Monitter Twitter?

The news is that Apple may be thinking of buying Twitter. It’s a demonstration of just how far this site has come. Today, if your brand is going to have a crisis, it’s going to written about on Twitter first. It’s amazing therefore to discover just how few brands actively monitor their consumers Twitter conversations. If you don’t, take a look at monitter and prepare to be amazed. Then pick up the phone to a good PR agency (like my own). They will help you join the conversation!

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Badvocacy for Dummies!

There’s a great article in the Times Money section this morning “How to join the internet vigilantes”. It highlights the number of “consumer revenge” websites springing up in the UK and the impact they are having on corporate decision making.
Some of the “Badvocacy” blogs highlighted included:-
Talktalkhell.wordpress.com– set up by an unidentified TalkTalk customer who was clearly unhappy about his phone and broadband provider.
Orangeproblems.co.uk – set up by a customer who was left without a broadband connection and claims to have 7,500 members.
Consumer action group.co.uk – set up by a man who was unhappy with his
Lloyds TSB Bank charges and now claims 7,500 members.
Lots of examples and a demonstration of how the internet is empowering customers. It’s also shows how business is having to open up, engage and involve a much larger group of stakeholders today.

As I have posted many times – transparency and participation are the key words in the new advocacy world and these are best practiced before rather than after any crisis.
You can find more examples of badvocacy by going to http://www.petitiononline.com/ , including a number against Tom Hicks, the part owner of Liverpool Football club. Interesting also is Hick’s response. Apparently he phoned the guy who started the petition to directly address his concerns. Not sure whether he managed to win the argument, but it sure shocked the petitioner and helped to create a lot of buzz amongst supporters!

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