The Bailey Blog

Apparently, Meijer is running a promotion on child booster seats due to a change in Michigan law to take effect on July 1, that requires all children under 4′9″ to be fastened into a safety seat.

Now, I didn’t find this out by reading the news or watching a report on TV or by browsing Meijer.com or visiting the Meijer store on my way home from work – I learned it on Twitter.

Twitter is a microblog site that social media experts, journalists, marketing and PR professionals, bloggers, vloggers, podcasters, self-proclaimed geeks, fellow information junkies and now stores like Meijer, are using to get their fix of the latest bits of information as they happen in real-time. However, Twitterers not only receive the information, they share information and create original content in 140 characters or less.

On Twitter, I am @shannonpaul and Meijer is @meijer. You can also find the CEO of online shoe retail giant Zappo’s at @zappos and Comcast also has a customer outreach profile established on Twitter @comcastcares. By the way, regular Bailey Blogger Ari Adler also has a Twitter profile; @aribadler.

Whether you choose to call it new media, social media, or just plain media, the way people consume information will only continue to evolve toward a higher level of interactivity. The movement away from passive consumption has already taken hold in almost every consumer market. Joe Public has the same access to channels previously held exclusive to media industry insiders. Information no longer travels on a one way street and those who have something of value to share stand to reap the largest rewards.

The conversation is already well underway. Are you involved in the exchange, or are you simply trying to shout your message louder than those you’re trying to reach?