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Tweets from the Chiefs
In August 2008 we reported on 18 chief executives who use the microblogging application Twitter to clue customers in on new services, help them with questions about their products, and generally get a little bit personal with customers, business associates, and the public.Not even a year later, we bring you nearly 50 CEOs who find tweeting a personal and professional delight. Twitter's growth has been astounding. As of August, for example, Digg founder Kevin Rose had only 61,000 "followers"— people who sign up to view a certain Twitter user's tweets—but now he has more than 600,000.
So read on to learn how Virgin Group's Richard Branson, Zappos.com's Tony Hsieh, and dozens more CEOs harness the simple powers of Twitter.
Richard Branson, Virgin Group Chairman
Following: 6,589Followers: 98,382
Updates: 98
Favorite Twitter user to follow:
I'm not very good at keeping up with all the Twittering all the time, but it's good to see Virgin companies such as @virginatlantic and @virginamerica on there. To be honest, I prefer news and blog sites to being told when someone is going to the loo or making a cup of tea!
How Twitter helps him run Virgin Group:
With more than 200 Virgin companies worldwide, my days and nights are filled with exciting service launches, product announcements, parties, events, and consumer opportunities. I'm regularly asked what a day in the life of Richard Branson looks like, and Twitter helps me answer that. It also enables communication no matter where I am; thanks to Virgin America's wifi (fleetwide starting in June), I recently lost my Twitter interview virginity at 35,000 feet.
Recent tweet:
"Arianna Huffington and I chatting on Virgin America's inaugural flight to OC. Have put my trousers back on."
View tweets: http://twitter.com/richardbranson
Guy Kawasaki, Alltop CEO
Following: 117,520Followers: 115,583
Updates: 23,866
Favorite Twitter user to follow:
I follow everyone who follows me as a courtesy so that they can all directly e-mail me. Hence, I follow more than 100,000 and never read the public stream of what they say. I only deal with tweets that mention my name or my company's name plus direct messages.
How Twitter helps him run Alltop:
I use it to spread the word when we announce a new Alltop site. Twitter for me is a broadcasting tool. It's not a "social medium" at all.
Recent tweet:
"10 works of art inspired by Super Mario Bros. http://adjix.com/d4fc (see also http://nintendo.alltop.com/) AC"
View tweets: http://twitter.com/guykawasaki
Oren Michels, Mashery CEO
Following: 178Followers: 1,553
Updates: 618
Favorite Twitter user to follow:
@gapingvoid, who has built four very different businesses on social media, wine, art, bespoke suits, and consulting. And he does it from the middle of nowhere.
How Twitter helps him run Mashery:
I have been able to jump in on conversations about APIs [application programming interfaces]—and even about Mashery—and turn those conversations into leads.
Recent tweet: "Developers! You can win money helping Best Buy with their Remix Challenge!"
View tweets: http://twitter.com/OrenMichels
Phil Libin, Evernote CEO
Following: 94Followers: 669
Updates: 155
Favorite Twitter user to follow:
John Hodgman. He's sort of my hero and the kind of person who I like to imagine using Evernote.
How Twitter helps him run Evernote:
I get a lot of use out of both a personal (@plibin) and corporate (@evernote) Twitter account. It's a great way to grok our users and make sure they grok us. I was a complete Twitter skeptic a year ago, but it's become surprisingly fun and useful.
Recent tweet:
"The windows version of Evernote has RiteScript's handwriting recognition built in already."
View tweets: http://twitter.com/evernote
Pete Cashmore, Mashable CEO
Following: 1,877Followers: 556,590
Updates: 15,313
Favorite Twitter user to follow:
CNNbrk is great for headline news.
How Twitter helps him run Mashable:
Mashable covers everything happening in the social media space, so Twitter is both a source of news for us and a way to share interesting social media stories from around the Web, including our own. It's a real complement to our daily blogging.
Recent tweet:
"Mashable was named the Top UK blog today. We're international now tho. OK, horn tooting over."
