End of an era for Twitter?

As a New Year emerges, many have added to their resolution list the decision to quit Twitter and return to the real world. Stephen Fry has had a rocky relationship with the micro-blogging site during the past year and whilst he claims it is only a temporary parting, he acknowledges it is necessary in order to get some real work done. Similarly before Christmas, Lily Allen admitted an addiction with the site and announced that she is going cold turkey when it comes to technology.

If 2009 was the boom year for Twitter, it seems we are on the brink of its demise and Chris Hughes’ SocialTrance this evening, his attempt at mass hypnosis, reveals a more sinister side to the site which makes scenes from Doctor Who not seem so far from reality. A recent article from PC World stated that 2010’s top security threats include Facebook and Twitter so even if the site remains popular for some time to come, there are various risks involved which could warrant it some bad press.

Google have recently added Twitter to their search engine in an attempt to keep up with the speed of breaking news, yet this blends a search engine full of useful information with a blogging site which contains a lot of pointless comments so this could be a dubious marriage.

What does this all mean for those undertaking PR evaluation? Nielsen reported that growth on Twitter reached a peak in May 2009 before leveling off, though it did report that the greatest demographic was 35 - 49 and that it could become important within marketing strategies amid the unstable economic conditions. However, they demonstrated that when researching a new purchase online, blogs garnered more trust amongst consumers than Twitter or Facebook, suggesting that blogs are a more effective means of communication for maintaining a brand. Whilst there is a lot of talk about measuring Twitter, and a number of tools with which to do so, many of our clients choose only to measure influential blogs in depth when considering social media, though it can be useful to see how much ‘noise’ is created in other sites. Essentially though, as we begin a new decade traditional media is still valued as trustworthy and some social media sites may become old news before long.

Media spotlight on Jamie

Jamie Oliver is back on our screens with his latest mission ‘Jamie’s Ministry of Food’ which demonstrates his use of public relations tactics. A clever stunt was to set it in Rotherham where plain-speaking Julie Critchlow was last filmed supplying children with junk food whilst Jamie was fighting for healthy school dinners. However, when faced with a football stadium full this idea backfires and only a few are tempted to try his steak sandwich, and more importantly his ‘pass it on’ experiment. You have to admire his tenacity when he returns to the stadium and inspires the men who came forward, with his visual display of the philosophy. His programme has been slated in the media for “stereotyping the northern working classes as intellectually challenged junk-munchers” and John Gilding, leader of the Conservative group of Rotherham council defended his town amid the concerns of stereotyping. Yet it's Julie, who seems intent on Jamie failing, that led him to the town in the first place. However, one thing he has certainly achieved is media coverage and the start of a debate around this important life skill, which has to be a good thing.

Bluetongue - evaluating the latest threat to civilisation

How the media love a story that contains all if not any of the following...cuddly animals, politicians desperately trying to appear knowledgeable, a threat to the nation's health, a chance to rehash an old story. All of these came together in the latest animal health scare: Bluetongue.

The media, as one, pronounce this as yet another cataclysmic assault on the livelihoods of the farming community. Yet the facts seem to be far less interesting. The outbreak has been predicted for some time as the virus has been carried by midges across Northern Europe, and there are several approaches that can be taken to ensure the continued wellbeing of cattle, as well as milk and meat supplies. So what is the fuss all about? Well from where I sit, not a lot. The real threat to the farming industry remains Foot & Mouth and Bluetongue whilst still an unpleasant and unwelcome arrival is of considerably less significance, I would be surprised to see it appearing in the mainstream media again next month.