Twitter as a Communications Tool for Unions

Twitter is yet another free Internet service that could open up new possibilities for union communication. Read on for more.

If you haven't heard of Twitter or tried it yet, it's a service for submitting blog items onto the Internet using short posts, referred to as "tweets", of 140 characters or less. Have a look at my Twitter page to get a clearer idea of how it works.

At first glance, this seems useless and frivolous. But the big strength of Twitter, and probably a major reason for its success, is the ease with which you can update it using your browser, your favorite instant messaging client, or your cell phone. Posting to Twitter from just about anywhere is effortless and doesn't take a lot thought or time, a big plus in today's world of overworked, overloaded information workers.

The other major feature of Twitter is the ease with which other "followers" can subscribe to your tweets and keep apprised on what you are thinking or doing. Your Twitter blog also generates an RSS feed which can be subscribed to by anyone if you choose to allow the public to do so.

In the year and a half since it's public release, Twitter has gained the attention of serious communicators as a way to help get their message out. Politicians, corporations, non-profits, freelancers; just about anyone with a message can find some value in using the service. Check out the Twitterholic home page for a sampling of the most popular Twitter blogs.

So how might unions use Twitter? Here's a few ideas:

1) Set up your website to receive incoming RSS feeds from the picket lines or other major events like conferences.
2) Labor leaders can twitter their daily activities to keep members apprised of what leadership is working on and fighting for.
3) If you don't have time or staff to write quality blog posts, use twitter to keep the community up to date on the issues and concerns of your union.
4) Set up a bogus Twitter account using the name of a hated CEO or manager. Post entertaining items like "Don't know why our workers are so upset at my salary. Don't think they realize all the maintenance needed on 100 foot yachts."
5) Post up the minute bargaining updates to the website right from the bargaining table.

I highly recommend that unions experiment with this technology and see what works. These new social media tools don't come with handbooks. The best way to find out what Twitter is capable of is to get out there and give it a shot. Just be sure to share what you learn by posting here on Communicate or Die.