# To Tweet or not to Tweet

- Link: https://fundraising.co.uk/2009/06/16/tweet-or-not-tweet/
- Published: 2009-06-16T19:01:12+01:00
- Author: Finbar Cullen

**I have been using [Twitter](http://twitter.com) for a while, trying to decide 
if it is worth bothering with. Does it have any useful applications for prospect
researchers? I have been using it as a mini blog, and occasionally (somewhat guiltily)
wittering.**

A recent article in Information World Review has given me pause for thought. Stephen
Arnold discusses using Twitter as “a business intelligence tool”, e.g. by using 
Twitter’s advanced search function and using TweetBeep (a kind of news alerts function).
Arnold suggests that this is a good way of spotting developing trends (“real time
search of real time information streams”), before there is a general announcement[
or denial, I guess].

Do you find Twitter useful for prospect research? Is it worth the effort?

## Advertisement

Finbar Cullen
Research**Plus**

 * [**Five tweets for fundraisers for 10 February 2021**](https://fundraising.co.uk/2021/02/10/five-tweets-for-fundraisers-for-10-february-2021/)
 * [**Five tweets for fundraisers for 26 May 2019**](https://fundraising.co.uk/2019/05/26/five-tweets-for-fundraisers-for-26-may-2019/)
 * **[Five tweets for fundraisers for 3 November 2021](https://fundraising.co.uk/2021/11/03/elon-musk-and-wfp/)**

## Comments

### By: admin

- Link: https://fundraising.co.uk/2009/06/16/tweet-or-not-tweet/#comment-3703
- Published: 2009-06-17T09:01:10+01:00

I’ve not used Twitter directly for prospect research, but I reckon it could have
a minor role in it.

Twitter is unlike other social media tools in that it both offers a near real-time
source of information (both reliable and unreliable of course), and often the means
to follow up for further detail instantly e.g. following the link to the web page
with further info, or replying to the person who posted the message on Twitter.

I’d suggest it has uses in the following ways:

\* finding out if the prospect uses Twitter themselves (unlikely, but not impossible).
If so, they might reveal useful background information about themselves.

\* tracking what others say of this person

\* tracking what others say of their company/brand

There are other tools that give you current awareness alerts on the web plus social
media sites, and you have commercial tools too. But I’d add Twitter to the list 
of tools you use, if only to give a different flavour to your search activity.

I don’t yet have examples of it in action in charities in this way. Anyone care 
to provide an example?

### By: charlesbagnall

- Link: https://fundraising.co.uk/2009/06/16/tweet-or-not-tweet/#comment-3704
- Published: 2009-06-18T13:51:39+01:00

I agree with Howard that Twitter should certainly be one of the tools used to find
out what people are saying about your organisation.
 For a full exploration of the
science of ‘listening’ to social networks see Beth Kanter’s blog ongoing but specially
this page [http://beth.typepad.com/beths\_blog/listening/](http://beth.typepad.com/beths_blog/listening/)

You could also ask some of the very active charity tweeters @bullyinguk and @dogstrust
are two of the most active.

Finally most inspirational Twitter fundraising story I know is this one from US 
blogger John Haydon, because it concerns a charity that ONLY used Twitter as a communications
device so by default that’s where all the research was too.
 [http://tinyurl.com/pg2p9n](http://tinyurl.com/pg2p9n)

Charles (@csbagnall)

### By: admin

- Link: https://fundraising.co.uk/2009/06/16/tweet-or-not-tweet/#comment-3705
- Published: 2009-06-22T20:43:29+01:00

Jay Frost has just published a presentation on Slideshare entitled “Prospect Research
2.0: Rules for a New Culture” that covers prospect research using Web 2.0 tools: