The 140-character limit has been an emblem of Twitter since its birth. However, it is of recent news that it is working on a new product that will allow users to post tweets longer that 140-characters.

This latest news has garnered mixed response from twitter users. Those who felt that the character limit has stifled their creative expression in the past are generally excited about the news. However, there are a majority that are voicing out against this change through their tweets. These people may feel as though Twitter will resemble Facebook after this change, making it unoriginal.

Examples of such tweets:
http://observer.com/2015/09/twitter/

The news of this change definitely caught my attention, especially more so after having enrolled in e-marketing, where several lessons focused on the effective use of Twitter. I personally do not think the extension of the character limit is that much of a deal. It seems to me as though there are more benefits than disadvantages to this change. Twitter users will no longer have to be concise in their tweets.

I feel that change is necessary in order for Twitter to attract more users and for its own promotion amidst its other competition in the social media world.

Twitter began mainly as a SMS-based service, where the character limit is 160-characters. Twitter’s 140-character limit was inspired by this SMS limit. However, now that technology has evolved, Twitter may no longer need to stick by this SMS limit as well.

Articles:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/twitter/11900012/Twitter-to-get-rid-of-140-character-limit.html
http://marketingland.com/report-twitter-plans-to-allow-tweets-longer-than-140-characters-144705

Social Media has transformed the way in which the world communicates and has made the globe more interconnected than ever. As such, it is unimaginable as to how the world would operate without the existence of social media that has amalgamated into our daily lives.

Although the excessive use of social media does have various disadvantages such as those mentioned in the article, its benefits certainly does outweigh its limitations. Personally, I feel that social media is not a necessary evil if utilized appropriately and with limits.

In the article, “How Social Media Has Changed Us: The Good and The Bad”, the author mentions how social media has not only become an integral part of our lifestyle, but also a convenient tool for various businesses. He not only paints a positive picture of social media, but pinpoints its negative shades as well.

I agree with his point as to how social media has provided businesses with more opportunities to reach a global audience. This would not have been possible in the past and small businesses would have taken many years to attain the global reach that businesses are at present. Additionally, companies are also using social media sites such as LinkedIn for recruitment. Social Media has also played a key role in numerous companies’ marketing campaigns as well as customer service.

Article: http://www.business2community.com/social-media/social-media-changed-us-good-bad-01000104#SRJBlD9pfc3suKyL.97

Brands and companies are drawing in on social media to pull in potential customers from all walks of life globally. The trick amidst all of the competition is to find out how to stand out. Before one trends a hashtag, it would be useful to employ a skill learnt early on in class, which would be to search the current trends on twitter. This can be done through advanced search and geo search. The whole point of this would be to ensure no repetitions in addition to learning what works and what doesn’t with regards to hashtags.

An article I read recently provided me with in-depth insight on maximizing the power of hashtags and utilizing it in the best possible way.

Article: http://mcallistermarketing.com/social-media-2/three-ways-to-improve-your-twitter-advertising-with-a-simple-hashtag

This is essential news since we live in a world that is becoming increasingly dominated by social media. Businesses can use hashtags to track consumers’ likes and dislikes. The average person can use twitter and hashtags to feel inclusive and be a part of various social movements.

The extent of the impact of hashtags is highlighted in the article and it emphasizes the need for #noteworthy hashtags. The article makes a point as to how one’s tweet (without the use of hashtag) will only be seen by their 200 followers, but this number has the potential to multiply by thousands with the use of a common hashtag such as #peace or #hate.

This shows how the world can become even more interconnected with the use of such a common hashtag and highlights how such hashtags connects people regardless of race, language or religion. A great example would be the Marley family’s launch of the #share1love movement in commemoration of Bob Marley’s 70th birthday.

#share1love:
https://twitter.com/hashtag/share1love
http://www.bobmarley.com/charity-2/marley-family-launches-share1love movement/

A recent tweet sent many netizens in Singapore and its neighbouring countries to panic mode. A twitter page belonging to that of @CallofDuty made headlines by tweeting this:

It was a hoax and an attempt at guerilla marketing for the new Call of Duty Game: Black Ops 3. To promote their new game, @CallofDuty sent out a series of tweets about a fictional attack on Singapore as a part of their online campaign.

This is one of the tweets that was sent out:
https://twitter.com/CallofDuty/status/648905858529759232?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

Countless Singaporeans were unamused. Singapore’s national newspaper, the Straits Times reported that many netizens were offended and found the marketing ploy to be in bad taste. Singaporeans living abroad were alarmed and anxious as they made the dreaded phone call back home to check if everything was fine in their homeland. They were discontented upon hearing that the news of the terrorist attack was a sham.

I do think that this marketing tactic done by Call of Duty is rather unique and appealing, and should be taken with a grain of salt.  It could have been slightly altered since a nation’s safety, military and government was brought into the picture. As such, largely disapproving reactions were to be expected from the general public. However, the whole point of guerilla marketing is to cause a stir, and the publicity stunt by Call of Duty certainly did successfully achieve this. It managed to catch the attention of both video game and non-video game enthusiasts.

Article: http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/singapore-under-attack/2160102.html