Twitter.

From headlines to a surge of tweets, to friends who know I work in social media asking what to do, and my stepdad casually asking at dinner, “So, do you know about Twitter?”

Yes — I know about Twitter. It’s literally in my job title to know. 

Hey, I’m Mega Jewell, vice president of social at Bospar. 

It’s been turbulent for eternity a month or so. (That’s an understatement)

But, then, who is keeping track of time nowadays?

If you check my Twitter, you’ll see I’m verified. Yay (?)

Ten years ago, when I was a reporter, it took me seven or more months to get the verification badge. I partied with a bunch of my reporter friends to celebrate the milestone. “OMG — we’re Twitter Verified?! We’ve got it made!”

At the time, the Twitter team had a strict verification process to confirm that I was indeed who I said I was and worked at a credible news station. I lost my verification when I got married and changed my name.

Now, with Twitter Blue, I got my blue check back for $7.99 a month. This time, there was no party. Candidly, it felt … eh.

After the purchase, I tweeted a bit more than usual, hoping — that something magical would happen. Maybe something unique to justify the $8 that I could have spent at McD. It’s been a couple of weeks, and so far zilch. At least for now. 

Features like “rocket to the top of replies, mentions, and search” are purportedly  “coming soon.” Here’s my Tweet to prove it. 

I’m going to spare you specific headlines and summarize some notable ones:

• Brands and companies were impersonated because of Twitter Blue. 
• Twitter temporarily removed the Twitter Blue option.
• Previously banned people have been reinstated.
• Daily changes on Twitter feel like whiplash.
• People are actively providing feedback to Elon Musk’s Twitter account. (He owns the company, in case you weren’t aware.)
• According to Elon, Twitter is “ALIVE.”

Google Trends Worldwide shows that in the past 90 days:

With everything going on, here are recommendations I would have brands consider:

• Make wise decisions. I’ve seen people and companies drop Twitter altogether. People have formed a lot of relationships on Twitter  — don’t leave until you have a place to reconnect.
• Other social media platforms are popping up — new and old. Before jumping in headfirst,  research the audience and determine if it’s the right platform. Create usernames so your brand is locked in (we know people love to impersonate).
• If you want the check mark and it’s available to purchase, don’t expect much right now, as the other features are in development. 
• Make sure you use tools or manually search for your competition to see what they’re doing and maximize your opportunities.
• Listen to your customers — what do they want and expect from you? Their voice matters.
• You know your brand and goals — monitor the data closely and ensure it’s working on your behalf. 
• Your audience is key. Given that we’re in the B2B tech space, many developers are still active on Twitter. Hence, it makes sense for us to stay on the platform. 

I’m here with you and for you — send me a message mega@bospar.com, and I’ll do my best to support you.