A few weeks ago I wrote about the rise of the Twitterati; celebrity micro-bloggers using Twitter to engage with their fans.  The latest addition to the ranks is Stephen Fry and his arrival may just be the trigger to that brings Twitter into the mainstream.   The reason I say that, is the sheer speed at which his Twitter following is growing.  His first micro-post appeared at lunchtime today and within three hours he had amassed over a thousand followers.

Whilst Stephen Fry may not be Generation Y like his fellow Twitterer Andy Murray, he has a long history of engagement with the web.   Stephen was using e-mail in the early nineties before most people knew what it was and his podcasts or Podgrams as they are called in Fryberspace (ouch…sorry!) are amongst the most popular on the web.

Fry is using Twitter as part of the the publicity for his new series ‘Stephen Fry in America’ which starts on Sunday (October 12th) on BBC1 at 9pm.  It’s genuine stuff and he will be posting as he travels across the continent in a black cab, visiting all 50 states.

Twitter isn’t just publicity for the series it provides another dimension to Fry’s travelogue adding value to the TV series and providing backstage snippets.  Stephen Fry is a big name and he is giving us a real reason to follow.  He is also up to speed with Twitter etiquette and is following people back.  I can’t deny there is a frisson of pleasure that comes with the e-mail that says “Stephen Fry is now following you on Twitter!”.

Recently I wrote about the rise of the Twitterati and how Twitter was becoming a way for celebrities to engage with their fans.  Incidentally after a few days of silence Andy Murray is now microblogging again.  

Today social media pioneer Neville Hobson used Twitter as a quasi IT department.  On discovering that his website had vanished, Neville or ‘Jangles’ as he is know in twitterville, turned to the fast growing online community for help.   Shortly after 8am GMT Neville posted a cheery hello followed a couple of minutes later by the following; “Whoa, looks like my blog disappeared. Someone else there instead. Wtf?”.   Just three minutes later Neville was getting advice from fellow users of the Twitter service, notably from 6consulting.  Throughout the day Neville was updating on his progress and the lack of a response from hosting company Dreamhost.  Given that Neville has over 1,700 followers on Twitter that’s a real PR issue.  By tea time the site was back up but I wonder at what cost to Dreamhost, who according to the tweets still hadn’t contacted Mr H.

With user numbers growing 422% year on year, Twitter is a phenomenally simple idea that provides seemingly limitless possibilities.  Yes it’s a social network, but you can use it as a social search tool, a promotional mechanic, a news feed or a micro diary or even for IT support.  I wonder, did anyone suggest to Neville that he switched it off and on again? 

Microblogging to your Fans

 The British number 1 tennis player and finalist in the recent US Open is on Twitter.  He’s been up there for a month and as of today’s date he has just over 400 followers.  This will rise dramatically.   What is interesting, is not just that we can tune in to a leading sporting figure as he prepares for a major match,  Andy ate pasta and played Scrabble the night before the Open final, but that fans get to hear directly from their hero, with no-one in between.  In the worlds of music, sport and entertainment that’s gold.   

I can’t be certain that Andy is posting himself but every comment has the ring of total authenticity and the first person he followed was his brother Jamie which makes me confident this is the genuine article.  No doubt a PR person or someone else in his entourage suggested it and has advised on it, but the fact that it is real and direct is what makes it work.  There are other celebrities on Twitter but I think Andy is blazing a trail.  The former lead singer of Black Flag and post punk poet Henry Rollins is up there too.  He announced his arrival on January 22nd 2007 with the words “I hate everbody“.  Since then with just 75 ‘tweets’ he has gained 11,785 followers.  There are musicians (or more probably their associaties) who are using it as a promotional tool but Andy and Henry are telling it as it is.  

Stand by for a rush to join the new ’Twitterati’.It won’t be long before we have a flood of singers, sporting heroes and stars of the screen, sharing stuff on the microblog of the moment.  Mark Borkowski will have to add it to the next edition of his book The Fame Formula.   The ones like Andy, who don’t try too hard, keep it interesting and avoid the hard sell will turn followers into ardent fans. Advantage Murray.