SEAN TINER

Listed Below are some cool (no pun intended) resources shared from the speakers at the recent Twitter Conference in San Diego, CA. Key Resources: * Bit. ly : Creates a Tiny URL and allows creators to track the links * Cli .gs : Creates a Tiny URL and allows creators to track the links * Tweetlater : Schedule your tweets * Future Tweets : Schedule your tweets * ParaTweet : Streams real time tweets at conferences. At the event, people were encouraged to add the hash tag # ctc to their tweets. A moderator then approved the tweets, which were streamed on a projector for everyone to see. It is a concrete of incorporating social media in the real world. * Tweetphoto : Quickly upload pictures via mobile or traditional Internet connection and share with community on Twitter. * Tweetdeck : Easy way to organize tweets * Twtpoll : Create polls for Twitter. * PollDaddy : Another online poll resource * Trottr : Record your voice via a mobile phone and post on Twitter or Facebook * Mgive .com : SM...

Using Twitter to Engage Constituents v1 Enjoy the slides from my recent presentation at the Cool Twitter Conference in San Diego, CA.

(Sean Tiner ) (Sean Tiner ) (Christian) (Sean Tiner ) (Sean Tiner ) (Rodney Rumford , Co-Founder of Tweet Photo) (Jennifer Van Grove, Mashable ) (Jennifer Van Grove, Mashable ) (Sean Tiner ) (Mirna Bard, Nureach Global) (Marta Donayre , GrantsWiz ) (Marta Donayre , GrantsWiz ) (Bob Fine, Cool Blue Company LLC ) (Becky Carroll, Customers Rock!) (Angie Swartz , Twitter Talk Radio) Today, I spoke at the Cool Twitter Conference in San Diego , CA. I lectured on "Using Twitter to Engage Constituents." Although, I used nonprofit case studies to convey successful Twitter engagement and fundraising examples, the marketing theories from my presentation are applicable to corporations, brands, and individuals that desire to use Twitter as part of their integrated marketing communications plan. At the event, I really enjoyed exchanging social media ideas with various marketing professionals. I will post tips and tricks from the conference soon.

( Kiva Alert's "Kiva Tweets") Today, Twitter is still the buzz of the social media world. From Starbucks to the American Red Cross, brands and nonprofits are constantly encouraging their customers, supporters, and constituents to follow their organizations on the micro-blogging service. Although a large number of Twitter followers can increase a website's traffic for the short-term, how does a brand engage a target audience through Twitter for the long-term? Several brands, companies and nonprofits are exploring strategies for long-term engagement, however Kiva has recently found a possibly solution. Kiva Alerts , a microsite created to promote Kiva Microfunds, a 501 (c) 3 organization that "allows people to lend money via the Internet to microfinance institutions around the world which in turn lend money to small business" (Kiva.com), implements a peer-to-peer Twitter marketing strategy. Kiva Alerts allows visitors to "donate" their Twitter accou...

Last week, Ashton Kutcher made national headlines by challenging CNN to see who could be the first Twitter user to have one million followers. Kutcher punked social media and won the challenge by being the first Tweeter to reach one million followers. Shortly afterwards, Oprah had Evan Williams , the founder of Twitter, on her show. The exposure introduced Twitter to Oprah's legion of viewers who no doubt learned about the micro-blogging service for the first time. From March '08 to March '09, Twitter saw its traffic explode over 2500 percent (see chart below) . Earlier this year, fmylife .com .launched. The site lists short humorous entries about unfortunate circumstances. Anyone can anonymously contribute to the website. In 4 months, the site went from zero viewers in January to 1.8 million unique visitors in April (see chart below). The website has already secured a book deal with Random House Books and there is probably a movie deal somewhere in the works. Twi...

A week after April Fools' Day, Flutter: The New Twitter , a Slate V mockumentary, continues to create laughter across the cyber landscape. Flutter tweets fun at the persistent and rapid growth of social media websites. The satire depicts how users' attention spans are quickly decreasing and creating demand for the fusion of social media websites. As the amount of Twitters has skyrocketed from 4 million in November 2008 to 14 million today, the popular micro-blogging site continues to receive daily recognition in mainstream news. Everyday society is reminded about the site from DJs, television anchors and journalists who encourage the public to follow their tweets. If Twitter continues to grow at this viral pace, don't be surprised to see Evan Willams, founder of Twitter, nominated for Time's Person of The Year. After all in 2006, Time recognized You ( a.k.a YouTube) as the Person of the Year. Then again, maybe that's just flutterful thinking.

5) Thecoolhunter.net If you need a unique gift idea or want to stay up to date with the latest trends in art, fashion and music, then thecoolhunter.net is the address for your mouse to click and chill out. 4) Viralvideochart.com Need a quick breather from the workplace? Check out viralvideochart.com , a site that aggregates the top 20 viral for the day. It's a cool site to use to stay current on the evolving examples of social interactive video. 3) Blip.fm If you want to sample new songs or bring your iTunes library along without lugging your iPod, give Blip.fm a try. The website allows users to create free play lists of favorite songs and it's also a good way to legally sample and listen to full length tracks without spending a single cent. 2) Twitter.com This micro-blogging site continues to grow and receive free press. Most recently, Twitter was featured on the homepages of several networks after the president-elect's account was hacked last week. Rest assured, Twi...

Is Twitter a viable social media? Today, Simon Dumenco of Ad Age Magazine critiques Twitter , a micro blogging site. In "Twitter, R.I.P.? Or Is There Gold Buried in Them Thar Tweets? ," Dumenco criticizes the website for not having a revenue plan and accuses journalists of tweeting inappropriate media events. According to Dumenco, "lot of media people have been drinking the Twitter Kool-Aid. ... I'm seeing a lot of really smart writers and thinkers devoting way too much time to Twittering -- and to me it's akin to convincing yourself that constant gum chewing is as good as preparing, or consuming, a gourmet meal. Either way, though, I continue to maintain that Twitter is, for the most part, an unnecessary distraction in an already information-overloaded age." Dumenco highlights a Rocky Mountain News journalist's coverage of a child's funeral on Twitter as the main defense to his argument. With over 3 million unique visitors to Twitter last mo...

...Want to open up a little more? ...Jump on the Web 2.0 bandwagon? ...Be famous for 15 minutes (or at least seconds) ? It's amazing how easy it is to start a blog and share thoughts, insights and opinions. According to Technorati there are over 112 million blogs and 175,000 are created each day. Although the numbers are impressive, I still believe that the 80/20 rule applies to a majority of these blogs. ...Where the top 20% of blogs receive 80% of the traffic. It is even more lopsided at the top. For example, Perez Hilton , Forbes' #1 Internet celebrity , received over 1.4 million visitors in May 2008 (according to compete.com ) . Whereas, Seth Godin , #4 on Forbes' list , received 25,000 visitors in May 2008 (according to compete.com ) . It seems that as we move beyond Web 2.0 the need to personally connect applies more and more to the blogging world. Micro-blogging (think short blog entries) allows users to write brief text entries (usually less then 200 characters)...