Ten Types of Businesses and a Twitter Use for Each

This comes from my "100 ways series" that I use in workshops:

1. Consultants, advisors, coaches, speakers, trainers, 'experts' and wanna-be gurus: Share valuable content, connect followers, offer how-to info from respected blogs, and generally make 'em want more.

2. Retail (especially those stores that have really beautiful product): Photos...and lots of them. Flickr is your friend.

3. Travel brokers, agents, tour companies and accommodations: Sell-offs (and prices with no hidden extras).

4. NFPs, community organizations, associations: Acknowledge publicly your volunteers, board members and donors (with permission, of course). Post events with pics and post-event video.

5. B2B: Exchange war stories, RFPs, recommend suppliers.

6. Professional service firms: Customer service questions, deadlines, new legislation.

7. Restaurants, cafes and bars, etc.: Daily specials, local food on the menu, draught on tap, server suggestions, menu requests.

8. Homeowner services: Tips and free advice.

9: Businesses that teach or train: mini "how-to" videos.

10. All businesses: events, 'mention this tweet' contests, link to blog, job openings, kudos.

Did I ignore your business category here? Post a request and I'll reply.

Happy B.I.T.L.

(badminton in the living room)

Really REALLY instant messaging...

As a college prof, I have been privy first-hand to the change in adoption of new technology by young people. Every year I observe or ask about such things as cellphone and laptop ownership, use of social networking tools and the average number of texts students send daily. This has been a remarkable experiment in witnessing the explosion of technology use. I can't think of any other phenomenon that has seen such exponential growth, and which has become so ubiquitous, so quickly. Students refuse to turn off their phones - placating me by setting them to vibrate - because of the delay in receiving messages after the phones are turned back on. My tired joke to them is that if anyone is expecting to be called into surgery to operate, they can leave them on. Let's be honest; most are receiving messages from friends asking such vital questions as, "What's up?". Anyone who works with teens, or shares their home with teens, knows what I am talking about. The rest of you have heard the stories. I can't convey how rapid the change has been. I'm talking about going from one school year to the next and seeing completely different uptake in constant use of new tech. They are amazingly adaptable (and sadly, unquestioning about how much of this they really need, what the real effects are, and what on earth they are constantly distracting themselves from).

But this week I really saw the future of this technology. Imagine this scenario: I was walking up to my class with my Blackberry, something I don't normally bring to class, but which I needed because of kids at home alone, (excuse the rationalizing aside). On my way up the stairs, I received a text from  a part-time teacher I mentor, asking about a student who needed to be accommodated for a test. I replied back that this student had not given enough notice. Full stop. When I walked into class, I saw the student sitting there with her laptop open.  I mentioned to her that she would not be accommodated and she replied with utter surprise that she had JUST emailed the other teacher, and how on earth did I know?

The humour of startling students with their own technology is one thing. But it really made me think about the future of such technologies as texting, IM, and social tools like Twitter. Great science fiction is all about extending current realities to their logical next steps, sometimes many steps beyond. The natural next step of these devices is wearing and implantation. Scoff if you will, but I'd bet on it. The "molar cell" will read our thoughts, and ask our permission (hopefully!) to transmit. Telepathy is the next gen Blackberry!

I'm not being facetious. Instant communication, anywhere, any time, is here. Take it en masse with something like Twitter and hold on for the ride!!

The Twitter Revolution...

What does Twitter mean for the future of mainstream media? If consumers can share en masse, world happenings in real-time, and 'readers' (scanners? users? visitors? voyeurs?) can follow the tide like a ticker tape, who will find time for a newspaper, even one online? People witnessing the Hudson River plane crash (and capturing photos with their PDAs) shared the content before CNN interviewed a single witness.

Imagine the next generation of Twitter as an audio feed that fills the air around you, as CBC currently does. Stop and pause at content that grabs your attention. Drill down on what matters to you. Connect with like-minded folks around the globe.

Imagine the potency of a fully integrated Facebook/Twitter mash-up. Or does that already exist??? There are more apps out there than I can keep track of.

Most silly, some mind-blowing.