CNN report of a student using Twitter to get out of an Egyptian Jail

Highlights of the Story on Frontline

• Student James Karl Buck sent one-word text from detention about his arrest
• Twitter message allowed college to get word, hire a lawyer for him
• Now Buck’s quest is to find translator Mohammed Maree, who was arrested with him
• Twitter is a micro-blogging tool that allows users to update their status

James Buck posted his report on Frontline

Sign the petition to Free Malee

I’ll leave the reporting to CNN and the thousands of messages on Twitter. Thank goodness Buck got out safe and can continue to use his network to help Maree.

You can follow James Buck on Twitter for updates @jamesbuck

Let’s look at the power of Twitter in the story.

First off, thanks to @MarieLCoccia for sending the link to me. The story was posted while I slept, but Marie knew I’d be interested and it was the top tweet on my Relpy screen this morning. I probably would have heard about the story, but with Marie’s tweet, I was able to do this blog post a lot sooner.

CNN also ran the story with “Twitter” in the headline. I’m guessing that a few CNN readers not using Twitter yet are joining today. Reminds me that offline, when I tell someone that I’m writing a book about Twitter, the usual response is “what?” or “I’ve been thinking of trying that.” All this power from a relatively unknown startup service.

The one word “arrested” would have been useless without context. I’m absolutely certain of this because of this tweet from yesterday:

wholesaler : Wow Warrenwhitlock arrested by doughnut whore with pink cuffs you go girl!

2008-04-25 14:28:04

That’s right, some clown made up an account and called himself the social media police. He ate donuts and harassed people about his “Twitter rules” (prompting my post “What You Should Do” The Rules of Social Media). At one point. he sent a message to me with the word “ARRESTED.” Several of my friends asked if he was serious, but no one hired took any other actions. They had context. They could read the other tweets and understood that I wasn’t in real danger.

The connections and relationships you build in your social network have real power in the real world. Dare I say that the twitterverse IS the real world full of real people.

We talk about work life, family life, online friends, offline connections like they are seperated from each other. With social media networks like Twitter, we combine them all into “my life”

What about you. Do you have boundaries? Are there people and places where you won’t tweet? Are there people who you haven’t told about the messages you are sending out to the twitterverse?

Please comment below so we can get the story right for the TwitterHandbook. I really appreciate your tweets, comments and trackbacks. They will make this a better book, and enrich my life.

Marketers ask me if I’ve found the secret to blasting out ad messages to twitter users.

Many don’t get that it’s pretty near impossible to sell with “interruption messages” today.

But that doesn’t mean that no one is making money from Twitter relationships. The key difference is the motivation.

If you join twitter just to find buyers, people will avoid you. On Twitter, it’s so easy to unfollow or block an annoying person.

We’re now collecting stories like this one about a Real Estate agent that connected with a local person on Twitter and didn’t just say “got a property to list”.

That’s the secret.

Use twitter to network. Listen to the marketplace. Help people. Provide value. Do this on Twitter and pretty soon BINGO! Someone says, “Hey - you seem like a nice person to do business with!”

What’s your twitter MONEY story? Post a comment and let me know about high dollar deals and people making money by using Twitter so we can have a Twinterview with you or a follower for the Twitter Handbook.

@coachDeb and I both reached 1500 followers this evening. And we did it in a creative, game-playing, contest promotion way that brought about much debate, dialouge and kudos all at the same time. Overall - it brought a LOT of other people not only followers as well - but solid connections made as a result.

Some thought we were in a competition, perhaps the prizes that @coachDeb gave away made that an easy assumption to make. Others got the notion that we just want to add followers that we won’t pay attention to.

Actually, we have had a lot of fun adding people to the list that we FOLLOW. Not just to get more followers in return (though that’s nice too). We know that following, reading posts, linking out to the blog or home page and engaging in conversation will bring the real benefit.

One friend @AdamDesAutels got into the spirit of the game and commented on how everyone benefits from being social on a social network. Adam created a Twitter Video about this “cocktail party on steroids” as one Follower called tonight’s fun game.

Enjoy his video - and be sure to follow him on Twitter - since he’s shown that he really “gets” what Twitter is all about - making REAL connections online.

Then comment below on what YOU think is the best way to attract followers to connect with them.

The market has taken over.

The illusion that companies can control us is disappearing. Mass production, distribution and media homogenized us in the 20th Century, allowing us to have the means to exercise our power to choose and segment the market.

That’s my view.. what’s yours?

Should there be rules and SOP and governing bodies for what you “should do”

A section in Twitter Handbook will quote Twitter users (the real rulers).

Post your tweet or Twinterview (140 words or less)

I’ll ask (but never assume I can set the rules) that you NOT respond to my ideas.. rather, state your case about the idea of rules and policing the Twitterverse here.

Thanks for your input.

I have compiled some of the best guides and posts for you on Twitter. If I had to say something about Twitter in one sentence, this is what it would be

Feed Your Twitter Curiosity - 25 Unmissable Posts On Twitter

Twitter users are givers. When I asked for users to give us their Twitter success as Twinterviews, we got video, links and this from @bytefulcom

“I’ll do it in 140 words… and rhyme… to a rhythm”

The Twitter Poem, by @bytefulcom

Twitter: a place where work blurs with play.

Twitter: where I could wander all day.

Being able to talk to all

Whether famous or reclusive

Makes using Twitter quite conducive

To networking in ways, previously elusive.

Twitter can save time, replacing email in some cases,

though email still lets you cover more bases.

To me, the Twitosphere is a connection to people instead of just content:

on Twitter you can ask bloggers what they really meant.

As for business, Twitter’s free advertising of course.

That link in the profile can be a driving force.

Yet beyond traffic boosts and Calacanis contests,

at the end of the day we know what is best:

making cool new friends to give life a new zest.

To new Twitter users, I would only say this:

give it some time, you may find net bliss.

I’m collecting success stories via Twinterviews

140 seconds or less about how Twitter has made you more productive, or added value to your life.

You can tell a story, or answer any one of these questions

1. How does Twitter save you time?

2. Have you met new business prospects on Twitter?

3. Did you make a sale to a new Twitter friend?

4. What’s your best tip for new Twitter users

5. What do you love most about Twitter

Remember, we’re looking for 140 seconds or less. (2-3 paragraphs). No need to answer all the quesitons. (no numbered lists please)

Your answer will be included in twitter handbook with a reference to your Twitter ID (and real name if you provide it). Subject to editing and space allowed

Send to @yitu, which stands for “Why I Twit You” and your Tweet will appear on Twitimonials

Another way to view tweets form @dailytwitter

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