving, a case study on how we’ve used Twitter to grow Arment Dietrich, a B2B company and service business.

Last January (2009), I was going to the International Franchise Association show and wanted to see how this Twitter thing worked, in terms of creating an opportunity to meet people there, who also are on Twitter. I don’t think, at that point, I even knew the term TweetUp. I just wanted to have an informal happy hour to meet as many people as I could. And it worked! I met @rieva @kategroom @aaswartz and others in less than two hours.

But just meeting them was not the final goal. It ended up that Rieva asked me to write for AllBusiness.com and I was on BlogTalkRadio with she and Angie multiple times. So, an efficient way to use Twitter was to invite people to a happy hour. Then it resulted in various ways for me to build the firm’s reputation through contributed columns and guest appearances on the radio program.

From there, I realized there is certainly a way to use Twitter to network, to prospect for new business, and to convert leads into real revenue. Since then, (many of you know from following me on Twitter), I’ve become a huge advocate of the tool as part of our business growth strategy.

Lots of people say to me, “Well, Twitter makes sense for your business because you’re a communication company.” I don’t agree with that. We are a business. We have to market and sell, just like any other business. We use Twitter to network 24/7, which leads to new business prospects. It doesn’t matter what our company does…we’re finding people who would hire us, just by using Twitter to network. That strategy applies to any company.

A few lessons you can take away from these case studies:

* Twitter allows you to engage in conversation on a person-to-person basis

* Twitter provides information, strikes up conversation with potential customers, and to drives people to your Web site or blog

* Twitter is a way to network 24/7, to develop new relationships and to encourage brand loyalty among current customers

* Twitter is a place for conversations, not one-way marketing messages

* Twitter builds community, connects people, and fosters relationships

If you want even more B2B resources, my friend Scott Hepburn wrote a brilliant post that has a zillion links in it called B2B Social Media: A Resource Guide.

@PatrickReyes Patrick works at GM and is the furthest thing you would think when you think marketing and automaker. If he gets his way, he’ll change the way the auto industry communicates…for the better. On top of his demanding job, he blogs at Salt and Light, and quite consistently. AND, his New Year’s resolution was to commit to exercise. He’s on day 31 of P90X and loving it. He talks about his progress and it’s fun to watch. His only negative? He’s a Lions fan.

@dietcokeluvah You know how you meet people who are not scared ONE BIT to jump into a conversation, engage, and endear themselves to you? That’s my Diet Coke friend, who (for some reason), has an avatar of My Little Pony today. She has just started her blog, but I’m already intrigued. Note the Web sites/blogs she has listed…see a common theme?

@kyleplacy You know how there are people in this world you want to hate because they’ve hit huge success at a young age (like Mark Zuckerberg), but it’s impossible to hate them because they are kind AND successful? That’s Kyle. He wrote “Twitter Marketing for Dummies” and is a c0-founder of Brandswag. Get to know him. You won’t be sorry…or envious.

@ShellyKramer Even though Shelly has a gazillion Twitter followers, she is the most engaging person I know out there. But what I really like her is she doesn’t spend all of her time talking only to the the so-called social media experts. She engages with everyone and she participates in conversations that you’d think someone of her clout wouldn’t bother. Plus, she comes up with the funniest hashtags I’ve ever seen. She owns an integrated marketing and social media company (V3), she likes Milk Duds and wine…wait, she might be my twin!

@SarahRobinson Follow me on Twitter for, oh, about two days and it will come as no surprise that I ADORE Sarah. She was one of the first people I met, when I joined Twitter, and she quickly went about introducing me to people she thought would become friends, referrals, or clients. In the past 15 or so months, I’ve watched her figure out her niche and kill it. She’s spent 2010 on a program called “30 days to changing your game” and she’s launching a Game Changers Roundtable on Feb. 11 (full disclosure: I’m the first guest) to give participants tips and tools for innovation, creativity, and changing their games.

Want additional Twitter follow recommendations? See my past blog posts on the topic.

January 29

December 11

December 4

November 6

October 16

October 2

September 25

September 4

August 28

August 21

August 7

July 24

July 17

July 10

July 3 (which is a culmination of the previous five weeks)

The subject of the debate is  Twitter followers.  Are numbers important? Is more always better? Should you try one of the many automated services that promise to get you thousands of followers in the matter of days or even hours? The answer really lies in your purpose.  Well, first, do you have a purpose?  Just kidding, in a way.  It’s OK to jump on Twitter to figure out what it is.  You will likely fall into one of two camps:  love it and immediately become engaged and even addicted, once you meet the many intriguing and intelligent folks who are using Twitter then visualize where it can take you, your career, your business and/or your personal contacts (now you have your purpose!).  Or, you’ll hate it and see it as a waste of time.  If so, this debate isn’t for you.

I’m approaching Twitter rather methodically and looking for like-minded people who post comments and news stories that help my daily life and career. Thus, I do not refollow everyone who follows me.  I’m not being snobby, just selective. And I will not use an automated follow system.  However; let’s consider a franchise QSR such as El Pollo Loco or Dominos Pizza.  Wouldn’t they want as many followers as possible?  After all, everyone eats, right?

On the surface, that’s my answer but I’d love to hear other opinions and options I may not have thought about.

Not only was his entire Twitter network aware that he was out of town, but his Twitter account also automatically updates his Facebook status, letting that many more people know he wasn’t home.  Obviously no one is blaming Twitter, but are we saying too much on our online forums?  People share everything from products that work great, to a good restaurant, to what they ate for breakfast.  

Facebook and Twitter are great sites to share information and spark conversation but a lot of people go too far.  Many people read your “tweets” and it’s not just the people following you.  While that might be great for letting the world know that you can’t live without a certain type of lawn disease killer, it might not be the best place to confess your love for your significant other or that you’ll be on an island for a long period of time and no one will be home.

Once you’ve posted something it’s out there for the world to see.

Let me back up. The Ad Age article, “Land Rover Taps Twitter As Campaign Cornerstone” is a pretty interesting read. It talks about how they seeded hashtags (words used in tweets that make it easier to follow an ongoing conversation via online searches) “on billboards, taxi TVs, and other out-of-home venues; spreading word of the Twitter effort through auto-obsessed blogs and online publications eager for a peek at its latest bells and whistles; and paying a fledgling Twitter ad network to spread the word among its army of compensated, heavily followed Twitter users, all of whom wallpapered their Twitter profiles with Land Rover branding.”

Okay…interesting enough. Don’t know how I feel about Twitter users wallpapering their profiles with Land Rover branding, but I’ve seen it work for charities, such as 12for12K so I’m not really bothered by it.

AND THEN (enter ominous soundtrack)!!

I read that a company in Des Moines was hired, not for their Twitter expertise, but to pay its 4,500 Tweeters to post on topics and brand their profile pages.

THEY ARE PAYING THEIR FOLLOWERS TO TWEET ON BEHALF OF THEIR CLIENTS?!?

“We were worried it would be considered spam, but we didn’t get a single complaint [about Land Rover],” Mr. Eliason said. “What that tells me is that our connectors have influence.”

Be very afraid this is going to be considered spam, Mr. Eliason. Be very afraid. Your connectors may have influence right now, but as soon as their followers learn they’re being paid to send a message, they will no longer be influential and will lose their following.

Am I wrong?? What do you think?