Twitter for the CEO of an Energy Company

[drew.clarke]

If you were the CEO of one of the largest energy brokers on Wall Street how would you use twitter?

I've been asked the question and i have no idea.

 

[papajohn56]

i appreciate the boobs but i'm not sure i get the point of this

 

[drew.clarke]

I've been asked to find out how valuable twitter would be in a business application for the CEO of an Energy Broker.

I don't really get Twitter and was wondering if someone that does can offer some advice.

 

[markus]

an energy company could make great use of twitter

it makes their CEO (seem) more accessible, and also help position them (as if they care) about views on the environment

its also only going to be of any value if they commit to the idea and post with frequency and build a following.

although the quote is in reference to blogging, its still relevant...
You don't show up at a party and expect to be the center of attention.

There is value. What are their expectations?

 

[drew.clarke]

I don't really know waht he wants to achieve from it. But i like your answer about accesibility.

Thanks

 

[papajohn56]

it also opens him up to more threats, complaints, etc, so watch out

 

[markus]

it also opens him up to more threats, complaints, etc, so watch out

True.
This might also allow him to differentiate himself from others in a similar role.

If he's going green, he might be the poster child of his industry.
But if he or his company is already under fire, it probably isn't wise.

Either way, he'd need to be comfortable with additional exposure, fielding questions/bs, and fairly proactive in communications.

Hopefully he knows how to put a good spin on anything coming his way

 

[papajohn56]

wonder how many people would do:

@electriceo help me pay my bill my baby is in the hospital

 

[Sonny Forelli]

tell him for $10,000 you can put together a guaranteed effective strategy on how extract financial value from twitter.

Then once paid deliver him a 1 pg word doc that in 72 point font had this written on it:

"Don't touch that pile of shit"

 

[markus]

Or what he would do with offers from chicks like;

@electriceo Will blow for a pass this month...

 

[HarveyJ]

In all honesty, I think twitter is for twits.
By all means get an account if only to prevent people squatting on the name and using it for negative PR purposes, but have your CEO guy clearly tell his friends and family that he has no real intention of using it.
Then get him to right up about 200-300 lines of shit he might say in his daily musings, then get a cron job to post one at random each day. After a year, no one's going to notice them being recycled.
Finally, get an intern to check that crap once every 2-3 days and respond to shit that's DMd, and only bug the CEO if it's something he can't answer himself, like a request for a press interview (although what hackneyed douche journalist would do that over twitter instead of calling the office?)
He's the CEO. He's supposed to have better things to do with his time than use twitter.

With all that said, if he likes the idea of using it then let him have an account and use it.
It will make him seem more accessible, and the company more responsive to public commentary.
Just don't tell him to get all bawbawbaw if he only has 18 followers that aren't employees.

 

[markus]

In all honesty, I think twitter is for twits.
By all means get an account if only to prevent people squatting on the name and using it for negative PR purposes, but have your CEO guy clearly tell his friends and family that he has no real intention of using it.
Then get him to right up about 200-300 lines of shit he might say in his daily musings, then get a cron job to post one at random each day. After a year, no one's going to notice them being recycled.
Finally, get an intern to check that crap once every 2-3 days and respond to shit that's DMd, and only bug the CEO if it's something he can't answer himself, like a request for a press interview (although what hackneyed douche journalist would do that over twitter instead of calling the office?)
He's the CEO. He's supposed to have better things to do with his time than use twitter.

With all that said, if he likes the idea of using it then let him have an account and use it.
It will make him seem more accessible, and the company more responsive to public commentary.
Just don't tell him to get all bawbawbaw if he only has 18 followers that aren't employees.

Most of the time it is for twits.
Over 90% post less than 10 things and abandon their account within 30 days

It really depends how you use it.
I don't, but have found that monitoring a few makes for a better feed than some of the rss feeds have to offer.

I would think the best thing a CEO could do is kind of a mix of what Harvey said above.

auto tweet a bunch of preapproved stuff, but at the same time you'd want a junior to keep it current, like "interesting post at Lifehacker..."
And the CEO could monitor all this and jump in if and when he wanted to.

If he is into Through Leadership, and building any kind of following then twitter is probably a good idea.

If its because everyone else is, he don't get it and shouldn't concern himself.

 

[turbolapp]

You know I think twitter would be good for school announcements. From Universitys all the way down to elementary school. As a parent, I would have loved to have a tweeted message "No school today due to swine flu hysteria" or "School has been canceled today due to the direction the wind is blowing" instead of having to sit by the local news channel and hope that they remember to call out my child's school when there's been some hint of a rumor that it might close for some stupid reason.

 

[neab1as]

great tool for increasing brand awareness.

as CEO he is able to give out information (false or otherwise) that allows him to cast his company in whatever perceived light he feels is appropriate.