View tweets: http://twitter.com/mashable
George Colony, Forrester Research CEO
Following: 35Followers: 2,894
Updates: 82
Favorite Twitter user to follow:
Jeremiah Owyang, Forrester Analyst
How Twitter helps him run Forrester Research:
Lets me know what Forrester clients are thinking about Forrester and the world. Enables me to broadcast my ideas.
Recent tweet:
"I've got a radical, way out there idea for the chicken little newspapers…CHARGE HARD DOLLARS FOR YOUR CONTENT."
View tweets: http://twitter.com/gcolony
Gary Stockman, Porter Novelli CEO
Following: 18
Followers: 160
Updates: 37
Favorite Twitter user to follow:
There is a tie for my favorite Twitter user. The first one is @NYTimes, as their posts keep me up to date on the latest news from around the world. My second favorite is @Zappos; I truly enjoy reading Tony Hsieh's updates because I find his tweets to be refreshing and entertaining.
How Twitter helps him run Porter Novelli:
Twitter has become a real asset to Porter Novelli. It allows us to communicate with one another around the world in real time, and to engage in truly global conversations. It also enables us to do incredible things for our clients, including rapid-response consumer research, direct dialogue with stakeholders, and real-time dissemination of information, which can be especially useful in a crisis.
Recent tweet:
"Some say Twitter et al is a giant echo chamber. But fresh content is out there."
View tweets: http://twitter.com/GaryStockman
Rob Howard, Telligent CEO
Following: 340Followers: 1,450
Updates: 339
Favorite Twitter user: @guykawasaki
How Twitter helps him run Telligent:
Twitter helps Telligent in a number of ways: customer feedback (positive and negative), keeping a pulse on the industry, and it's a great way to get some buzz going quickly.
Recent tweet:
"Great quote I heard the other day when talking about what C-levels fear the most from social technologies…that it's social"
View tweets: http://twitter.com/robhoward
Tod Sacerdoti, BrightRoll CEO
Following: 254Followers: 176
Updates: 35
Favorite Twitter user to follow: Aydin Senkut
How Twitter helps him run BrightRoll:
I stay current on news, hear about new video advertising opportunities, share our success stories, and help address any brand/product/business concerns.
Recent tweet:
"To call Eric Schmidt 'lucky' is simply idiotic - http://bit.ly/17KWE - GOOG is simply the best company on web, period."
View tweets: http://twitter.com/todsacerdoti
Richard Rosenblatt, Demand Media CEO
Following: 50Followers: 3,708
Updates: 97
Favorite Twitter user to follow:
My Twitter protégé, @brookeburke, and Twitter friends, @lancearmstrong, @carsonjdaly, Jeremiah Owyang. @davidcharvet, and Arianna Huffington
How Twitter helps him run Demand Media:
Twitter allows me to tap into a broad audience of people to get new ideas in a succinct and effective manner. Twitter also allows our team, users, board, investors, and colleagues to feel the energy and momentum in our business without sending cold periodic (and always dated) e-mail updates. I can express in real time exactly how I am feeling about our business or my life. Being able to share that energy is exciting and in some instances cathartic.
Recent tweet:
"With 3 well funded parties NOW competing in the media business (display grows as fast as search in outer years) content will be king again"
View tweets: http://twitter.com/demandrichard
John Battelle, Federated Media CEO
Following: 381Followers: 14,674
Updates: 2,441
Favorite Twitter user to follow: Why, @federated_media, of course! After that, I really enjoy @exectweets (it summarizes a lot of different top executives on Twitter), and my partner at Web 2, Tim O'Reilly (@timoreilly)
How Twitter helps him run Federated Media:
I use Twitter for every aspect of my business—including revenue. Besides using it as a communications tool personally (@johnbattelle) and professionally, we also have a business relationship with the company—we help brands create publishing environments on top of the Twitter platform.
