The Dalai Lama on Twitter??

Celebrity activity is something that has always been apart of the Twitter community. Since it’s founding, celebrities have flocked to Twitter to express their opinions, promote their work, and to gain followers. Celebrities such as Britney Spears and Lance Armstrong top the 2009 celebrity Twitter lists along with politicians Al Gore and President Obama. Twitter has become a common practice for celebrities to reach their public.

In 2009, Time Magazine Online listed 10 top celebrities Twitters as follows:
1. Britney Spears
2. Snoop Dogg
3. John Hodgman: PC Guy
4. Claire McCaskill
5. Lance Armstrong
6. Shaquille O’Neal
7. Arnold Schwarzenegger
8. David Lynch
9. Ashton Kutcher
10. Demi Moore

While many celebrities were quick to sign-up and start tweeting, many others took their time before joining the networking site. New reports are circulating that Bill Gates has recently joined the Twitter ranks on February 19th. Within a few days, he has accumulated approximately 500,000 followers and growing. Also, popular rapper Lil Wayne has become a new user in the Twitter realm. His account was created on February 21st and has gained around 120,000 followers.

Another big name to make a scene in the Twitter world is the Dalai Lama. According to Twitter.com, the Dalai Lama signed up for a Twitter account on February 22nd. Many would think the famous spiritual leader would be the last person to create a Twitter account. More proof that Twitter is taking over the world? On February 21st, creator and founder of Twitter, Evan Williams posted a tweet saying “Met the Dalai Lama today in L.A. Pitched him on using Twitter. He laughed.” The very next day, the Dalai Lama created an official Twitter account.

Within a few hours of registering an account, the Dalai Lama has an estimated 35,500 followers. However, within that time the account has been jazzed up with photos and webcasts from the Dalai Lama’s web team. Click here to see the Dalai Lama’s Twitter page.

What I find the most interesting about these reports is the number of people following these celebrities within a matter of days. It is so fascinating to see 500,000 people join together to view Bill Gates’ Twitter activity within 3 days. This once again proves the power of Twitter and the sheer number of people actively using the site.

Would these celebrities have been able to reach such a large number of people within the same time span without using Twitter? What are your thoughts on these new celebrity additions to Twitter?

View the Mashable.com post on the Dalai Lama's Twitter addition

50 Million Tweets Per Day.. Oh my!

Since it’s founding in 2006, the social networking site, Twitter, has been on a fast incline to global phenomenon. Twitter, which first took flight (no pun intended) in early 2007 with the success of its South by Southwest (SXSW) launch, has quickly become one of the top networking sites used today. Twitter allows users to communicate their message and voice to a potentially large audience. As a result, individuals are able to control communication with larger numbers of people than ever before.

Twitter entices a large audience of users due to its multifunctional use. Twitter can easily be used for social and entertainment reasons as well as a professional tool. The Twitter users range from young adolescents to CEOs. The beauty of the site is that these individuals can connect so simply and effectively. As a social tool, Twitter can be used to connect with friends and family. As an entertainment tool, celebrities and influential members of society can apply image control and branding. As a professional tool, organizations can connect with consumers. Twitter is a tool that can be used in countless ways. However, the most important thing is that Twitter enables individuals to reach a large network of individuals and stakeholders.

In new findings, Twitter has reported that Twitter users send out an average of 50 million tweets per day. 50 million! According to Ben Parr of Mashable.com, 50 million tweets per day is the equivalent to 600 tweets per minute. It is shocking to think of a networking site originally launched at SXSW to reach such statistics. Twitter has increased tremendously through the years. Below is a past report from Royal Pingdom (courtesy of Parr):

• In 2007, around 5,000 tweets were sent per day.
• By 2008, the number grew to 300,000 tweets per day.
• By 2009, around 2.5 million tweets were sent through Twitter every single day.
• By the end of 2009, the numbers rose to 35 million tweets per day.
• As of now, Twitter sees 50 million tweets created per day.

It is clear that Twitter has greatly increased its user activity over the years. In 2010, Twitter is more powerful than ever before. However one chooses to use the site, there is no doubt that it is an influential medium in our society.

For those of you living under a rock you can access Twitter at www.twitter.com
Click here to follow me on Twitter
To view Ben Parr's article go to "Twitter Hits 50 Million Tweets Per Day"