It's not just push, pull anymore. It's "I choose to subscribe."

Recently, a colleague asked me this question: do you need to collect and manage mobile numbers in order to tweet to your co-workers? Huh, I thought. Now, I've heard a lot of reasons why companies don't want to Tweet, but this was the first time I'd heard "user management" as a possible objection. Earlier this year, like millions of others, I started Tweeting. I simply find this mode of publishing fascinating. And as I talk to my peers, I think there is a lot of mis-understanding about Twitter, and how it works and its potential to revolutionize how we look at organizational communications. I told my colleague that we don't need to collect mobile numbers and we don't manage any user lists. Users decide if they want to follow or not. The meaning of this is significant. The old model of thinking of ourselves as senders who can control how users receive information is, well... outdated. With tools like Twitter, users are learning how to manage their own flow of information, choosing what to turn on and turn off. Recognizing this has caused a radical shift in my view of organizational communications. It's not just push, pull anymore. It's "I choose to subscribe." Is your leadership communications, HR info, or sales plan ready for that?