Recent tweet:
"reviewing documents before our managers meeting at 9am where we try and keep all the groups up to date on what everyone is doing"
View tweets: http://twitter.com/johnbattelle
Jeff Booth, BuildDirect President and CEO
Following: 1,161Followers: 1,167
Updates: 282
Favorite Twitter user to follow: @shanegibson (understands social media for business)
How Twitter helps him run BuildDirect:
It helps me start relationships. Many of those relationships that would have never started without Twitter have already become meaningful for our business. I have found that the best way to create relationships is to give to others. This is the same for Twitter. I try to engage with users rather than sell to them. I try to add value.
Recent tweet:
"On my way to the Canucks game. This city is electric! Go Canucks."
View tweets: http://twitter.com/jeffbooth
Mark Cuban, HDNet Chairman
Following: 157Followers: 34,105
Updates: 23
Favorite Twitter user to follow: NYTimes
How Twitter helps him run HDNet:
It allows for a simple, yet quick, means to broadcast messages to your customers.
Recent tweet:
"is there anything better than a long scalp massage when u get yr haircut ? I would pay extra for another 15 mins!"
View tweets: http://twitter.com/mcuban
Bob Parsons, Go Daddy Group CEO and Founder
Following: 31Followers: 642
Updates: 150
Favorite Twitter user to follow:
Right now, my favorite tweets are from Mark Yoshimoto Nemcoff (MYN on Twitter) and Warren Adelman (ASocialContract on Twitter)
How Twitter helps him run Go Daddy Group:
The real beauty of Twitter revolves around the fact recipients sign up to receive your tweets, so you know the people getting your messages are actually very interested in what you have to say and can see your tweets instantly.
Recent tweet:
"Signing up for Twitter's new service called Twit pro quo. If you are looking for followers try it Also he blogs about twitter"
View tweets: http://twitter.com/DrBobParsons
Ian Schafer, Deep Focus CEO
Following: 589Followers: 2,639
Updates: 3,941
Favorite Twitter user to follow:
David Armano. First we were "Twitter" friends. Now we're "friends" friends.
How Twitter helps him run Deep Focus:
I empower everyone at Deep Focus to use the tool as it helps them to not only communicate with others in their fields but also keep on top of news and trends before the rest of you ever find out it just passed you by. If you let it, Twitter can help turn your mind into a sponge. I like all of my employees to be sponge-worthy.
Recent tweet:
"Windows 7 rocks my world."
View tweets: http://twitter.com/Ischafer#/favourings?user=ischafer
Mike Ferrari, SmartyPig Co-founder
Following: 3,024Followers: 3,137
Updates: 599
Favorite Twitter user to follow: @greghoyboy, president of Happy Cog
How Twitter helps him run SmartyPig:
SmartyPig customers are social media enthusiasts by nature, so it's a natural vehicle for conversation and feedback, which often drives the direction of our product. Plus, it's a fun way to reward our customers for their savings goals; we run monthly Twitter contests and give away SmartyPig gift cards.
Recent tweet:
"Suze Orman inquiring about the pig. Give a shout out to @suzeormanshow about your SmartyPig experience. Thanks!"
View tweets: http://twitter.com/smartypig
Aaron Patzer, Mint.com CEO
Following: 47
Followers: 608
Updates: 109
Favorite Twitter user to follow: @suzeormanshow (Suze Orman)
How Twitter helps him run Mint.com:
As Mint.com has grown, I've had the opportunity to meet world leaders, consult with [President Barack] Obama's staff, learn from teachers in Ohio about what American students need regarding personal financial education, and more. I use Twitter to share my experiences and to keep followers up to date on Mint's latest product developments.
Recent tweet:
"Watching 'Revenge of the Nerds' & feeling inspired. We really do win in the end, don't we"
View tweets: http://twitter.com/apatzer
Timothy Young, Socialcast CEO
Following: 747Followers: 1,056
Updates: 766
Favorite Twitter user to follow:
I enjoy posts from Om Malik—twitter.com/om—he's one of the most knowledgeable and interesting media and technology experts on the Web.
How Twitter helps him run Socialcast:
Twitter provides real-time access to conversations that people are having about Socialcast, our industry, and market trends. We use Twitter to create an instant feedback loop with our customers.
