BEAVERTON, Ore. — "A little humid today in D.C., my hair will be huge!"
That was just one "tweet" typed out by a member of the Oregon credit union delegation as she Hiked the Hill in September.
It appeared on the CU Association of Oregon's new Twitter site, along with some more meaningful tweets, such as, "Top issue on hill will be consumer protection agency, MBL, interchange fees. On the way to see NCUA Matz."
The Oregon league hopes to expand its communications to credit unions across the state and the U.S. by using Twitter, shared Laura Wieking, director of communications. While the association is not sure how Twitter fits into its overall communications mix, the league is certain it can add to the timeliness of the information it delivers.
"This is our first venture into Twitter," Wieking explained. "It's the next big thing, so we want to test it and see if it is something our credit unions respond to as a channel of communication. Not everyone is on Twitter, so we would not take away any other forms of communication. It's one more tool to get the word out."
At press time 71 CU followers had signed onto the league's Twitter page that was first populated by 14 staffers from credit unions across Oregon, and a few league employees, as they ventured to Washington, D.C., and spoke with legislators and the NCUA.
The move by the Oregon league underscores how more credit unions and CU organizations are leveraging social media not only to reach out to members, but to each other, as well (
Wieking said that the association sees a lot of use for Twitter during events, such as annual meetings. "But learnings will come about what to do between the events, and what our credit unions find as valuable in this format," she offered. "I also believe there is a use for Twitter to help other leagues and CUSOs across the county stay in touch with what each other are doing."
Twitter could be used to recognize credit unions or CU employees, or alert credit unions to important information they can find on the OCUA's web site, or in the news, Wieking suggested. "You will certainly have to know what you want to say and get right to the point. This is just a different way to provide timely information in small bursts. We are learning. It's new to us, and we definitely want to have some fun with it."
Besides Oregon credit unions learning that D.C. was muggy, they also found out-almost as soon as the OCUA did-that NCUA's new chairman understands the issues facing Oregon credit unions. "Very impressed with Matz. She clearly understands our challenges ahead," tweeted one member of the CU delegation. "We believe there are many uses for Twitter," said Wieking, "and we will find out what all those are."
