Fiesta. Crisisstatement. Digital: Behind Coca-Cola's Biggest Social-Media Push Yet - Advertising Age - Digital. In Recall, a Role Model Stumbles. Is big business starting to 'get' Twitter? - Features, Gadgets & Tech. Well-known writers or celebrities whose pieces are widely read online will invariably have consumer complaints attended to by a frantic PR machine as word gets around that they're unhappy; TV presenter Charlie Brooker and celebrated blogger Heather Armstrong (aka Dooce) have both bitched recently on Twitter about their respective washing machines, and both have subsequently written about the unusual way their issues were dealt with.
But developments in real-time search – the ability to be alerted when any word or phrase crops up online – means that, for those companies savvy enough to be monitoring their brands, everyone's mentions register equally. "That's the true value of Twitter," says social media expert Mark Shaw, who advises and trains businesses and individuals on how to use Twitter.
"The ability to search for real people talking about real stuff in real time.