Recent tweet:
"Irvine is the Singapore of the US. (If you have visited or lived in Irvine you know what I mean)"
View tweets: http://twitter.com/timyoung
Alex Yoder, WebTrends CEO
Following: 645Followers: 591
Updates: 75
Favorite Twitter user to follow: Sean Power, Community Gardener, Akoha
How Twitter helps him run WebTrends:
I constantly monitor Twitter to see what customers, analysts, and users are saying about our solution and services offerings. We have a number of partners that are in near adjacencies, but don't follow the details of our vertical as closely. [Twitter] keeps them familiar with the constantly changing issues that may indirectly affect their broader concerns and allows us to stay connected, without being invasive.
Recent tweet:
"Having Turkish coffee in Turkey—better than Starbucks in Seattle!"
View tweets: http://twitter.com/yodera
Edwin Ong, CastTV CEO
Following: 377Followers: 268
Updates: 424
Favorite Twitter user to follow:
@zappos—great example of CEO and company using Twitter to connect with its customers.
How Twitter helps him run CastTV:
I use Twitter to engage with CastTV users and to check out what's going on with online videos (did Twitter MAKE Susan Boyle?). We've even built a tool (http://www.casttv.com/twitter) that tracks the videos being shared on Twitter in real time.
Recent tweet:
"Watching Family Guy S07E14 'We Love You Conrad' online http://casttv.com/s/family-guy"
View tweets: http://twitter.com/edwin
Avner Ronen, Boxee CEO
Following: 1,673Followers: 17,892
Updates: 3,111
Favorite Twitter user to follow: @broadwayallday
How Twitter helps him run boxee:
Twitter is the way most users hear about boxee. It is the best way for us to have quick conversations and get immediate feedback. It also helps us find great coffee around the globe.
Recent tweet:
"we are obssesed with coffee, and we are proud of it. it is the fuel we run on."
Follow tweets: http://twitter.com/boxee
Diane Hessan, Communispace CEO
Following: 2,588Followers: 3,382
Updates: 1,462
Favorite Twitter user to follow:
I am a huge Red Sox fan, and I love following Nick Swisher. He plays baseball for our arch enemy the Yankees. I also follow a lot of journalists and the best one—bar none—is [BuinessWeek Washing Bureau Chief] Jane Sasseen. She is an avid Twitterer and describes what it's like to be part of the Washington Press Corps.
How Twitter helps her run Communispace:
Twitter has been a fantastic vehicle for getting information about Communispace into the marketplace fast. Most recently, for instance, when Communispace launched its new blog, Verbatim, I sent a tweet out about it, and more than 1,000 people came to our blog as a result.
Recent tweet:
"It's bizarre that there's nothing in the NY Times today abt the Boston Globe. Denial?"
View tweets: http://twitter.com/communispaceCEO
Jeremy Allaire, Brightcove CEO
Following: 9
Followers: 330
Updates: 117
Favorite Twitter user to follow:
David Sifry, the founder and CEO of Technorati
How Twitter helps him run Brightcove:
At Brightcove, we're always on the lookout for new ways to communicate with and engage our online community. We're strong believers that the more fluid and responsive the communication, the better our product and the stronger our brand.
Recent tweet:
"In germany. we have significant news on tap including with a major broadcaster, and with syndication deal with leading german video site"
View tweets: http://twitter.com/jerBrightcove
Jason Alba, JibberJobber CEO
Following: 5,084Followers: 4,793
Updates: 5,176
Favorite Twitter user to follow: @zappos
How Twitter helps him run JibberJobber.com:
JibberJobber.com is barely three years old, and many people have never heard of it. Twitter has helped change that. I am careful to not make it sound corporate at all, since Twitter allows me to put a face on my company. I am the personality of JibberJobber, and that personality comes out on Twitter like nowhere else.
Recent tweet:
"contemplated religion while watching The Office. The two didn't mesh :p"
View tweets: http://twitter.com/jasonalba
Jacqueline Novogratz, Acumen Fund CEO
Following: 143Followers: 1,331
Updates: 119
Favorite Twitter user to follow: Chris Anderson (@ChrisTED)
How Twitter helps her run the Acumen Fund:
It helps me find like-minded global souls interested in innovative solutions to ending poverty. It connects me to readers of my book, The Blue Sweater.
