Ever since Shaq And Ashton made Twitter a household name, it seems like every celebrity and business entity out there is trying to cash in on the popularity of this social networking tool.

I can hear the boardroom conversations now, “shit, we just got WordPress installed because they told us we needed a blog, now you are saying we need to create something called a Twitter account?”

Most companies have no clue how to Tweet and foolishly jump in head first doing the same thing they have done before, pushing PR approved marketing blurbs to an unknown universe of people. I can’t think of a better way of alienating your current and potential customer base.

So who is doing this right?

Omniture ClientCare
Ben Gaines in Omniture ClientCare is a great example of what a corporate Twitter presence should look like. He is a real person, with a real personality. He is knowledgeable and he is a constant presence on Twitter. Have a product issue or question? Send him a Tweet and he will personally follow-up to make sure you are taken care of. What I enjoy most from following Ben on Twitter is that he isn’t just some corporate clone trying to brainwash me into liking the product. He provides valuable insight and is a great escalation point when I run into problems.

JetBlue
JetBlue is another shining example of a company using Twitter the “right way”. Rather then posting an endless and mind numbing stream of Tweets about how cool JetBlue is they are providing a real service on Twitter. They are actively listening to travelers and are responding to each one individually to ensure they have a world-class experience. “I’d like to travel with my pet dog but I don’t know what I can or can’t do” Well, Tweet to JetBlue and ask them and you may get a response back like “Pet carriers can’t exceed 17″L x 12.5″W x 8″H. We’re partial to the JetPaws program: http://www.jetblue.com/jetpaws/ offering a carrier and tips!”

I believe Twitter can be an extremely powerful tool for corporations but only if its done the right way. Remember, social media tools like Twitter are grassroots, don’t go in trying to think you can apply archaic business practices because if you do you are destined for failure.

Jason Thompson

Jason is the Sr. Director of Community Solutions at Keystone Solutions. If you are interested in partnering with Jason at Keystone, in need of analytics & optimization consulting, or looking for employment/internship possibilities, please feel free to email ‘jason [at] keystonesolutions [dot] com’

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Why does everyone with a WordPress blog and a Google Analytics account all of a sudden think they are experts in the field of web analytics? I have never been one to heavily self market or promote myself, so perhaps because of that choice I don’t have the right to complain, but this is my blog and I can do what I want.

It frustrates me to no end to see people, whom in my opinion, are given undo credit, opportunity, and financial gain because they are good at creating an image. “oh snap, this dude has a blog and he calls himself a web analytics expert, he must be good, lets listen to him and follow like blind sheep!”

Perhaps my frustration has more to do with the state of our economy then with the web analytics industry per se. I just see this mentality being a common theme that runs through our society. We have stopped buying products and services because of their value and we have started buying because of their perceived value.

I can’t say it any more beautifully than Mr. Tyler Durden:

“Advertising has us chasing cars and clothes, working jobs we hate so we can buy shit we don’t need.”

Jason Thompson

Jason is the Sr. Director of Community Solutions at Keystone Solutions. If you are interested in partnering with Jason at Keystone, in need of analytics & optimization consulting, or looking for employment/internship possibilities, please feel free to email ‘jason [at] keystonesolutions [dot] com’

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