The Luminaria Media Blog

I recently was questioned by a friend in an online forum about my ongoing use of Twitter. She professed her hatred for Twitter, and wasn’t sure what was the reason to type in <140 character posts rather than just write something substantive and good. (Assuming substantive = good and short = not so good.)

For me, Twitter is most successful when you’re viewing all tweets together. Individual Twitter accounts reveals things about what those authors are writing, their personality, their wit, and how they see the world. Together, however, they serve as a personalized newsfeed, helping you understand in this information-heavy world what’s immediately occupying people. I’ve been struck in recent weeks by Twitter’s immediacy. The emergency landing of the US Airways jet in the Hudson, breaking news on a court case impacting a client, the New York Post’s recent and misguided Obama cartoon, Laura Hall being freed from jail — all delivered to me initially via Twitter, before I’d encountered these bits of news anywhere else, with official news agencies’ tweets side-by-side with friends and colleagues watching the news.

If you’re out there, how do you use Twitter? Do you like it? And if so, why?

This was too good for me to pass up — I love the chance to meet my fellow Twitter folk, and the Austin Twestival tonight, like other Twestivals around the planet, will be supporting charity:water, bringing clean drinking water to people who desperately need it.

So, if you’re Austin and you’re part of the growing Twitter network, get a ticket and then come by Aces Lounge around 8.

By the way, on Twitter, I’m @philwest, making observations about my work day, the media, and very occasionally, I even cop to eating peanut butter and Nutella from a spoon.

I’ve been busy the last couple of weeks talking with colleagues of mine about some possible projects on which we may be collaborating. For small firms and independent PR practitioners, I believe that forging alliances and collaborating with one another is not only good for the client, but good for everyone on the team. As a PR jack-of-all-trades, I can most of the things that clients are looking for. But we’re in a day and age where more and more of us are specializing and owning certain areas within the PR spectrum, and in some cases, it’s better for the project to have those people on board, giving the knowledge that comes from giving more focus and attention to a particular area.

More importantly, good ideas and innovations are born out of conversations. Even if I don’t end up collaborating with colleagues on certain projects, the discussions allow me to think and engage in new ways. I not only get insights and energy germane to the project in question; I sometimes also get insights and energy that helps fuel projects I’m currently working on.

I also learn from my colleagues — which is important given the quickly-shifting ground we’re finding ourselves on these days. One of the reasons I do PR in the first place comes from a desire to learn and pass on knowledge. And I’m not alone in that — I’m lucky to have colleagues that are willing to share their knowledge as well as pass along the knowledge you’re willing to share. The more we continue learning, the more we can continue to help our clients. And in collaborations, those discussions and that learning becomes absolutely vital to the campaign.