I like sports. I like Boston sports. A lot. Boston is one of the best, if not the best, sports town in America. (You can disagree, but that is for another day.)
And so, when Boston’s premier Sports Talk Radio station formed a Twitter account last year, I was pumped. Yes, @WEEISports, was on Twitter. The station known for its “lively” talk about sports, with a cast of characters that range from Tom Brady wannabes to cranky old men who wish teams all played day games. I thought, awesome, this is going to be great. EEI makes the fan part of their radio programming, so Twitter will be perfect for them.
I was so disappointed.
Instead of initiation a true conversation on Twitter, instead of actually thinking, “Let’s have our fans dictate the story here on Twitter and let’s reach out to them,” EEI did want it thought it was supposed to do: post one-way links about sports news and their programming. To put it mildly, it was boring.
So I sent them @ replies once in a while, saying things like, “Hey @weeisports, will you ever reply to your loyal listeners?”
Nothing.
Another @.
Still nothing. And believe me, I tried.
Then, last week, my @ stream came up and boom, EEI had responded! Well, whoever it was (the profile did say that it was coming from The Dale and Holley Show), RESPONDED TO ME! I was thrilled. I was overjoyed. I was like, wait a minute, maybe a radio station, the same type of place that encourages two-way conversation is actually understanding the power of social media and, specifically, Twitter? Yes!
So, EEI, I will give you a chance. I have shouted you guys out for this week’s #FollowFriday.
Hope you guys FINALLY have gotten this. We’re watching you. Nice 2010 resolution, guys!
Posted via web from v5, LLC
Franky Benítez 
I have a few companies that I really enjoy working with that are a lot like this. A few one-way tweets once in a while, but absolutely silent in response to my @ mentions or shoutouts. Some have not tweeted since 2009, so it may be that they’ve given up. Maybe with their one-way strategy, they were doomed to fail from the start?
I just don’t think they know how to do it, and then they have this expectation that they will gain traction immediately and instantly because they are a brand. It is clear that social media is not brand-driven anymore. Companies still might go one-way with communication, but the audience will eventually tune you out. The most critical question is whether companies will be ok without a true social media presence. I argue that entertainment brands or brands that cater to people’s interests (music, sports, movies, books, travel, etc.) should be truly creating a two-way hub on Twitter. Some brands do so and have succeeded (like Jet Blue), but most just don’t have a clue. Maybe 2010 will be different.