by Christina Pomoni

Created on: May 17, 2009   Last Updated: May 18, 2009

Without a doubt, organizations are trying out Twitter as part of their engagement into the social media scene. Having developed from an incomprehensible Web segment into a must-have for business identities in no time, Twitter has a social element that allows both individuals and organizations to connect and exchange information.

Twitter is also a powerful tool for journalists because it encompasses all the benefits of social networking including instant delivery, branding opportunities, and advanced marketing prospects. According to CNN, during the attacks in Mumbai in 2008, approximately 80 tweets were being sent via sms every five seconds, providing instant update before the TV broadcasting and eyewitness information about the attacks. During President Obama's inauguration, Twitter quadrupled its usual traffic per second and increased the number of tweets in a typical minute by four times.

As of March 2008, Twitter is estimated to total 1.5 million users with nearly 4 million Twitters following each other and exchanging 3 millions messages per day. No surprises then that news organizations use Twitter to connect with their audience, employ their sources and build their personal brands. From the organizational perspective, Twitter is an emerging media outlet with enhanced marketing segments where organizations may develop new brands and extend their product base.

So what can Twitter do for a good journalist?

First of all, it is a matter of personal branding. By establishing a personal account that is approachable and open to communication, a journalist can develop social relationships and promote his work. As the number of Twitter users increases, so does the potential exposure to audience.

By gaining exposure, the journalist gets also feedback on his work. Feedback is very valuable because it sets the right direction and offers an alternative perspective on how the account should be like and what postings it should include so as to attract the readers.

Similar to comments and feedback is the chance to hire people who can be freelancers for the account and take care of the design, programming or even marketing. In that way, the journalist will spend time only in writing, while the account will be attractive and functional.

Twitter can be used for finding prospect audience among people who share common interests. By performing a Twitter Search with specific keywords, a journalist can come up with users who can then be followers of his account or he

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