Tweet, tweet. That’s right, Truck News is on Twitter. Why? That’s a pretty good question – one that I too asked when it was first suggested we give it a try. After all, I’m not so vain as to think you folks really care what I had for breakfast or what random thoughts I had on the drive into work.
However, after giving it some more thought, I realized Twitter holds enormous potential for those of us in the business of collecting and disseminating information. And if we’re not exploring new ways to communicate with our readers, than we’re really not doing our jobs.
Consider a few of the possibilities for those of us in the publishing world:
* Truck News editors often enjoy face time with significant industry players. Twitter can allow you to submit questions you’d like us to ask key industry stakeholders, essentially involving yourself in the interview process. We can then share their responses with ‘followers’ immediately.
* No other means of publishing is more immediate. When new products are introduced, Twitter allows us to post pictures and newsflashes almost instantaneously – from anywhere in the world. Subscribing to our Twitter feeds will assure you are the first to find out about breaking news or new product introductions. Think of it as instant text alerts – like the type you sign up for at TSN.ca on trade deadline day (okay, maybe that’s me).
* Join in the conversation. Respond to our Tweets and banter back and forth with like-minded (or not) individuals from the trucking industry. Challenge Tweets you disagree with and create a dialogue.
* Receive live reports from industry events. Thinking of heading to a truck show but want a report on the weather, attendance, schedule or which exhibitors are or aren’t there? Find out what’s going on at the show, as it happens.
Joining Twitter is just the latest step in an ongoing journey for those of us in the publishing world. We’re no longer just a magazine – we’re a continuous conduit of information. You can’t afford to receive information on a strictly monthly basis, and fortunately the Web and new technologies like Twitter are allowing us to better serve your needs in more interactive formats.
So with all that being said, we hope you take the leap. You can find me and sign up for my alerts at www.twitter.com/jamesmenzies. If Lou’s commentary is more to your liking, you can find him at www.twitter.com/lousmyrlis. (Of course, I hope to establish a much larger following than him, as there’s nothing like showing up your boss). Adam Ledlow can be found at www.twitter.com/adamledlow. Look for the same type of humour from him that you’ve come to know and love from our WebTV show Transportation Matters.
Hope to Tweet to you soon.