Recent tweet:
"People grow through experience if they meet life honestly and courageously. This is how character is built.—Eleanor Roosevelt"
View tweets: http://twitter.com/jnovogratz
J'Amy Stewart, Infonetics CEO
Following: 56Followers: 65
Updates: 52
Favorite Twitter user to follow:
Perhaps boring, but WSJ [The Wall Street Journal]—great, breaking business news. I enjoy some of Guy Kawasaki's random finds and GeekSugar advice.
How Twitter helps her run Infonetics:
We use it to distribute our headlines on our latest research. Our analysts tweet what they are working on. We gather information by following bloggers, news publications, and other industry thinkers.
Recent tweet: "First woman (and first Scot) named UK Poet Laureate http://is.gd/vR8T …our world continues to open up."
View tweets: http://twitter.com/jamystewart
Tom Bedecarre, AKQA CEO
Following: 1,200Followers: 1,209
Updates: 740
Favorite Twitter user to follow:
@johnbattelle, aka John Battelle, founder and CEO of Federated Media
How Twitter helps him run AKQA:
Twitter is an easy way to send short messages to many of my 750 employees. It helps me stay current in real time on digital marketing trends, as the digerati are heavy users of social media. I also find tweeting to be a fun thing to do on my travels to our six offices around the world. I like to tweet!
View tweets: http://twitter.com/tombed
Marcel LeBrun, Radian6 CEO
Following: 4,977Followers: 5,001
Updates: 1,416
Favorite Twitter user to follow:
The mayor of Twitter, @chrisbrogan
How Twitter helps him run Radian6:
Your brand is now the sum of conversations about it, which makes "listening" such a critical discipline for every company. We also practice what I call "listening for the point of need" where we pay attention to questions or expressed needs where we can add value and be helpful.
Recent tweet:
"Argg! Security line in Montreal is unusually long. 30 mins+ so far. The whole flu thing makes me notice all the people coughing."
View tweets: http://twitter.com/lebrun
Jay Adelson, Digg CEO
Following: 121Followers: 4,440
Updates: 498
Favorite Twitter user to follow:
Chris Anderson, curator of the annual TED conference (http://twitter.com/TEDchris)
How Twitter helps him run Digg:
Digg and Twitter both embrace the concept of sharing—Digg is the top site for sharing news. We've developed a URL shortener for Twitter so people can share links via Twitter and still let their friends know what they "Digg."
Recent tweet:
"I've lost my dearest friend and mentor, Al Avery, co-founder of Equinix, last night. The Internet owes you its life, my friend."
View tweets: http://twitter.com/jayadelson
Peter Bordes, MediaTrust CEO
Following: 3,611Followers: 3,347
Updates: 1,638
Favorite Twitter user to follow:
@leeodden (http://twitter.com/leeodden), an online marketing and social media thought leader
How Twitter helps him run MediaTrust:
Twitter allows me to have a real-time two-way dialogue with MediaTrust's industry, community, business partners, and employees.
Recent tweet:
"Sourcing Data from Co-Registration Sites is Like Dealing in Sub-Prime Mortgages:Proceed at your own Risk"
View tweets: http://twitter.com/mediatrustpete
Kevin Rose, Digg Founder
Following: 173Followers: 603,6051
Updates: 2,487
Favorite Twitter user to follow:
CobraCommander (http://twitter.com/CobraCommander), anonymous parody of the fictitious villain from G.I. Joe comics and cartoons
How Twitter helps him run Digg:
Twitter is another way for us to get news out about Digg. Whether it's company announcements or sharing [our] casual information, Twitter is a great way to quickly reach people.
