Right Online: Twitter and Facebook by David All

David All, of the David All Group, spoke a lot about why and how we should be active on Twitter and Facebook. A large chunk of the session was on the nuts and bolts of these (I will not bore you with these; twitter information can be found at http://www.twitter101guide.com/).

Facebook now has over 250 million users; 120 million will log in daily. Twitter is up to 6 million users and is expected to double within another year. It is the new wire service, as demonstrated by the immediacy of news events finding their way onto Twitter: Mumbai, the Iran elections, the plane that went into the Hudson, the Air Force One flyover, etc. Twitter is a communication vehicle.

Don't abuse your followers. Send them substantive information.

There was also discussion of what #tcot (top conservatives on twitter) was all about. Now I know why Saul Anuzis used it all the time.

Coordinated action: It can mean a lot when a group of people all send a twitter message to a single state legislator or other person whom they wish to influence on an issue.

Virtually all reporters are on twitter now; you can communicate with them about stories of the day.

Tweets can be imported directly to facebook, although facebook evidently doesn't like to see the approach of twitter in its rearview mirror. Even "changing your facebook status is activism," since your "friends" will see what you are saying.