Twitter is all the rage this days, it's like an internet meme that just won't die and for good reason too. Through the sudden explosion of Twitter popularity we've experienced and witnessed new ways for individuals and organisations to communicate to a wider audience than ever before and with this awesome power comes a certain degree of responsibility for brand management within organisations.
Jadu has become the first commercial Web Content Management provider to offer an integrated Twitter module within its CMS software to enhance brand management, customer service and knowledge management. Available as a free upgrade, the 'Jadu CMS Client for Twitter' is aimed at local authorities, universities and businesses using the Jadu CMS, helping them to engage with the social web and maintain standards for transparency and compliance.
Figures show that over 20% of UK local authorities* are already tweeting, while universities were amongst the first to leverage the 140 character micro-blogging platform for networking and communications. A recent survey by O2 estimated that 700,000 smaller businesses are currently using Twitter.
The module allows users to tweet from within the Jadu CMS, whilst also incorporating search, re-tweet and saved drafts, workflow and email capabilities. API calls are also cached and requests are monitored. Importantly, tweets can be stored to ensure accountability and enable councils, in particular, to respond to FOI requests and customer comments. Brand management potential is enhanced through an 'attitudes' filter to allow users to easily watch happy or unhappy tweets.
So through this it empowers Jadu customers to take control of how people within their organisation communicate officially via Twitter to customers or prospective clients from a central location which has a degree of approval to it. Some of these amazing features are one's I've never seen in any other Twitter client - I certainly can't name another one which goes through a workflow in order to be published. You might ask yourself why, but if Tweeting is delegated to others in your organisation then you may still want some control over what is published.
Lichfield District Council is a Jadu CMS customer currently incorporating Twitter as part of its communications programme. Elizabeth Thatcher, Communications Manager at Lichfield, says: "Twitter is an ideal platform for sharing information with local people easily and quickly. It's also a great way to start local conversations and debates about hot topics. At Lichfield we are really passionate about using Twitter to tell local people about news ranging from new planning applications, to recycling. This winter Twitter proved invaluable in spreading the message about delayed bin collections as a result of the heavy snowfall."
Stuart Harrison, Webmaster at Lichfield says: "I know many other local webmasters are unsure about how to make the best use of Twitter and I'm working hard to spread the word about how easy and effective it is. For Jadu users like us, this new development will make using Twitter even easier and even more effective, so it's great news.
Lichfield District Council aren't alone in utilising Twitter either; according to a list collated by Liz Azyan of LGEO Research there are at least 101 local authorities using Twitter already. It doesn't just stop there though, quite a number of these local authorities also have multiple Twitter accounts for different departments such as their webteam, and some even have Twitter accounts for Councillors. So for users of the Jadu CMS they have a unique advantage like no other.
I'm certainly impressed by the feature set and the thought they've obviously put into this client, and for those attending Internet World at Earls Court they will be demoing this new feature on Stand E0628 from 28th to 30th April.
For more product information about Jadu CMS Client for Twitter, please visit www.jadu.co.uk or tweet directly with Jadu at www.twitter.com/JaduCMS
