To Tweet, or Not to Tweet, That is the Question

Last night I was privileged to hear, Heather Whaling, (@prtini) speak at our Ohio State PRSSA meeting.  Whaling spoke about how she was able to start her business, Geben, and share some advice about the PR industry. Whaling is one of the most passionate and confident PR pros that I’ve ever heard speak.  She gave some of the best advice on business startup and PR that every communication student should hear before stepping into the professional world.  Some key parts of her speech stuck with me were: 

•   “When someone says I can’t do something I say, yes I can.”

o   Her boss basically told her that social media was not important to the client and she disagreed. That was the start of launching her own company. 

• For Geben she made a PR plan not a business plan.

o   Always remember that the PR plan is one of the most crucial components of a company’s success.

• What you need to work for start-up firm or small boutique firms

o   A desire to build something

o   Innovate best practices

o   Disrupt the status quo

o   Bring on the crazy- Always be able to change

o   Excel in a social world

o   Be competitive and collaborative

•        “Make a company that people want to work for and people want to work with.”

o   This was her goal for Geben.  She has created better relationships with her clients and her employees because of it.  Happy employees are efficient employees.

•        “Being able to know when to say no is sometimes the best business decision.”

o   This is great advice for choosing clients but also great advice for graduates heading out into the professional world.  Every company doesn’t fit every person or client.  Choose wisely to ensure success. 

I decided to share this event with my followers and tweet important parts of her presentation live. Though, I believe that tweeting an event is a great technological advancement there are also some aspects to consider whether or not you should tweet and event.  I will go through a few of these aspects here.

• How do you tweet?

Do you prefer tweeting on your laptop or your phone?  I believe that this is a personal preference.  Due to the fact that the PRSSA meeting was in a classroom I had the ability to have my laptop out and tweet that way.  If I was at a concert or sporting event live tweeting using a laptop is not feasible.  I think that it is easier and quicker to tweet on my laptop then on my phone.  I’m also able to follow the hashtags more easily on my laptop then on the phone. There are negatives to using a laptop to tweet. A laptop can by noisy when you are typing on the keyboard.  If the event is smaller and more personal it might be awkward to be tweeting while the person is speaking.  Many times during the meeting I would try to type quieter because I felt as if I was being rude.  Considering the venue and the amount of people at the event should be considered prior to tweeting an event so you know which tool to use. 

•  Is tweeting while a person is speaking considered rude? 

Sure, I could argue that I was paying more attention and retained more of Whaling’s speech than some of the other members because I was tweeting during the event but what did Whaling think?  If I was speaking and looked out to the audience and everyone was looking down at their computers or phones instead of me, how would I feel?  While, I tried to make eye contact with Whaling and look up from the screen as much as I could I’m sure there were times when she looked out and just saw me looking at the computer.  Of course I know that I was paying attention (and now so do all of my followers) but I think that live tweeting takes away some of the professionalism of the audience that should come with going to a speech.  The size of the audience is a big factor for this point.  If it’s a small group then it might seem rude to the speaker because they are looking to make a relationship with the group.  If it’s a big concert or event then the person might not even know what the audience is doing.  Overall, I think that there is a way to tweet without being rude.  Even if you are tweeting at an event you should still try to stay involved with what is happening in real life, not just the virtual world. 

• Would your followers gain from your tweets about this event?

Twitter is a great way to communicate with the world.  If you hear something at an event that can help or be of interest to your followers I think you should tweet it immediatley.  Key concepts from Whaling were posted on my personal twitter, other member accounts and @OhioStatePRSSA. This gave members and followers who were unable to attend the meeting the ability to hear some of what Whaling shared.  I had a friend that wanted to hear Whaling but needed to study for a midterm the next day.  She said that the tweets were helpful because she could still take away some advice from the meeting even though she wasn’t there.  If I had missed Whaling’s speech I would have been happy that I could still hear parts of what she said.  Twitter is a great way to share quality advice and information with followers.   

If you ever get the chance to hear Whaling speak I would recommend it.  You will walk away thinking about making professional decisions and living your life in a completely different way.  Until then keep watching twitter for great advice from @prtini as well as other students and professionals that might be tweeting great information and advice.  I believe the answer to the question “To Tweet, or Not to Tweet, That is the Question” is always tweet!