There probably weren’t that many people who’d even heard of Twitter at the start of 2008 — now that’s certainly all changed. Microblogging has given its long-form big brother a run for its money, filling a bit of a gap between stream of consciousness and full length writing. It’s a new kind of social network which can connect you with other people (and brands) without you even realising it.
So what better way to end the year here on DGM with news of the Twitter Panto “TwitPanto” which is in full swing this afternoon.
Being social media it’s a collaborative effort with all the audience participation you’d expect. You can even heckle to your heart’s content. Genius.
From news organisations to corporates – millions of people are discovering that Twitter is a way to keep in touch with your audience/customers and engage them directly in real time. Social media is no longer niche, it’s mainstream; digital communication is not just for early adopters, it’s for everyone.
All this brings me back to panto. My first job after leaving university was in panto– Jack and the Beanstalk in York, if you must know. Many of the audience told me that they didn’t go to the theatre during the year but always went to the panto. Why? Because it was social, populist and they could get involved. Crucially they enjoyed the show and told their friends about it– retweeted, if you like.
Could it be that the panto spirit sums up what two-way communication (ie the social bit) is all about?
I’m a bit late seeing this gem from The Times but couldn’t resist. Gunther the dog appears to preside over a fortune of £90m although doesn’t seem to have splashed out much of this on the design of his website. There’s some suggestion this may be a hoax, but it’s all good fun whatever.
Also of note is Tinker the cat at £450,000 and the late Queen Mum’s sheep.
Avid readers of Don’t Go Mad (go on, admit it, you know you want to) will recall my post from a couple of weeks ago about the official start of Christmas.
The gist was that there are two “conditions” to know that Christmas has officially started. (1) Receiving Christmas song videos on email and (2) the Sky channel changing music goes all sleighbell.
Well I’m pleased to confirm that condition 2 has also now been satisfied – so you’re in business, Santa.
I couldn’t resist blogging about this one– cats have been given a digital lifetime achievement award. Long overdue recognition, I’d say.
Videos of cats, pictures of cats, text about cats… it’s never ending out there on the internet and millions upon millions of us human are lapping up cat content. (Of the digital kind, not eating Whiskas.)
Thing is, the internet brings together niche communities in a way that’s logistically difficult if not impossible offline. Surely if you’re trying to reach people as part of a campaign with cat-related elements then digital has to be the way forward because there’s a ready-made community to engage. Extrapolate this and the internet is going to offer you a community (or the chance to build a community) around every niche imaginable.
Miss digital and you risk missing-out on engaging a passionate, ready-made, like-minded audience who are already sharing catty content.
Congratulations, cats, on your award!
[Disclaimer: I like cats and am trying to persuade my wife to let me get one]
How can you be sure people on the Internet are who they say they are? Interesting thoughts on Jeremiah’s blog today about “Brandjacking” with some examples of what’s happening on Twitter and suggestions of ways to counter it.
If you’re not already one of Jeremiah’s regular readers then I thoroughly recommend paying him a visit.
Struggling to figure out whether this video is for real. The “search” tutorial which begins around 2′30” is particularly illuminating.
Treat the mouse like a hot potato — what’s that all about!?
Of course takeup, penetration and access for this demographic is not going to be as high as others. But the thing is, older people in the UK spend more time online than any other age group. This means older people spend more time consuming content, whatever that might be. So online remains a good way to engage this demographic and doing it inline even better.
Not sure how comfortable I feel about animals being made to perform but giving this one the benefit of the doubt. Introducing the saxophone playing walrus and the dancing of its “trainer” Sergiy.
