Some celebrities DO engage in two-way Twitter conversations

December 30, 2009 · 14 comments

After stumbling upon an article a few days ago that suggested most celebrities do not speak to their followers and should actually be put into Twitter lists of their own so we can all check on what they are saying about themselves when we have the time, I thought I would provide some examples of celebrities I follow who DO use Twitter to have two way conversations with their followers and actually use the Twitter branch of Social Media to speak to their fans.

  • Stephen Fry is one of the most famous celebrities using Twitter and to be honest he tweets about all sorts – it can be witty, it can be personal, it can be random – he does engage with followers. He has been talking about clay pigeon shooting, Omegle and lunch today.
  • Duncan Bannatyne has used Twitter to show the more personal side to the multi-millionaire “Dragon” that sometimes scares contestants on the BBC show Dragon’s Den. I have learnt that he is enthusiastic about charity and recognising achievement. Duncan also engages with followers.
  • Dannii Minogue has used Twitter really well to respond to many of her fans, as well as fans of ITV’s The X Factor. In the past, pop-music fans may have drawn a picture and popped it in the post to their idols – now they can take a twitpic and within minutes there is a chance they will receive some feedback!
  • Mark Bright loves talking about football (soccer to Yanks) and sport. Many Twitter users also love talking about football and sport. Mark gives fans a chance to talk to an ex-professional player as the action is happening out there on the pitch.

I think that these celebrities have used Twitter to help brake down barriers and speak directly to fans and the general public. That is why I will continue to follow them and big up others who do the same! They must get bucket loads of messages and so can’t physically respond to all of them – but at least they make an effort.

What celebrities do you follow that try to engage with their followers?

Do you think more celebrities will use Twitter in 2010 to help brake down barriers with the wider public?

Update:  More celebrities recommended for two-way engagement

Jed Langdon recommends:

- Jason Manford – http://twitter.com/Jason_Manford
- Peter Serafinowicz – http://twitter.com/serafinowicz
- Matt Horne – http://twitter.com/mfhorne
- Alyssa_Milano – http://twitter.com/Alyssa_Milano

Feel free to make your own recommendations.

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Tagged as: barriers, celebrities, conversations, engagement, followers, twitter

  • http://twitter.com/jedlangdon Jed Langdon

    Good post Rob. One of the most common negative comments people who don't use Twitter make is that it is full of celebrities who drone on about what they are doing and don't actually talk to people. This can be true of course, but there are loads of celebrities who engage in two-way conversations.

    “Do you think more celebrities will use Twitter in 2010 to help brake down barriers with the wider public?”

    Absolutely, social media platforms such as Twitter and Facebook offer celebrities a great method of communicating with their fans, without needing to go through PR/press agents. Unlike other forms of “planned” press activity it also gives them the chance to show their true personality and not a persona dreamed up by their PR people.

    I completely agree with you that the best people to follow are those that offer two-way communication with their fans. With that in mind I would say that some of my favourite celebrity Twitterers are:

    - Jason Manford – http://twitter.com/Jason_Manford
    - Peter Serafinowicz – http://twitter.com/serafinowicz
    - Matt Horne – http://twitter.com/mfhorne
    - Alyssa_Milano – http://twitter.com/Alyssa_Milano

    I would love to hear your thoughts on who some of these celebrities are that don't engage with their followers Rob. Perhaps we could name and shame in another post!

  • http://www.robertpickstone.com Robert Pickstone

    Thanks Jed.

    It's great that you have listed some celebrities who use Twitter to talk to their followers. Hopefully more readers of this blog will do the same and will start following those that actually give something back.

    I think many more celebrities will use Twitter in 2010 but whether the ratio of those who talk one way/two way changes is up for debate. When anyone first starts using Twitter it takes time to see how it works, how to use it and to get a feel for it. I hope many more celebrities move into Twitter with the fans at the forefront of their minds but I do fear that some will be instructed by advisers to use it self promotion purposes.

    I may keep this blog post updated with celebrities who offer two-way communication. With regards to those that don't engage with their followers – I will have to think about that carefully!

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  • lily

    how do you start a chat with themm ??

  • http://www.robertpickstone.com Robert Pickstone

    Hi Lily,

    If you don't use twitter the best way I can think of describing it is being able to write something really short on their facebook wall. Anyone can write a message. It is up to the celebrity to then look through all the messages they have and decide who they want to write back to.

    Some famous people must get hundreds of messages each day so it is impossible for them to reply to everyone but there are a few who make the effort with their fans, like those mentioned above in the blog post.

    Hope this helps.

  • lily

    how do you start a chat with themm ??

  • http://www.robertpickstone.com Robert Pickstone

    Hi Lily,

    If you don't use twitter the best way I can think of describing it is being able to write something really short on their facebook wall. Anyone can write a message. It is up to the celebrity to then look through all the messages they have and decide who they want to write back to.

    Some famous people must get hundreds of messages each day so it is impossible for them to reply to everyone but there are a few who make the effort with their fans, like those mentioned above in the blog post.

    Hope this helps.

  • http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1827709/ Eric Schiffer Fan

    I wish all celebrities are like them.

  • http://howtogetmyexbackways.com/ Get Ex Back

    hi, But if you're not a big brand then you DO need to follow Twitter rules, ….. When I am on Twitter and engaged in conversations

  • http://www.robertpickstone.com Robert Pickstone

    Hi,

    Which Twitter rules do you mean? Are these the same rules that you use?

    Rob

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