Recent tweet:
"had a twitter game idea last night, you'd link follower forces w/friends and wage battles, part text adventure, part D&D, via twitter, hmm"
View tweets: http://twitter.com/kevinrose
Tony Hsieh, Zappos.com CEO
Following: 410,711Followers: 553,787
Updates: 1,611
Favorite Twitter user to follow:
Tara Hunt (http://twitter.com/missrogue), founder of Citizen Agency
How Twitter helps him run Zappos:
I [suggested] it to the rest of the company, initially just to help build our company culture—employees are more likely to meet up outside the office and get a perspective on each other outside the office. Now a lot of customers know [we] are on it as well, and it's a good way for them to get insight into our personality and culture.
Recent tweet: "Amazing entries in Zappos cake baking contest! Who knew squid could look so good?)"
View tweets: http://twitter.com/zappos
Jason Calacanis, Mahalo.com Founder
Following: 416Followers: 66,872
Favorites: 2
Updates: 9,243
Favorite Twitter user to follow:
Michael Arrington (http://twitter.com/TechCrunch), founder of TechCrunch
How Twitter helps him run Mahalo.com:
"With Twitter, I can [release] new features and ideas to Mahalo's 'superfans' ahead of time and get their input. Many of the bloggers and press watch my Twitter stream as well, so if I want to leak something to the press, I can do it by just saying 'what do you think about this…?' and if it's notable, it will be on 10 blogs in a day. So, for me it's part focus group, part press release system, and a lot of fun to interact with users and fans."
Recent tweet:
"M2 racks being installed… very exciting. The big iron for Mahalo 2.0 is being installed! (100 servers FTW!)"
View tweets: http://twitter.com/JasonCalacanis
Michael Arrington, TechCrunch.com Co-editor
Following: 688
Followers: 526,362
Updates: 8,306
Favorite Twitter user to follow: Evan Williams (http://twitter.com/ev), co-founder of Twitter
How Twitter helps him run TechCrunch:
Discussions break out on Twitter regularly, and we post links to most of our posts there. Sometimes the tone of the discussion is much different from the one that occurs in the comments on our blog. It also [sends] a fair amount of traffic (about 1% of our total traffic comes from twitter).
Recent tweet:
"NetHaggler Will Barter With Online Retailers For You"
View tweets: http://twitter.com/TechCrunch
Loic Lemeur, Seesmic Founder
Following: 573Followers: 24,439
Updates: 16,682
Favorite Twitter user to follow:
Pierre Omidyar (http://twitter.com/pierre), founder of eBay (EBAY)
How Twitter helps him run Seesmic:
I know that there is always a friend, at any time, which has the answer I am looking [for] about anything. But careful, it does not come for free. As a Twitter user you have to share and give value first, which is part of the process. Listening to my Twitter feed is also the best 'focus group' you can get: It is active 24 hours a day and feedback comes instantly without any filter. I keep improving our product with everything I hear from my Twitter community.
Recent tweet:
"creating my talk slides in keynote instead of powerpoint. they will instantly go from sucking into sucking less."
View tweets: http://twitter.com/loic
Tim O'Reilly, O'Reilly Media CEO
Following: 537Followers: 382,984
Updates: 6,636
Favorite Twitter user to follow:
Fred Wilson (http://twitter.com/fredwilson), principal of Union Square Ventures
How Twitter helps him run O'Reilly Media:
Twitter is a great way to 'watch the alpha geeks,' which is my shorthand way of saying that a lot of what we do at O'Reilly is pay attention to people at the edge and look for technologies that are ready to move from the edge to the mainstream that we can help along by publishing, conferences, magazines, online publishing, or activism. There's this great William Gibson line that I use all the time: 'The future is here. It's just not evenly distributed yet.' And sometimes we describe what we do at O'Reilly as 'redistributing the future' and helping it to get here more quickly.
Recent tweet:
"Interview with Rob Sheridan of Nine-Inch Nails about rejection of their app by Apple."
View tweets: http://twitter.com/timoreilly
Jack Dorsey, Twitter Chairman
Following: 460Followers: 517,830
Updates: 3,721
Favorite Twitter user: Marcia Dorsey, his mother
How Twitter helps him run Twitter:
It's the fastest and best way to get feedback on what we're doing, how we're doing it, and what we should do next, both from users and my co-workers. Speaking to the latter point, Twitter makes our company feel smaller and more cohesive. There is something to be said about sharing the small details of your life with those you work with daily.
