Industry Twitter Behaviour

Social media is now getting very much embedded in our industry now. Some companies and individuals know how to handle it and use it to their advantage, some simply don't. Either way, we all have a behavior when using Twitter.

Mike Bygrave at Roseview Windows has created a poll: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/PCDZGG2

The poll ask 8 simple questions about your habits on Twitter and takes no longer than a minute to answer. I'm not going to give examples of these questions on here as it would defeat the object of me wanting you all to click on the link above and take the poll.

Once enough data has been Mike has said he will publish it - and I'm pretty sure I'll analyze the results myself to see how the industry is making the most of Twitter.

Personally, I still don't think the industry is making the most of Twitter or using it in the correct way. First of all, Twitter is mainly a B2B marketing tool. The general populous still aren't using the micro-blogging site to search for window companies, Google has that all sewn up. I believe that most businesses update their Twitter feeds with offers so that their Twitter widgets look updated on their websites. I might be wrong, but that's what I would use it for.

Twitter is better for business to business use. Suppliers contacting installers and vice versa has created an excellent online relationship that wouldn't have been there before. It's quick, simple and gets things done.

Anyway, take the poll, it doesn't take long, and all feedback on this is welcome! 

Twitter's Social Ethics

In Twitter, as in life, there are social ethics that exist which when followed, make life a bit more pleasant. I always try to be polite, informative, welcoming and engaging on Twitter. I just think it's polite to do so. No need to ignore a newcomer if they say hi, or not to reply to a #FollowFriday mention.

So here are a some social ethic rules to stick to make sure that your time on Twitter is as smooth and pleasant as possible.

1. Say hello in a morning. It's not always necessary this one, but it does invite conversation from the more polite and engaging people on Twitter.

2. Speak to the newbie's. People are joining Twitter all the time. If someone new starts to follow you and they say hi, reply back. Nothing worse than joining something new and not being welcomed.

3. Re-tweeting. Give some of your followers a re-tweet, or a RT, once in a while. It lets them know you're still taking an interest in what they're saying.

4. Thank others for RT's. If people are kind enough to spread the love and re-tweet one of your tweets, thank them. It shows that you're a grateful person and appreciate the little clicks they give you.

5. #FollowFriday mentions. Depending on how many followers you have, tagging people in your #FollowFriday mentions can take a little time. But, mentioning people regularly on a Friday so that others can follow and increase each others follow count can do a lot for your credibility on Twitter. It shows how much of a generous person you can be.

6. Thanks for #FF's. If someone tags you in a #FollowFriday mention, then the least you can do is RT that tweet or say thanks. Either one of these is acceptable if you don't have the time to return the favour.

7. Associated apps. Such other associated applications and measures of Twitter stats, such as Klout are gaining popularity. If someone includes you in something like Klout on Twitter, then either thanks them for taking the time out to include you, or return the favour in the same manner.

8. Arguments. Arguments on Twitter can be awkward things. I should know! If you disagree with someone on something they've said and feel strongly enough to reply, keep it clean, above the belt and non-derogatory to that person. No need to make it personal. Failing that, use Twitter's private Direct Message service.

9. Gossip. If you're a bit of a gossip, like me, make sure the information you're tweeting is accurate and confirmed. I have been caught out a couple of times by not obeying this rule and trust me, it's not worth the hassle.

10. Sympathetic causes. Last but certainly not least this one. Twitter is probably one of the most powerful communicative tools on the planet, to which we all contribute. We should all at some point use our collective power for good. If there is a charity, an ongoing cause or a major issue to highlight, RT relevant tweets or follow those accounts making the effort on Twitter to make a difference. 

I'm sure that by doing the various things above you'll avoid some of the sticky issues I've had to overcome during my two and a half years on Twitter.

If you think I've missed anything out, please comment and tell me!

Social Media And The Industry

Twitter and blogs are playing an ever bigger role in communication within the industry. 2011 saw some of the biggest events in the industry played out on Twitter and blogs such as this one. Events like the Veka buyout of Bowater made the higher echelons of our industry sit up and take note...finally realizing that Twitter and the rest of social media is now here to stay in our little world, and are going to have to adapt to it, rather than social media adapt to them. 

Debates on the Green Deal and the DGCOS were also played out online. Many people were able to get involved in debates, getting their points across when previously they wouldn't have been able to when the internet wasn't such a powerful and useful tool.

So what is in store for 2012? Personally, I think Twitter will have a massive impact. The glazing community on Twitter is growing bigger every day, increasing the connections in the industry up and down the country. Debates are moving from forums and blogs into the world of Twitter. Probably because it's a more real-time platform, where reactions and replies are far quicker to gauge and respond to.

What about blogs then? Blogs will still have a massive part to play in our industry. Blogs are ideal for breaking a story, something which is very hard to do on Twitter where your 140 characters will restrict you. Blogs will still be the main platform for the larger debates and conversations.

I do have one tip for the heads of companies in our industry. Blogs and tweets are here to stay in our industry now, so your attitude to them also needs to change. Most of you tend to take an aggressive and defensive view to them, probably because you're all very worried information, right or wrong, being written about your company. Your blanket policy of threatening legal action to force bloggers to take information down will at some point fail, as one day we'll just ignore you and carry on publishing. The best way to respond would be to engage bloggers and tweeters, enter the level playing field and join to conversation. This is the right place to put anything right that has previously been said wrong. Forcing someone to take down a post makes you look iron fisted and totally out of touch with modern thinking. Don't lose your credibility by throwing your toys out of the pram.

As always, you'll see me on the online world during the coming year, I hope to see you all there!

Review Of The Year: 2011

I know there are about 3 and a bit weeks left of the year, but I thought I might as well claim my spot and be the first to do a review of the year...from my point of view anyway!

Uncertainty
Before the bad years, the industry could count on the typical buying pattern. Beginning of the year used to be quiet, spring would bring a steady rise in trade, summer would see a racking up of business, autumn would see a gradual slow down, November would bring a quick sharp boost in the run up to Christmas, then December it would be hardly worth opening the doors.


The past few years unfortunately haven't provided the window industry with this regular and healthy business pattern - and this year was no exception. From week to week, revenues would fluctuate. Lead levels would look like a roller-coaster if they were plotted on a graph! This creates terrible cash-flow problems for companies, which we all know is the lifeblood of every business. We have seen some companies close their doors because of poor cash-flow, not because the orders weren't there. Banks are suddenly becoming very quick to call in their money these days!


With growth in the industry not set to return until 2015, it looks like the windows market is set to struggle for some stability in the coming few years.


Deal Or No Deal? 
The Green Deal later on in the year certainly caused plenty of debate within the industry. The Green Deal is the Governments flagship policy to get Britain's homes up to a higher standard of energy efficiency, by providing loans via the private sector to homeowners to have improvement work done to raise the energy efficiency of their property.


The GGF worked hard on behalf of the industry to make sure that energy rated windows was included as part of the deal. At first everyone seemed to welcome the plan. But as we all looked into the finer details that were available, questions were then asked about the viability of the deal. The biggest question being would the plan even work if the banks and biggest energy companies weren't prepared to stump up the cash for these loans.


My biggest worry was that even if the Green Deal was established, non-PVCu companies such as Tesco and Homebase, who have now launched their own ranges of PVCu home improvement products, would wade in and steal most of the newly generated business that the Green Deal would have created.


The GGF says that it is working hard to make sure all size and manner of company gets a slice of the Green Deal pie. But I still fear that the commercial power and reach of some of the biggest companies will dampen any improvement for the smaller installation companies in our industry. 


There are still many questions left to ask and many more answers to come. I do sincerely hope that it does bring an equal opportunity for prosperity across the whole industry, as it desperately needs it. The plan is to be implemented in October 2012, I guess only then will we be able to tell if it is going to have a positive impact on an anemic industry.

Social Media Flexes It's Muscles
2011 saw for the first time in our industry how big an effect social media sites like Twitter and blogs can have. In June of this year I broke the story of Veka buying out the Bowater Building products group. This was information that some in the industry knew about, but this site was the first to make it publicly known.


