Well-known high street furniture store Habitat has issued an apology (via its PR company, via a social media blog) for its misuse of popular hashtags on Twitter over the past few days.
Among fair game for whoever was posting on behalf of @TwitterUK were the hashtags #Iran, #iPhone and #Apple – all completely unrelated to any marketing efforts the retail chain was pushing on the service.
The tweets, which unsurprisingly caused quite a backlash from users, have since been removed. read more
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Social Media is gaining popular attention. It might be because of Ashton and Oprah, it could be because of the economy, but more and more companies and non-profits are enquiring about the subject. The same question comes up in each discussion …
Micro-blogging service Twitter may be the latest rage with celebrities and their followers but it has yet to catch on as a marketing tool for British businesses.
According to the latest web analysis from WebTrends, just two per cent (one in fifty) businesses in the UK are using Twitter for marketing, while six per cent are blogging or podcasting.
Only the likes of direct email marketing, detailed web analytics, traditional online advertising and search optimisation really made the grade, with at least one-third of companies using always or often. read more
The financial services industry is just one that’s seeing the current and future benefits of Twitter, with the founder of the UK’s IFA Life networking web site warning that financial advisors who don’t use Twitter will miss out on business leads.
The site has just launched a directory of advisors who are already using Twitter to make it easier for consumers to find independent financial advisors online. read more
In an age of blogging and tweeting, it’s hard to keep a secret.
Though Apple made it quite clear that its latest shareholders meeting was not to be live-blogged, it didn’t stop a couple of shareholders pushing out updates.
According to CNBC, Apple refused to allow journalists to carry in communications devices, thus making live reaction impossible. However, it did manage to run a live-blog of sorts based on the pings of “Cheddarmuff” and “idannyb”. read more
It seems the mainstream rush to jump aboard Twitter is everywhere, and while seasoned bloggers and tech geeks have been using the service for years, it’s as well to remember that many individuals and businesses are only just getting their heads around blogging, let alone microblogging.
There’s no shortage of information online about using Twitter, with UK-based PR company Punch Communications one of the latest to set up online resources to help new users get the most out of their tweets. read more
The list of web-based services, open source, free programs, and social media tools for today’s businesses is impressive, but incomplete. It included Remember the Milk task management system, Woopra live web analytics, OpenOffice, Google Docs and Calendar, FreshBooks for invoicing, expenses, and time-tracking, SlideShare, Audacity audio recording and editing, YouSendIt for sending files free up to 2 gigs, and Oovoo the video messaging, conferencing, and chatting service. A great collection of outstanding free services, but what’s missing is more interesting. read more
