News International looks to be trying to move on past their annus horribilis that was 2011, with the latest move being that the ageing media mogul himself, Rupert Murdoch has joined Twitter. His introduction to the twittersphere was announced by Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey who said Murdoch was on Twitter “with his own voice, in his own way” – and he has already amassed 25,000 followers in 24 hours with just 12 tweets – and impressive start.
If this really is Murdoch personally joining Twitter then his account could be fascinating to watch – giving users an insight into the mind of one of the most powerful men in the world, a man with a lot of influence in the media an beyond across the globe. However, Murdoch is famously aloof, never managed to grasp MySpace, and who is a big supporter of SOPA – a bill that would break much of the social web (including Twitter). The chances of him, therefore, attempting to get personally involved in using a social media company he doesn’t own doesn’t sound like it will last.
His tweets so far have mostly been advertising films, books, and newspapers he has a stake in or owns – something I can certainly believe would have come straight from the man himself – someone who has been told Twitter is a great marketing platform. If this is how he intends to use the service then fine, but I imagine he would quickly hand over such tasks to his PR team.
His most recent tweet to end the day was more interesting, however, as he introduced a bit of humour and personality to his online presence (something I hope he does a lot more in the future!) in joking that:
https://twitter.com/#!/rupertmurdoch/status/153539815483252738
.
Welcome to the social web Mr Murdoch.