Paid advertisements should compliment value-driven dialogue

Being a virgin twitter user (but FB fanatic, and Orkut old timer, does anybody remember that?) I am just tipping my toes in and reading around the net to find out about the advantages and relevancy of promoted tweets in PR.
I bumped into this bit which hit home:
With the Presidential campaigns in full gear, both President Obama and Mitt Romney have been taking full advantage of promoted tweets. But it was Obama’s perfectly timed tweet that got the most attention. It was a promoted tweet that showed up right when he ended his acceptance speech: “If you’re willing to stand with me, and vote for me, & organize with me, we will finish what we started.” Just as the twittersphere was about to light up with a ton of chatter about how the speech was (both good and bad), his promoted tweet appeared at the top of all those people’s feeds. It was there to be re-tweeted, replied to, favorited, etc. It was pure marketing genius, but only time will tell if it helped sway some undecided voters.

 advertisers use:

•    Promoted Tweets -- offered on a CPE (Cost-per-Engagement) basis between 20c and $5 -- to Tweet to the most relevant users beyond their core followers
•    Promoted accounts -- offered on a CPF (Cost-per-Follow) basis 50c to $5 -- to build up a critical mass of loyal followers
•    Promoted Trends – costing an estimated $150,000 per day -- to amplify the conversation about their brand or a topic related to it

I found tips offered in this article written shortly after the introduction of Twitter advertisement very useful.

It says these tools play a complementary role as the key is still true engagement, especially in PR.

   "Twitter has urged, nudged and down-right forced messengers to infuse value into the dialogue, 140 characters at a time. With Twitter now offering an expanded road map for pay-for-play engagement, those entrusted with managing online reputations forget these lessons at their own peril.

   The temptation to drop earned affinity efforts in favor of a “promoted tweets only” approach ought to be resisted at all costs. 

   While Twitter has matured in its offerings for advertisers, its community’s appreciation of thought leadership and value-oriented dialogue remains the same.

   For those brands up to the challenge, ultimately, Twitter’s millions of users may find themselves having even greater affinity for the brands and organizations that put the time, energy and commitment into quality paid advertisements that compliment integrated value-driven dialogue."

I have a lot to explore and learn about Twitter in general and this paid advertisement thing.
Hope to get there and become a savvy user by the end of this course.
  Hiedeh 

Hopping on board

Here I am, at last, "on assignment!"

Despite being an avid blog reader, I never felt like having one, basically because I don't like to write for free, and long-suffering friends on Facebook already get a daily dose of my musings, rants and comedy.

I miss journalism, think it will always be my true calling. When I was first hired I wanted to pick up the phone and ask my friends: "remember how I pissed you off with my curiosity? Guess what, I am poking my nose anywhere I want and getting paid for it!"

For years, my partner has been nagging about the amount of time I "waste" on the Internet, arguing over movies and whatnot with other insomniacs and world leader wannabes.

 Who knows, maybe one day I'll be able to blabber on in the cyber space .... for a living.

Boy, how I'll rub his face into it!