Last post
Wednesday, May 6, 2009 | 05:08 PM ET
By John Bowman
This is the last post for CBC Blog Watch. I'll be contributing to the CBC technology blog, Tech Bytes.
This is the last post for CBC Blog Watch. I'll be contributing to the CBC technology blog, Tech Bytes.
Maureen Dowd of the New York Times doesn't get Twitter. She doesn't like Twitter. She, and I quote, "would rather be tied up to stakes in the Kalahari Desert, have honey poured over me and red ants eat out my eyes than open a Twitter account." So who better to interview the founders of Twitter?
I got an email from CNN Breaking News in the middle of the night. Usually - usually, but not always - this is serious stuff. Today, the Breaking News was "Ashton Kutcher is first to reach 1 million followers in Twitter contest with CNN."
Over the Easter long weekend, people began to notice that certain books, books with gay and lesbian characters or themes, fell out of the sales listings on Amazon.com. The reaction on the #AmazonFail Twitter channel offers another example of why companies must pay attention social media.
George Stephanopoulos conducted an interview with Sen. John McCain on Twitter yesterday and, well, let's just say, Frost/Nixon it ain't.
A quick update to the Bell and Twitter situation. It seems that despite Bell's assurances that texts to and from Twitter would be part of a customer's texting plan, some are being charged the standard rate of 15¢ for these texts.
We're all about the importance of social media here at Blog Watch, of course, but when a factoid like this pops up on the Twitter stream, I have to cast a skeptical eye on it: Social Networks & Blogs Now 4th Most Popular Online Activity, Ahead of Personal Email, Nielsen Reports.
I've written a lot about the Twitter and Bell confusion this past week, and all the announcements and tweets and posts on other blogs that were happening. But there's one question that's still bugging me.
UPDATE: The Vancouver Sun's tech blog Digital Life reports that Bell has agreed with Twitter now, and won't be charging premium rates for text to or from Twitter.
CBCNews.ca is reporting that Bell is charging users 15 cents for each Twitter message they send or receive, even if they have an unlimited text messaging plan.
John Bowman has been with the CBCNews.ca since January 2001 and has been blogging on the site since November 2005. He writes more frequenty and more briefly on Twitter at @CBCbw.
Amil Niazi is an associate producer with CBCNews.ca. Before joining CBC she was the editor of Only, a weekly arts and culture magazine in Vancouver. Her freelance work has appreared in Vancouver Magazine, The Westender and CBC Radio 3.