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Twitter usage soaring : Lawyers need to get on board

Per a recent Internet study done by Pew Research Center Twitter use continues to soar,

Some 15% of online adults use Twitter as of February 2012, and 8% do so on a typical day. Although overall Twitter usage has nearly doubled since the Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project  first asked a stand-alone Twitter question in November 2010, the 15% of online adults who use Twitter as of early 2012 is similar to the 13% of such adults who did so in May 2011. At the same time, the proportion of online adults who use Twitter on a typical day has doubled since May 2011 and has quadrupled since late 2010—at that point just 2% of online adults used Twitter on a typical day.2 The rise of smartphones might account for some of the uptick in usage because smartphone users are particularly likely to be using Twitter. (emphasis added)

Brian Solis (@briansolis), social media strategist and principal at Altimeter Group, shared his thoughts on the significance of these findings.

 “The days of “I don’t get Twitter” may soon pass. Tweets are now a form of self-expression among connected consumers and it is this connected generation that continues to grow in size and influence year over year. Much in the same way that TXTing is a natural form of common conversation, even if it’s a norm that’s outside of the world, as you know it—Twitter is reflective of how millions of people are connecting and communicating.

Over the years, Twitter has become a human seismograph measuring world events, popular culture, and everyday sentiment, while providing a lens into every nuance that captivates our attention. What was once a Twitter paradox is now part of our digital culture. Everyday people who are connected to Twitter become the nodes and their shared experiences form one of the most efficient information networks in the world.”

Important to recognize is the significance Twitter plays in moving news and information in this country. Per a recent report on the State of News Media Reporting. 39% of people who got news and information from Twitter would not have gotten their news from anywhere other place.

Imagine that. For almost 40% of Americans, but for the news they picked up through through, they would not have gotten such news they found of interest. This from a medium that did not exist 6 years ago.

The take a away for lawyers is to begin to use Twitter. Begin to understand Twitter. Beginn to build social equity on Twitter by sharing other’s content on Twitter so that trusted followers will start sharing the things you share in Twitter.

Twitter moves news and information in this country and around the world. You need it – – to be an intelligent agent and to establish trust.

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