SALEM, Ore. - Twitter: some describe it as “Facebook-lite,” or a “mini-blogger.” To others, it’s tricked-out instant messaging–“but all of your friends see your message, so it is a little more of a broadcast note about what’s going on,” according to Robbie Wright, a “tweeter” and general manager, fi-linx, the CUSO of MaPS CU here. (See related story, page 25.)
Tweeters answer the question “What are you doing?” in 140 keyboard characters or fewer. Tweeters can update what they are doing at any time, and each of their “followers” can send a reply to the updates along with a characteristic, sharply-cropped headshot. The resulting page view is a running series of 10 to 15 pithy conversation turns from multiple tweeters on scattered topics.
“Tweeters” can send and reply to updates via text messaging, mobile Web browsers, instant messaging–or even via the “good, old-fashioned” website, according to Twitter. As with instant messaging, many users keep the hybrid social networking tool running in the background on their PCs or phones.
To Matt Davis, director, public relations at $200-million Members CU, Twitter is the meeting place for CU intelligentsia. But the spirit of credit unions at Twitter is most easily explained in the tweets themselves, a sampling of which Credit Union Journal assembled here:
* Yay, Finally got the first Macs at VCU here...the master plan has begun...
* I’m amazed at how many $1 Billion CUs have terrible websites.
* Vancity is now officially carbon neutral.
* Truliant FCU is rolling out some new TV ads ... I think they’re kinda cool.
* Checking out mobile twitter page from the good ole Treo
* If Firefox has crashed once in the past week it’s crashed a dozen times.
* I’m starting to fall out of love.
* New blog post: UTFCU Now Offers Business Services
* New blog post: Take a Virtual Tour of UTFCU’s Newest Branch
* Opinions needed - any thoughts on online banking through Face Book?
* I feel your pain. Kidney stones are terrible. I am trying to figure out how to use twitter.
For More Information
www.alliancecu.com
www.mapscu.com
www.memcu.com
www.utfcu.org
www.vcu.com
www.whatareyousavingfor.com
www.twitter.com