Recent tweet:
"Twitter is a life's work inspired by those who bring transparency, discovery, and discussion into everything they do. You define our future."
View tweets: http://twitter.com/jack
David Sifry, Technorati Chairman
Following: 594Followers: 6,253
Updates: 2,396
Favorite Twitter user to follow:
MarsPhoenix, members of the Phoenix Mars Lander team from NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory
How Twitter helps him run Technorati:
I subscribe to lots of people who say interesting things, and I listen [and] read a lot. I find that these people become a sounding board for ideas, and I learn a lot from them. When I post to Twitter, sometimes it's about interesting things I've seen or observed, and sometimes it's "questions to the world"—where to find a good consultant for a particular niche specialty—or I ask questions that I can't find easy or reliable answers [to] just by searching Google or reference works.
Recent tweet:
"seeing some very interesting entrepreneurial companies here in Zaragoza #innovateeurope conf too. Phoenix rising from ashes :-)"
View tweets: http://twitter.com/dsifry
Christine Perkett, PerkettPR President
Following: 8,346Followers: 10,220
Updates: 9093
Favorite Twitter user to follow:
Ann Handley, chief content officer of MarketingProfs
How Twitter helps her run PerkettPR:
We tweet about our own industry insights, technology, PR, and more—and people have been receptive and responsive. We feel we've earned a new respect as communications professionals in this way. We've had the advantage of receiving "first mover information"—benefiting both our agency and our clients—by connecting with reporters who often tweet about what their stories are going to be before anyone else knows about them (like this one!) and analysts/influencers—some of whom have shared early insights into reports or other important information that they only offered to their Twitter followers.
Recent tweet:
"Is (empty) Yankee Stadium already a relic of our grandiose and over-the-top consumerism/behavior pre-recession?"
View tweets: http://twitter.com/missusP
Michael Hyatt, Thomas Nelson Publishers CEO
Following: 20,689Followers: 21,109
Updates: 5,611
Favorite Twitter user to follow: Gail Hyatt, his wife
How Twitter helps him run Thomas Nelson:
Twitter enables me to humanize Thomas Nelson and thus better connect me with our key constituents—our employees, authors, and customers
Recent tweet:
"I'm pleased to report that my iPhone and AT&T service has worked flawlessly in every city we have been in so far."
View tweets: http://twitter.com/michaelhyatt
Jeff Bonforte, Xobni CEO
Following: 198Followers: 2,554
Updates: 1,091
Favorite Twitter user to follow: Fred Wilson, principal of Union Square Ventures
How Twitter helps him run Xobni:
I think it helps build buzz for Xobni. Helps with recruiting. Helps show the company's personality [and] voice. We've also used Twitter to interact directly with Xobni users when they [have] questions/comments.
Recent tweet:
"apple iPhone ad makes me wonder, 'what is there not an app for?' ideas?"
View tweets: http://twitter.com/bonforte
Jonathan Schwartz, Sun Microsystems CEO
Following: 4Followers: 2,469
Updates: 28
How Twitter helps him run Sun (JAVA):
Communication is a key part of leadership—as CEO, I need to engage the market, inside and outside Sun, with whatever technology affords me the greatest possible reach. Through blogs, online news, social networking sites, or Twitter, the Internet has fundamentally changed how we communicate with one another. Today, we have thousands of employees participating, engaging customers and developers across the world, 24 hours a day. And whether it's via a half-hour streaming video or a 140-character tweet, we need to reach everyone in the forum and format they choose—not what we choose.
Recent tweet:
"(Another) Win for Open Storage…: Wikipedia is one of the world's most visited web sites"
View tweets:
http://twitter.com/SunCEOBlog
Shafqat Islam, NewsCred Chief Executive
Following: 719Followers: 900
Updates: 1,740
Favorite Twitter user to follow: Padmasree Warrior, CTO of Cisco Systems (CSCO)
How Twitter helps him run NewsCred:
The concept of word of mouth takes a new meaning on Twitter. I routinely tweet about things happening at our company, challenges, opportunities, or interesting news about NewsCred. The day of our launch we had hundreds of people tweeting and retweeting about all the press we were getting, and it causes a snowball effect.
