Provident Partners news

Is Twitter, the short-message social networking tool, just the next Web fad or is it a useful tool for business-minded communication?

A recent article from Black Enterprise magazine addresses the issue, and Albert Maruggi offers some tips for businesses looking to get started with putting Twitter to good use.

One particular tip that stands out: “Make certain you can give a few minutes every day to monitoring messages and sharing information.” Indeed, just like any other people-driven social media forum, Twitter is not something you can set up and leave on autopilot. You get what you give. You reap what you sew. Etc.

On Black Friday, KTLK-FM, a news talk station in the Twin Cities, had Albert Maruggi and others in the studio to discuss Twitter and its impact on communication, politics, marketing and more.

The full discussion, with some news segments thrown in here and there, runs about 45 minutes. Unfortunately, there’s no particular Web page or post to point you to, but there is a podcast you can listen to — grab this .mp3 file.

The conversation covers an introduction to Twitter, some examples of how it’s used in real life, and some of the more dramatic examples of Twittering during a crisis. Albert even squeezed in a mention of Julio Ojeda-Zapata’s new book, “Twitter Means Business.”

“Twitter Means Business,” a new book written by Julio Ojeda-Zapata, technology columnist for the St. Paul Pioneer Press, is now shipping — just in time for the holidays!

The Pioneer Press ran a preview of the new book over this past weekend. From that article:

“Twitter might seem like the last place on the Internet any self-respecting company would want to do business,” the author writes. “It can be a trivial and childish realm, filled with blather about bodily functions, pet excrement and what users had for breakfast, lunch or dinner.

“Yet…the companies come. The reason: Twitter is on fire. Its users are a remarkably vocal, energetic crowd. More and more businesses want this energy to rub off on them, and seek to generate some fireworks of their own as they discover their inner tweeters.”

We at Provident Partners have been eagerly awaiting this new book, as we were lucky enough to play a part in its creation. Albert Maruggi and Mike Keliher both appear in the book, as does one of our Twittering clients, Mark Palony of SoftBrands. Albert also wrote the book’s afterword, in which he explains how Twitter “taps human needs — the desire we have as part of a humanity to connect, to be curious, to seek recognition, to be part of something, and to share.”

For a deeper look (listen, actually) into the book, check out this podcast interview Albert did with Julio a few weeks ago. And of course, buy the book!

On this Election Day, MinnPost’s Christina Capecchi has a review of Meghan McCain’s “McCain Blogette,” the blog Meghan has been writing since 2007 to give readers a bit of an inside look at her father’s presidential campaign.

It’s difficult to judge the impact of one particular Web site in the mix of all other campaign-related communication, but with some help from Provident Partners’ Mike Keliher, Capecchi dissects the things Meghan’s site does well and not so well.

It’s difficult to pin down the Blogette’s political impact. Mike Keliher, 26, a social media consultant from St. Paul, assumes it’s minimal.

“There is probably a small set of people who find this incredibly impressive and very interesting and they really enjoy it, but they were going to vote for McCain anyway. And there’s probably a very small set of people who had their vote turned by something they saw on this blog,” Keliher said. “But in large part, it’s probably not going to have a very big impact. It strikes me as a website that was created in the era when it was simply cool to have a blog, and we are well past that phase.”

Read the full article here.

With a simple Twitter message during the Republican National Convention, Provident Partners’ Albert Maruggi caught the eye of some media-business news writers.

First, writing for MinnPost.com, David Brauer explains how Twitter is “the place to be” for folks trying to follow stories about protesters and police raids. In the article, Brauer quotes Maruggi’s Twitter message when he says that Twitter is like “the police scanner of the 21st Century newsroom.” Brauer’s piece received national attention from the popular journalism news machine Romenesko, from the Poynter Institute.