The response on here and on Twitter was immense. Various page views and visitor number records were broken. My Twitter account was even spam attacked to force it to temporarily shut down. I had employees from both companies contacting me asking if I had any extra information. It got to the point where I was feeling rather uncomfortable about having to be the one to explain the state of affairs of the company they worked for.


I got the feeling that both Bowater and Veka wanted me to keep my mouth shut, but they both probably knew I wasn't going to. 


This was the first time social media had any sort of impact on the industry and how it behaved in the online world. It forced more manufacturers to talk. But it has also forced the boards of the bigger companies to maybe have a re-think on how they deal with any sensitive information. 


Social media now has a permanent place in our industry. Whether you are a business wanting to make more business contacts. Whether you're an installers wanting to reach out to more potential customers. Or if you're an industry commentator with a blog of your own and an active Twitter user, social media now has a huge part to play in how our industry is run.


Year Of The Increase
High inflationary costs finally took it's toll on our industry this year. During the first six months of 2011 there seemed to be a never ending stream of letters from suppliers and manufacturers explaining how they would have to be increasing their prices within a matter of weeks.


The worst culprit for this seemed to be the glass manufacturers - most notably Pilkington. I think many of us will have received a letter from them explaining that pretty much all ranges of their insulating and tinted glass would be going up between 10% and a staggering 40% or more! 


The recession years of 2008/2009 and early 2010 finally translated into price rises in 2011. These were highly inconvenient as most companies were adjusting to what was a slow start to the trading year thanks to some of the worst winter weather in 30 years, and what was generally going to be one of the worst years for the industry in quite a long time.


The dilemma left for businesses was huge. Do they raise costs to cover the increases from their suppliers, meaning what was left of their profit margins was left in tact, but risk losing business as a result? Or did they absorb yet more increases, eating up what was left of a very thin profit margin already? From what I could tell and have heard over the last 12 months, it was probably a 50/50 split.


2012
So how does 2012 look? Most of you will probably agree that next year is going to be tough. I would go one step further and say that 2012 is probably one of the toughest years many of us will ever experience. No economic forecasts show any prospect of growth, which will also hit consumer spending at the same time. Prices are set to rise throughout next year as the price of raw materials remain high and inflation adds further pressure to the cost of materials.


January is the hardest time for our industry. Trade is still very slow, the poor weather puts another dampener on things, and tax has to be paid in January. This is the make-or-break time of year for companies. If a business is going to go to the wall, it's more than likely that it's this time of year when it's going to happen. The industry could see a lot of businesses pushed over the edge into liquidation. I know I seem to say this every year, but the economic conditions seem hostile enough for this to happen.


Despite what is going to be a very a tough year, I still believe that companies can make the most of what business is left to get out there. Companies have to be at their most fluid and adaptable if they are to steal as much market share as possible.


It can be done. We did it during 2008/2009 and we can do it again now. I think it will be tougher, but I think we are one of the most adaptable and durable industries the UK has to offer. We'll all just have to take it week by week and keep analyzing how we do our business.


I want to thank all of you for your support this year. This has been the best year for my blog so far, and for that I am greatly appreciative! A huge thank you to all my readers, regular or occasional. And a big thanks to all those who left a comment and joined in the conversation. I hope to see you all next year!

Have a very merry and relaxing Christmas and a fantastic New Year!

#project200

As the title of this post suggests, this is to promote the new #project200 campaign for @SophiiMaria's blog; http://www.sophiimaria.blogspot.com.

After the resounding success of #project100 yesterday, which I only started after lunch time, it's time to step this up a gear and aim for the 200 page view mark. Ideally, it would be nice to reach this milestone on a regular basis, rather than this be just a one off event. So, like yesterday, your support on this little project would be greatly appreciated.

Why am I doing this? Sophii is a student at Aberystwyth University and trying to make it in the entertainment industry. Exposure at this stage is one of the most important things for her right now, hence all the help I'm giving her. Also, she's now set up AdSense on her site, enabling her to earn some vital extra cash from her sight. Money is extremely important when you're a student. So seeing as though it's the festive season and a time for helping and giving, why not click on an ad and help her out?!

