Twitter management

Somebody's got to do it, so it may as well be me.  One of the big questions we need to ask ourselves as we prepare to bring aboard a work force that is more accustomed to texting the person next to them rather than engaging in a conversation is - how do you manage a completely internetworked and constantly online population?

The point above, about texting someone just next to you - is both a real comment and somewhat tongue in cheek.  Yet, having watched my daughters text each other from across the couch, while listening to their iPods and reading/doing homework/watching TV, I am constantly amazed at the amount of information they can process and the filters that must exist in their heads to pick out what's important and what's vital.  And they do this often without reading too much into the dialog, written in a jumble of letters, numbers and emoticons that my wife finds similar to ancient greek.

Ignore for a moment whether or not these tools "should" be allowed in the organization - they are already there, whether you know it or not.  Instant messaging is almost as important in many organizations as email or the telephone, and soon concepts like Facebook Walls, tweets, discussion forums and a host of other social networking/social media and communication vehicles will increase in importance.  There are several reasons for this:

1. Social.  It's fun to be part of a group, and to share in what the group thinks is important.  I can be a member of several different groups, exchanging information and learning what other members of my group think is important.
2. Immediacy.  If someone is available, I can get a very quick yes/no answer using IM without creating the whole conversation necessary for a phone call.
3. Hip.  If everyone on my team is twittering and tweeting, and I'm not, then I'm not only unhip, but out of the loop on what might be important information.

So, just as we ask for all cell phones to be deposited in a basket each night for family time and to ensure they aren't being used when sleep is of the essence, so to might each leader or team need to set down some ground rules about how to communicate and which channels are appropriate.  What happens if somone on your team isn't a Tweeter?  How do you communicate if someone doesn't respond to text messages or doesn't have Facebook?  What are the appropriate communication vehicles and channels for your initiative, team or project, and what are the challenges if someone is left "out of the loop" because he or she doesn't want to use the messaging tools favored by the group?  When are these tools appropriate?  Should Twitter be used to make significant design decisions or to organize the weekly brown bag?  Do informal channels like Twitter and Facebook introduce informal communication like :>) or other emoticons or begin to blend the personal and the professional?  What information should be shared over these channels versus the corporate communication channels, especially in light of the fact that Facebook and Twitter, to identify two, happen in the open, rather than behind secure firewalls?

As a manager in a time of rapidly growing communication devices, you have two choices.  You can try to hold back the tide, or you can establish the appropriate uses of each tool and technology and align them to the working style and culture of your team.  By the way, the tide is already in, way in.

Comments

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