A few days later, another Poynter outlet, the E-Media Tidibts blog, carried a piece titled “Twitter: Surprise Star of RNC Coverage.” In that piece, writer Maryn McKenna quotes a bit more of the same message from Maruggi. She writes:

But Twitter was the secret weapon. Tweets (Twitter posts) by a huge array of users — 17,855 posts from 1389 accounts over the convention’s four days, according to a C-SPAN page tracking the Twitter hashtag #RNC08 — wove a multi-stranded conversation about where protests were coalescing, how police were responding, and where the story was moving next. Twitter user, social media expert, and former journalist Albert Maruggi observed: “[Twitter is] the police scanner of 21st century newsroom. This from a guy that used to rewrite AP copy for 11pm newscast.”

For more great ideas from Albert Maruggi, follow him on Twitter or send him an e-mail. He has an iPhone, so he’ll see it right away.

Provident Partners’ Albert Maruggi, who, once upon a time, served as the press secretary for the Republican National Committee, has written an article for Media Bullseye about how the McCain and Obama campaigns are using social media in the run-up to the November election. Media Bullseye provides media, public relations, and marketing professionals with news and commentary about the modern communications landscape.

A taste of the article:

Republicans have always prided themselves on organization, game plan and execution, similar to a well-run football team. There are set plays, and everyone knows where they are supposed to be - improvisation accepted only if the play breaks down. The Democratic Party brand includes activism and individualism, more like a basketball team. In general there is a plan, but for the most part, basketball is a reaction to the flow of the individual with the ball.

Today, in many respects, the pace and format of how Republicans and Democrats use social media tools is a reflection of their organizational cultures. You can see this in the general presentation of the candidates’ and political parties’ home pages.

You can read the full article here. Also, if you want to chat about how your organization can use social media to mobilize a community and reach new people — or if you just want to talk politics — give us a call. 651-695-0174.

This past spring, Provident Partners’ PR manager Mike Keliher reported on a couple of key sessions from the Society for New Communications Research’s New Communication Forum: a panel presentation called “Exploring the ROI of online press releases” and a debate/discussion with Todd Defren and Maggie Fox called “Perspectives on the social media press release.”

The report was initially published by Media Bullseye in April, and today the Summer 2008 print edition of Media Bullseye magazine arrived in the mail. Mike’s article is on page 12. It’s a good read for anyone looking to start exploring the concept of distributing news and information online or for folks interested in significant trends in the space.

You can read the full article here.

In a Sunday article on how businesses can tap into social media, the York Daily Record talks to Albert Maruggi, president of Provident Partners and senior fellow at the Society for New Communications Research.

From the article’s intro:

If a few years ago someone had asked me what a “tweet” was, I would have told them it was the sound a bird makes.

Only more recently would I have said a tweet is a posting on Twitter.

Twitter?

What the heck is that?

Unless you are really tapped into the newest methods of social media and technology, Twitter is most likely something new to you.

So consider this your Twitter tutorial.

The article goes on to offer just that — a good tutorial for Twitter beginners. Maruggi’s contibutions include some insights on which types of businesses “absolutley” should look into Twitter and how they can get started.

Read the full article here.

Pioneer Press technology reporter Julio Ojeda-Zapata writes in a recent article that we’re in the midst of a “’social media’ revolution that has begun to change how civic and political groups — like the St. Paul-based team responsible for Republican convention planning — are using the Internet to publicize their causes.”

In the article, Provident Partners’ founder and president Albert Maruggi — also a former RNC press secretary — shares some of his insights on the convention organizers’ use of new Web communication methods. From the article:

“There has been a heated debate within Republican circles about social media,” [Maruggi] said. “I don’t think they jumped on it soon enough. What has worked in Republican politics has been more of a hierarchical structure.

“But little by little they’re starting to realize that this is about your own volunteers embracing your own brand,” he added. “You don’t worry too much that someone will get the talking points wrong. You want to see energy.”

Read the full article here.

Albert Maruggi, founder and president of Provident Partners and a senior fellow at the Society for New Communications Research, shares some social media insight with 1to1 Magazine for its article “Tapping the wisdom of online crowds” (subscription required).

A quick excerpt:

Most important for companies to remember, Maruggi says, is that social media today doesn’t come with identifiable revenue because it’s rooted in building and strengthening relationships.

“Marriages take time, work and flexibility,” he says, “and so does this.”

Read the full story on 1to1’s Web site.