I'll be tweeting #project200 with a link to her site throughout the day, and Sophii will be publishing new posts on a regular basis today and the coming days!

A Big Thankyou!

For those of you on Twitter, you will have noticed I was heavily promoting @SophiiMaria's webiste; http://www.sophiimaria.blogspot.com using the hashtag #project100.

The whole aim of #project100 was to help Sophii's site get past the 100 page views mark before the end of the day. And thanks to you lovely people, she actually managed to get to 106 as midnight struck! So this post is generally a very big thankyou to all those who heeded my tweets and clicked on the link to her site! I'm sure she'll say on Twitter, but I know it meant a lot to her!

You may be wondering why I am promoting her site so much? Well, first of all, she's my girlfriend, so that's reason enough! But, on a more serious note, her aim is to become an actress. So she's using social media to help get noticed by as many people as possible, and I'm doing all I can to help. The more people that know/speak to her, the better chance she has of finding opportunities. She's also rooting out all those in the arts industry on Twitter and following them also.

Thanks to you guys, yesterday's #project100 was a total success, so THANKS! However, the next post is going to explain the next landmark for her site to get to!

Privacy Is Good

There is absolutely no doubting the immeasurable benefits that social media platforms like Twitter and Facebook have brought to the world. They helped orchestrate the protests in Iran in 2009 and helped the spread of the fight for democracy in Tunisia, Egypt, Libya and other states. They've helped businesses gain a larger presence online and are now starting to garner extra customers from it. They've also helped the general public see into each others lives. But is this a good thing?

Speaking from my perspective, I really don't like everyone knowing everything about me. My Facebook settings are all set to the highest settings, so that only my friends can see my info. The great thing about being anonymous on Twitter is that people know very little about you. The only time any information is given about you is when you decide what you want to say on there yourself. No profile picture if you don't wish to have one, no bio, no place to live. Simple. I know you can chose to do that on Facebook, but there is more of a social pressure to put as much information as possible about yourself on there.

Humans are naturally curious creatures. But since the arrival of social media and the explosion of the Internet, I believe it has molded us to become more nosey, more curious, to the point where we almost intrude. All those on Facebook are probably all auto-tuned now to start looking through all the information and news feeds of people they are friends with, but this characteristic I believe has jumped from the screen into the real world. In general conversation I've often found myself thinking why people are asking such personal questions. Why people are taking such an interest in other people's private lives. 

A perfect example of that is the TV program Made In Chelsea. I know it's not 100% real, but I'm lead to believe that the scenarios those characters are in are genuine. If you listen to the conversations they have, all they ask each other is what is going on in their lives, who they're shagging, what they feel about this, that and the other! If someone asked me that, I'd tell them to get lost! I'll tell you when I want to!


The other problem I've found with having such an open social media society is the frictions it creates within groups of friends or family. Before social media, if people got on other people's nerves and wanted to talk about it, they could text others to have a rant and moan. Now, all people seem to do is put their grievances and below-the-belt comments on Facebook or Twitter for everyone to see - half intentionally so that the person the comments are regarding can see them! Whatever happened to talking through a problem? 


There's nothing wrong with privacy. Privacy is good. Privacy allows you to be you, without having any pressure from external influences. You can solve your own problems on your own terms. It allows you to say what you want, when you want, at your own pace. 


I've always been uncomfortable with such a high level of knowledge about people, I rarely want to know anything about anyone even hardly secret because I would feel burdened by having that knowledge, I wouldn't know what to do with it. There have been many times where I considered shutting down my Facebook account, I wouldn't miss it. But it does serve as a useful communication tool between me and my friends. I only ever use Facebook for jokes, silly pictures or daft statements - fun stuff that people cant' possibly take offence to or cause harm.


There was a interesting post about privacy and social media in The Guardian today, click here to read it.

Understanding The European Crisis...Sort Of!

