I present as evidence of Twitter’s power…. a case of water (my boss was kind enough to take a pic with his new iPhone):

How is this powerful? I posted an update to twitter about my love of coconut-flavored owater. In my old neighborhood, there were two stores that carried this particular beverage. After moving to DC, it’s been very difficult to find. Shortly after posting this message, a representative from the company contacted me and asked if she could help at all. One week later, I have a free case of water, an uber-cool coconut t-shirt and a list of retailers in the area that have recently ordered this particular flavor.

The act of connecting with others generates value for an organization. Dissemination of knowledge, promotions, meeting and event coverage are but a few examples.

A BIG thanks goes to Amy Mueller of owater — anyone who has not tried out this incredible beverage is missing out.

Rodney Rumford posted a review of Twitter blogs entitled “33 Brands That Suck on Twitter.”

After reviewing the list, it’s apparent that the criteria for suck-status includes:

• You’re brand has been parked or hijacked
• You don’t follow anyone
• You haven’t tweeted in months

In an effort to document brand participation on Twitter (and the larger social segment), I linked to the report from the Index. I personally believe this level of criticism is flawed. I parked a twitter account for my former firm after I noticed a number of other, high-level firms being taken and spammed (most likely by a summer associate that didn’t get an offer). Criticizing someone for not coming to a party is counter productive and, odds are, they will feel the pressure to participate in short order.

As for brands that have been hijacked, how is this different from the mid-90s?

In regards to following: several brand managers I’ve connected with have a policy in place addressing followers. Why should a brand, executive or government office follow me? If I have a problem with a product, I would rather have the person on the other end focused on the signal from the community (e.g. summize) than listening to tweets about being drunk on a bus.

Tweeting frequency is something that I also believe is important, but I was proved wrong earlier today. Someone from oWater got in touch with me after reading about my tweets about their coconut infused water. (Sidebar: it’s incredible!) So this person, who has a twitter account and doesn’t tweet often, offered assistance in helping me find my fav beverage!

In thinking about twitter or other social application, it’s important to remember the Web is a heterogeneous environment. How an organization will use an application must be tailored to it’s community and existing culture.

So how many people noticed the Twitter Brand Index, a list of organizations participating in the social environment, is:

a static list?
not at all fluently simple?

Well, I’ve listened to the great criticism and have reposted the Index: http://www.socialbrandindex.com/.

This new framework will provide for better scalability, collaboration and will help me leverage others for this human-powered Index. I welcome any and all comments, so please, send them on! I realize that moving to a new domain isn’t always a good move, but I hope the content and the need to find and connect will help faciliate this move.

Now for some sleep!

In flipping over the guide on the DVR, I noticed that “America’s Most Wanted” was on TV. This show has had a long run and a pretty successful mission. An idea popped into my head: why doesn’t this show, or any government agency, use twitter to communicate “most wanted” information to people online?

To date, the only example I’ve seen of government conveying ciritical information to citizens in the twitter account of the LAFD. Establishing a model for use is pretty simple: use both the twitter design options and tweets to display critical information. Who’s the top person on a “most wanted” list? Put up their picture, mention latest sightings and offer links to contact with information. As users become more mobile and comfortble with apps, the number of eyes and ears on the street increases substantially. The NYPD had a campaign running: See something, say something. While NYC has serious security concerns (seeing heavily armed officers on the subway was always a bit disconcerning), the approach is a natural extension of social apps.

Are there examples on twitter or other government-run systems, either here in the US or elsewhere?

The response to the Brand Index has been fantastic. However, there have been a few bumps in the road. Take Seth Godin — who’s twitter account was unofficial. The other day it was pointed out that the ExxonMobil account was also a fraud. See Jeremiah’s comprehensive post on the matter.

As a matter of policy, any individual, organization or other entitity legally entitled to a brand identity who is listed on the Index may exercise the right to have it removed or corrected. I chose to do the later in an effort to indicate to twitter users the reliability of a given account.

The social landscape is one that places reputation and identity at risk. As social manager/strategists/etc, how we choose to deal with this risk is critical. SImply putting one’s head in the sand is insufficient, as there could be someone who comes along and takes actions (either blindly or intentionally) against your organization. This very issue could be a focus at an upcoming SM event in Washington, D.C. Details to follow.

I just wrapped up a massive amount of updates on the Index… thank you all for the great submissions!

There were a number of countries and regions represented in this last group, including Australia, Austria, Canda, Ireland and Tibet. Over the next few days, there will be a minor reorganization of data, as well as new deep pages for several media properties.

What I need from you: The Index is starting to outgrow this format. I have an idea on how to expand the Index and make it more useful, but I’d like to get your suggestions. Post a comment or, if you’d like to keep it quiet, send me an email!

And for everyone that has followed me the past few days, I will follow back. My fingers need a break

A new page was just posted within the Brand Index covering Dell’s use of Twitter.

Check it out: http://blog.fluentsimplicity.com/twitter-brand-index/dell/

Several points are worth mentioning:

1. Dell’s approach includes promotiona (such as small business offers), customer service and  community building activities.
2. There is a master account which drives traffic to more specialized segments. Start at direct2dell and go deeper by looking who the account follows. Policymakers take note: who you follow may influence your customers.
3. A number of core functional areas are represented on the Index. Instead of navigating phone menu’s with 7 digit extensions, I can find someone on twitter to start a conversation. If I was on the hardware side, I would view this as a major advantage.

Comments, thoughts? I know Zappos has a high rate of employee participation on twitter. Any other companies?

The Twitter Brand Index has grown considerably over the past 48 hours. Having worked a long day and spent a few hours on the index updates, I wanted to get in a word of thanks to everyone that has contributed to the expansion. In particular, thanks Chris Winfield (http://twitter.com/chriswinfield) and Laura Fitton(http://twitter.com/pistachio) for the mentions!

My tenure as marketing technology manager is over — I’m off to a new job! I’d like to share my thoughts on law firm life, but it’s nothing earth-shattering. Usual politics, tensions and drama that you could read on abovethelaw.com.

There will be a few people that I miss dearly, but dear BigLaw, good-bye!

In honor of our recent holiday, I feel it important to discuss something that has a great deal of meaning for all of us: independence. This was mentioned to me by a friend last week (that conversation is another blog post, I’m sure). One of the things I love most about living in New York City is the history. Take Bowling Green, found at the southern tip of Manhattan. Long before there was a tourist magnet (e.g. The Bull), this was a focal point for protests up to and through the Revolution. Looking around NYC, I don’t see that spark of hope and defiance in the eyes of most of my fellow citizens. Many are focused on themselves or maintaing their worldview.

Case in point: Take John Culberson (@johnculberson), a Member of the House who is embroilled in a drama concerning Web communications. For more info, check out: http://culberson.house.gov/

“They are trying to ban my Twitters & every [web communication] from all Congressmen unless each communication has been preapproved/edited/censored.”

I have to ask, is this serious? Are there lawyers running wild in the House of Representatives? Isn’t it time to examine what direction we are taking both as a nation and as individuals? Let’s debate rules for proper exchange of information instead of actually listening to each other.

It’s time we start to think for ourselves and shake up the status quo. Many will be threatened, but what are the alternatives? Look down the road: climate change and competition over shrinking resources will put immense pressure on our society. It’s sink or swim time.