Marketing yourself in 140 characters or less.

What do Justin Bieber, Lady Gaga and Britney Spears all have in common?  Besides being the most played and sung artists on my iPod in my car (proud to be a “Belieber,” a “Little Monster” and the biggest Britney fan ever), they are also some of the most followed celebrities on the Social Network phenomenon, Twitter, even ranking above our nation’s president @BarackObama.

For over a year now, this “mini-blogging” site has gained momentum and millions of followers due to its famous faces, real time updates and “everyone’s a celebrity” mentality.  As users connect with untouchables, tweet, retweet, reply, message and “converse” with one another, the site stands to be THE new form of public expression.

Recently, the #trend  has been that if you’re a celebrity,  self promote everything you can, even though you’re already in the public eye 24/7.  (Justin Bieber’s “Never Say Never” initial success was part due to his constant twitter updates).  The most recent case? Charlie Sheen.  We’ve all seen the videos, been envious of his “tiger blood” and hid our faces when he chose to say he was “alive” instead of an addict, however Mr. Sheen’s rants have earned him 1,877,933 followers on Twitter since he signed up on March 1.  What is he doing in reality? His most recent antics have landed him in a lot of uncertainty, threatening his family and future on the highly rated sitcom, “Two and A Half Men.”  His Twitter account?  Keeping him relevant, showing his supporters and proving to networks and studios that he can still bring in large numbers to a waiting audience.  So in essence, Charlie Sheen is using Twitter to save his career.  Of course his public relations director was sending out crisis media kits (before she quit), however, the direct access to the star, unedited by news or publicists alike, holds some authority in this new era.

Twitter. Pointless invasion of privacy? Shameless self-promotion? The coolest thing ever? A mix of all 3? How do you think the future of self marketing is benefiting or hurting with the constant access that Twitter allows?

#PleaseKeepAllResponsesTo140CharactersOrLess #DoesEveryoneKnowWhat#Means