I was sent this email by @Nooli68 and @SophiiMaria, which tries to explain, in a very simplified way, the crisis engulfing Europe and how we got to this point. It is an interesting read and worth spending the time doing so if you're not totally sure why this issue is so vitally important. Also, please follow @Nooli68 as he is new to Twitter - and he's also @SophiiMaria's dad!

Chantelle  is the owner of a bar on Hessle Road, Hull. 

She realizes that virtually all of her customers are unemployed

alcoholics and, as such, can no longer afford to patronize her bar. 

To solve this problem, she comes up with a new marketing plan that 

allows her customers to drink now,  but pay later.

She  keeps  track of the drinks consumed on a ledger (thereby granting

the customers'  loans).

Word gets around about Chantelle's "drink now, pay later"  marketing

strategy and, as a result, increasing numbers of customers flood  into

her bar. Soon she has the largest sales volume for any bar in 

Hull .

By providing her customers freedom from immediate payment  demands,

Chantelle gets no resistance when, at regular intervals, she  substantially

increases her prices for wine and beer, the most  consumed  beverages.

Consequently, Chantelle's gross sales volume increases  massively.

A young and dynamic manager at the local bank  recognizes that

these customer debts constitute valuable future assets and  increases

Heidi's borrowing limit.

He sees no reason for any undue  concern, since he has the debts of the

unemployed alcoholics as  collateral!!!

At the bank's  headquarters, expert traders  figure a way to

make huge commissions, and transform these customer loans  into DRINK

BONDS.

These "securities" then are bundled and traded  on international

securities markets.

Naive investors don't really  understand that the securities being sold

to them as "AAA Secured Bonds"  really are debts of unemployed

alcoholics. Nevertheless, the bond prices  continuously climb!!!, and

the securities soon become the  hottest-selling items for  some of the

nation's leading brokerage  houses.

One day, even though the bond prices still are climbing, a  risk

manager at the original local bank decides that the time has come to 

demand payment on the debts incurred by the drinkers at Chantelle's bar.  

He so informs Chantelle.

Chantelle then demands payment from her alcoholic  patrons, but being

unemployed alcoholics they cannot pay back their  drinking debts.

Since Chantelle cannot fulfill her loan obligations  she is forced into

bankruptcy. The bar closes and Chantelle's 11 employees  lose their jobs.

Overnight, DRINK BOND prices drop by 90%. 

The collapsed bond asset value destroys the bank's liquidity and 

prevents it from issuing new loans, thus freezing credit and economic 

activity in the community.

The suppliers of Chantelle's bar had  granted her generous payment

extensions and had invested their  firms'  pension funds in the BOND

securities.

They find they are now faced  with having to write off her bad debt and

with losing over 90% of the  presumed value of the bonds.

Her wine supplier also claims  bankruptcy, closing the doors on a

family business that had endured for  three generations, her beer

supplier is taken over by a competitor, who  immediately closes the

local plant and sacks 150 workers. 

Fortunately though, the bank, the brokerage houses and their 

respective executives are saved and bailed out by a multi-billion

pound  no-strings attached cash infusion from the government.

The funds  required for this bailout are obtained by new taxes levied

on employed,  middle-class, nondrinkers who have never been in Chantelle's

bar.

Now do you understand?

PS: this has just been copied and pasted from the email, so any spelling or grammar errors are nothing to do with me!

GGF Joins Twitter

The glazing industry's biggest organisation has finally joined the Twittersphere! 


Click here to go to their Twitter page.


I'm hoping that this isn't going to be one of the Twitter accounts which posts one tweet per week, with things that we already know. Given the size of the GGF, they should be able to create a big impact within the double glazing twitter community. I'm following them, but if they don't keep their account fresh with new info, then I won't waste my feed on them!


I still don't think companies within, or related to, the double glazing industry are using Twitter or blogs to their fullest potential. I still think that the mass majority of the industry are of the opinion that these communications outlets don't matter, and that they can get by ignoring them. As most of you probably know, I sit on the other side of that fence. More and more people are using the web for their everyday needs, and more and more are using the web on their mobile devices. To not be set up to take advantage of this huge potential, would be frankly stupid and negligent.

