There is no doubt in anyone’s mind that twitter has become a very powerful tool. Twitter is still a baby but has already changed the whole social media world. It’s interesting to think about this because tomorrow another tool may emerge that changes the way we look at social media and communicate with each other. This is why it is so important to stay on top of new tools and strategies. Let’s take a look at some of the things that people have been able to accomplish through twitter:
- we have seen people use twitter for fund raising
- doctors have used twitter to live tweet surgeries
- companies such a Dell has used twitter to make over a million dollars selling products
- twitter has been used as an excellent customer service tool, check out my Comcast example
- companies and individuals have been using twitter to recruit and find new jobs
- blog posts and stories have been written solely through twitter
- twitter has been used as a real time focus group and information platform
- companies like Best Buy are using twitter to allow users to locate product merchandise
I’m sure there are many other things you can point that twitter has been used for (and would love to hear about them in the comments). Now, let’s try to think of the future possibilities for twitter. Look at the next 6 months, 1 year, or even 2 years. What do you think businesses and individuals can accomplish through twitter?
Twitter as an e-commerce platform
What if you were able to purchase products directly through twitter via company/brand channels. Let’s say I want to sign up for the Comcast triple play media package or buy a product through best buy, will I be able to? Would I want to? I don’t know but it’s possible. Just imagine purchasing your Disneyland ticket or movie theater through twitter.
Twitter as an ordering device
Let’s say I go into a starbucks or some restaurant in San Francisco. What if twitter was able to pinpoint my location and instantly recognize the store I was in? Maybe I could place my order directly through twitter. Starbucks is usually packed (so are popular restaurants) what if I could just tweet my order and the person behind the counter had an instant order request for my late?
Twitter as an entertainment platform
What if we started to see soap operas or reality shows being tweeted out? I would be able to follow my characters, plots, and conversations directly through twitter, would I want to? maybe, but is it possible? Sure.
Of course there are going to be issues that need to be figured out in terms of “how” do you make all of this work and sync together. The point here is to try to think outside of the box in terms of what’s possible with instant micro-conversations. I want us to think more “bigger picture” in terms of how we can can begin using tools such as twitter. Think of integration with shopping carts, GPS, telephones, automobiles, politicians, pilots, laptops, gadgets, devices, etc. What you you put together and why?
So you tell me, what do you think is possible with twitter? What you like to be able to do with twitter in the future?
thanks for reading!