Recent tweet:
"Does anyone here use PicApp? Looks pretty interesting…"
View tweets: http://twitter.com/newscred
Barry Libert, Mzinga CEO and Chairman
Following: 1,478
Followers: 1,493
Favorites: 1
Updates: 191
Favorite Twitter user to follow:
I really enjoyed following Barack Obama during the Presidential campaign to see how he and his team used Twitter, which they recently started using again. I also like to follow what our employees and customers are tweeting about to learn firsthand how they're using these technologies to share their ideas and thoughts, both personally and within business. Beyond that, it's really difficult to choose one favorite. I have many.
How Twitter helps him run Mzinga:
I like to use Twitter to both listen and get feedback. I try to read everything personally and attempt, where possible, even when I'm traveling, to reply to questions or to post something when it relates to social technology in business. I've received some great feedback on speeches I've given. It also helps me stay in tune with the social software market, especially as it expands into the enterprise and government arenas.
Recent tweet:
"Really, really proud of Randy and the Sales team for keeping their eyes on the prize!"
View tweets: http://twitter.com/blibert
Eugene Lee, Socialtext CEO
Following: 615
Followers: 1,775
Updates: 1,985
Favorite Twitter user to follow: Jeremiah Owyang, senior analyst at Forrester Research
How Twitter helps him run Socialtext:
There are many pointers to interesting news events or articles that people I follow tweet that I then "retweet" and post to our internal wikis for the rest of the company to stay on top of important trends and events.
Recent tweet:
"Just posted a review to 'Better Beginnings' by @carmentaran http://twurl.nl/k0zutj Strongly recommend this"
View tweets: http://twitter.com/eugenelee
Kel Kelly, Kel & Partners CEO
Following: 600
Followers: 889
Updates: 3,229
Favorite Twitter user to follow:
Brian Morrissey, digital editor of AdWeek
How Twitter helps her run Kel & Partners:
As a Web 2.0 marketing and PR agency, [we find] Twitter is a great example of how immersed the Kel & Partners team is in the Web 2.0 world. It also allows me and all my employees to stay connected and share a more personal experience through each other's tweets.
Recent tweet:
"dreary, overcast day in boston. seagulls are flying low."
View tweets: http://twitter.com/kelkelly
Lois Paul, Principal of Lois Paul & Partners
Following: 333
Followers: 580
Updates: 330
Favorite Twitter user to follow:
Shel Israel, co-author of Naked Conversations: How Blogs Are Changing the Way Businesses Talk with Customers (Wiley, 2006)
How Twitter helps her run Lois Paul & Partners:
We use Twitter to help [business-to-business startups beyond the seedling stage] get a read into what topics are gaining traction in the market. We can watch the chatter and gauge early opinions on major moves made by our clients or their competitors. [And] we are monitoring Twitter for our clients to make them aware of customers or users of their products who are talking about them and advising them on the best way to engage those people.
Recent tweet:
"It certainly feels like someone flipped the busy switch on over the past few weeks. Signs of recovery?"
View tweets: http://twitter.com/boslfp
John Lilly, Mozilla.com CEO
Following: 134
Followers: 581
Updates: 1,570
Favorite Twitter user to follow:
Pretty simple—not a celebrity feed, but I love watching my wife's Twitter stream—she posts pictures from the adventures that she and my son have during the day. I really like seeing into that time.
How Twitter helps him run Mozilla:
Mozilla is a huge community of people all around the world—different time zones, countries, companies—and Twitter lets me follow both the mood and the substance of the community sort of in my peripheral vision. Reduces surprises, of course, but also a great way to figure out what's important to do next.
Recent tweet:
"http://bit.ly/WC8gh Brilliant article by Gladwell. When underdogs fight like Goliath, they lose. When they fight like David, they win"
View tweets: http://twitter.com/johnolilly
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