A Little Bit Of Information Can Be A Powerful Thing

The last few weeks have taught us something very fundamental yet something very simple about social media. The media has shown us that one very anonymous person with a very small piece of information can cause a whole load of trouble. With the internet now so embedded in all our lives, any information posted we can read within minutes of it being published. A perfect example was the Ryan Giggs case. Despite injunctions being made to stop those details getting out, a simply anonymous Twitter account was set up to reveal the hidden story. And once that Tweet button was pressed, it was all over.


A much more relevant example of social media being used to spread information was the recent Veka buyout of Bowater Systems. I put out a call last Tuesday night on Twitter asking if anyone had any bits of gossip so I could update my Gossip page on this site. I got a Tweet back from one of my followers just minutes later telling me that Veka was about to buy WHS Halo. This story hadn't been published on the web as of yet, so naturally as a blogger I wasn't going to miss out on this golden opportunity. So I whipped up a post within about 20 minutes and posted it just after midnight on Wednesday, ready for everyone to read in the morning. What I didn't expect (perhaps naively) was how the story exploded over the coming days. I'll post some specific stats from the last week. Each working day, including today, the story and this site spread, rather quickly. As well as usual visitors reading this story, the post reached many (if not all) employees at both Veka and WHS Halo. I had contact from many new people, via this site and via my Twitter account as I was posting updates on new comments and further developments. There was also a rumor regarding Spectus and Synseal, which turned out to be false, but this also generated a lot of interest.


As with the Ryan Giggs scenario, once the information is out there, it tends to snowball out of control. Traffic to my blog was heavy, as was my Twitter account. Then it seemed like someone wanted to shut me up for a while as I had my Twitter page attacked with hundreds of proxy-false accounts from all over the world. It had the desired effect for a few minutes and crashed my page. A quick settings change sorted that out though.


Speculation and rumor continued op until late morning Tuesday when Veka released an official statement confirming the industry's worst kept secret, that it had bought Bowater Systems.


During this frantic few days of buyouts and uncertainty, it was clear that there were some people who weren't happy about all the chatter online about what may or may not be happening with various businesses. And this is where a vital lesson must be learned if this sort of scenario (bordering on farce), isn't to happen again. If you don't want to be talked about and have people speculate on whatever might be going on, make sure the information is kept in the boardroom!


We live in an age now where people can publish information on sites like Twitter, Facebook and on blogs, and it be spread instantly around the world. If people do have sensitive information, they're naturally going to feel compelled to share it, and social media provides that ideal platform. As the title of this post suggests, if that one person has just one pivotal piece of gossip, that cat can be brought out of the bag very quickly, usually before any response can even be thought of.


I do also have plenty of private messages on Twitter, unpublished comments and email, full of further rumors and speculation. I have been reluctant to publish these as I'm not 100% sure of their accuracy, and because I don't fancy another Twitter attack so soon! But this is the world we live in now. Anonymous communication is very easy now. Businesses I'm sure will take heed of the events of these past few days.

The Benefits Of Social Media

The two biggest forms of social media on the planet right now are Twitter and Facebook. Both these platforms have allowed people from all over the world to get in touch with each other, share information and pictures, and just generally chat. But how have these platforms been beneficial to the world of windows?


Taking a look at Twitter first, I've always thought that it's been more of a tool for those in the profession to contact other like-minded people, rather than it be a form of advertising to potential customers. Not everyone in this country is on Twitter like they are Facebook. Being limited to only 140 characters puts a big restraint on how much information you can put across. Also, customers looking for a full house of windows and doors aren't going to buy on the basis on what is said in 140 characters. However I do believe it's been a great tool for those in the industry who wish to communicate with each other. Without Twitter, or Facebook, the only way to electronically communicate would have been through email, which is all well and good but it can be slow if the recipient isn't in front of their screen. Twitter is quicker, more concise and more accessible thanks to smart phone's carrying Twitter applications.


