Revisiting Twitter.

Twitter is a strange concept. Most of my friends in Germany have heard of it - especially after the Arab Spring -  but hardly anybody gets it. Why should I broadcast what I am doing right now into cyberspace? Why should I be following others? Facebook on the other hand with its default (really?) privacy setup of posting notes, links and pictures to selected friends seems much easier grasp. In fact, it's almost a trend to refer to Twitter as something that is a trend among nerds.

Personally, I've been following a few friends and other popular Twitter threads for a while, much like I use Google Reader and Facebook: As a personal newspaper and friends update thread. It's only once a year, during AIM, that I actually post stuff, and during AIM in Guatemala was also the very moment, when I thought - now I understand: With a common hashtag (#aim09, #aim10, #aim11 NOT #aim2011), anybody could chip into the conversation. In 2009 and even more in 2010 the #aim201 thread was dominated by cynical remarks of what was happening in the plnnary, much like the infamous chat room that was popular at earlier AIMs. It was hilarious for anybody present, but cryptic to anybody outside the AIM site. With News Of The AIM, we tried to fill that gap, and posted official, objective updates on what was happening in the most important sessions. People still made obnoxious comments, but hey - everybody can post as they like, as long as they do it under their name - and the fact that everything is public censored out the most evil ideas.

Most people gave positive feedback on our AIM-Twitter-broadcast, but maybe there's more in it for us beyond AIM reporting?
This new book suggests, that every organization should have a Twitter-strategy - something Martin brought up in a comment thread a year ago.

As recent events in Japan, the Middle East, and Haiti have shown, Twitter offers a unique platform to connect individuals and influence change in ways that were unthinkable only a short time ago. In Twitter for Good, Claire Diaz Ortiz, Twitter's head of corporate social innovation and philanthropy, shares the same strategies she offers to organizations launching cause-based campaigns. Filled with dynamic examples from initiatives around the world, this groundbreaking book offers practical guidelines for harnessing individual activism via Twitter as a force for social change.

• Reveals why every organization needs a dedicated Twitter strategy and explains how to set one
• Introduces the five-step model taught at trainings around the world: T.W.E.E.T. (Target, Write, Engage, Explore, Track)
• Author @claired is the head of corporate social innovation and philanthropy at Twitter, collaborating with organizations like Nike, Pepsi, MTV, the American Red Cross, charity:water, Room to Read, the Gates Foundation, the Skoll Foundation, the Case Foundation, National Wildlife Federation, Kiva, the United Nations, Free the Children, Committee to Protect Journalists, Partners in Health, FEMA, Ushahidi, The Acumen Fund

With more than 200 million users worldwide, Twitter has established itself as a dynamic force, one that every business and nonprofit must understand how to use effectively.

So: Who's going to work through it a pick out the pearls for CISV? And who's taking on the Twitter Strategy for CISV?