Facebook however, I believe has the better chance of connecting with potential customers. It doesn't have a limit to how much you can write on your company pages. You can add as many images as you wish. All the extra information you can display on your pages means you have a better chance of attracting new leads from browsing customers. It's also a more interactive platform, with things such as the 'like' button, people can join a group associated with your company, customers can post testimonials etc. But from a company to company point of view, I still believe Twitter is the better of the two platforms.


There will be some of you that agree with me and some that don't, but I'm just speaking from a personal view point. I have far more conversations with fellow professionals on Twitter than I do on Facebook. And I do give Facebook a chance as I use Tweetdeck which allows you to post to Facebook and Twitter at the same time.


What I'd really like to know is if any of you think these two social media platforms will ever have a bigger impact on company advertising and their ability to generate new leads. Or do you think they will stay in the shadow of the traditional company website?

Double Glazing In Twitter Land

I thought I'd be a bit of a nerd and typed in the search box on Twitter 'double glazing' just to see what came up, below are a list of the tweets I found:


@damoomen: had double glazing salesmen round tonight, all ok until the end when he phoned his boss re me not wanting to sign tonight...kicked him out!!


@derbyskywatcher: just had a double glazing salesman round - you can never get rid of them!! :(


@WeeChrissieB: Just been told a load of lies by a double glazing saleswoman. She must think we're stupid. Obviously didn't realise one of us is an engineer.


@Mark_Thomas: Our little dog Lady has just barked at a double glazing salesman until he gave up in mid pitch and left us in peace. I'm proud of her.


The above is just a selection of what came up, and obviously all of the tweets weren't bad ones. But, there are enough to make it noticeable. The search results mainly consisted of tweets used as advertising, jokes, or derogatory comments about sales people. 


What is evident is that the window industry is still the butt of many people's jokes. We really have to be bucking our ideas up if we are to shake off our grubby image. Especially now in a world of real-time media. Sites like Twitter only make it easier to make your opinions well known.  

How Useful Is Twitter To Double Glazing Companies?

The double glazing community in the blogging world is expanding at a steady pace. And from blogging came Twitter. Micro-blogging. Quicker, concise and more 'real-time'. At first people were heralding the huge opportunities Twitter would give to double glazing companies. But in reality, Twitter has provided a better communication channel between those in the industry. The commercial opportunities have been pretty much not existent. The reason? Twitter isn't a big enough platform. 140 characters is nowhere near enough for a potential customer to make decent contact with a supplier/installer. Direct messaging would be the only private way of passing on details, but that still isn't the most ideal way of making contact.

What Twitter has done is improved communication between those in our industry. I have always been one to support better communication between companies as I think it would improve industry conditions. The more we talk to each other, the more influence we have and the more changes and decisions we can make for ourselves. Twitter has made this process easier and faster. The only draw back is again with the number of characters, but I suppose if Twitter isn't suitable, a blog would be just as good.

In terms of being useful to businesses, it isn't really. Twitter is nothing more than a social past time with communicative advantages. Twitter won't make businesses much money, nor will it raise the standing of a particular business, no matter how much that business tweets or blogs. It's quite fun though!

Back To Normal

Things seems to have quickly got back to normal as the freeze eases it's grip on the UK. Now that traffic is able to move a lot more freely now, consumers seem to have quickly got back into the swing of things and we've noticed it over the last couple of days.

Leads have been coming in a lot quicker and in better numbers. Deals are starting to be finalised and completed much more productively, which always improves the cash flow situation. And as pointed out in RCG's latest post, the search numbers for 'double glazing' on Google seems to have picked up dramatically, which means we should look forward to a brisk beginning of the year.

This year is going to be the year of challenges and rewards. For those who want the business badly enough, they will get it. For those who still haven't managed their business through the recession properly they are going to fail. Which is a shame because the economy looks to be coming out of recession very soon. As soon as we get confirmation of that you can expect consumer confidence to rise further and steeper, only making trading conditions better.

I know this is a turn around compared to one of my recent posts where I was predicting a very gloomy start to the year. But after seeing a noticable improvement I've changed my opinion. I do that a lot if you haven't already noticed!

P.S. How many of you follow my Twitter updates? Just a thought.