Earlier today, I posted a simple observation on Twitter. “Interesting: @att has twice the Twitter followers of @verizonwireless and @verzion – so they have that going for them.” That sparked an outcry from disgruntled AT&T users who more or less said in reply: “that’s because everyone follows @att to complain!” Funny. And probably not too inaccurate. But two types of people I didn’t expect to respond started to: those from Verizon and AT&T.
Welcome to the chaos amongst the companies that is Verizon iPhone Eve.
“People watch train wrecks in droves, too,” John Czwartacki, a Verizon employee who edits their policy blog, wrote in his retweet of my message. Czwartacki has a history of this public trash talking towards AT&T. Which is fun, and we appreciate.
He followed that up with another retweet and another zinger: “that took long = 4 mins,” he wrote noting how people quickly were saying so many people only follow AT&T to complain.
Enter AT&T PR. “@parislemon It’s about engagement. We also answer people’s questions and comments on Facebook. That’s a more interesting and stark contrast,” Communications head Seth Bloom tweeted to me in response.
AT&T’s director of social media, Chris Baccus, quickly followed that up with, “@parislemon Our AT&T fans/followers talk on a lot of topics and we respect their time with follow up unlike some brands who just broadcast“
That sounds like a shot at Verizon. Now we’re getting somewhere.
All of this is quite humorous from a company PR/psychological warfare perspective. I’m just not sure why it had to fill up my @reply stream.
I’m also not sure why Verizon is sending tweets from the iPhone, then deleting them. Actually, I know exactly why they did that.
Everyone, it seems, is flipping out over this device — and that includes big companies who just can’t seem to contain themselves. Can’t wait for tomorrow!
Interesting: @att has twice the Twitter followers of @verizonwireless and @verzion – so they have that going for them.—
MG Siegler (@parislemon) January 10, 2011
Ha ha – nearly everyone replied with the same thing: "they all followed @att to complain" — good point.—
MG Siegler (@parislemon) January 10, 2011
RT @parislemon Interesting: @att has twice the Twitter followers of @verizonwireless & @verzion // People watch train wrecks in droves, too.—
John Czwartacki (@CZ) January 10, 2011
RT @parislemon Ha – nearly everyone replied with the same: "they all followed @att to complain" — good point. // that took long = 4 mins—
John Czwartacki (@CZ) January 10, 2011
@parislemon It's about engagement. We also answer people's questions and comments on Facebook. That's a more interesting and stark contrast—
Seth Bloom (@sethbloom) January 10, 2011
@parislemon Our AT&T fans/followers talk on a lot of topics and we respect their time with follow up unlike some brands who just broadcast—
Chris Baccus (@cbaccus) January 10, 2011
Verizon Communications Inc. delivers broadband and other wireline and wireless communication innovations to mass market, business, government and wholesale customers. Verizon Wireless operates America’s largest wireless network that serves nearly 102 million customers nationwide. Verizon’s Wireline operations include Verizon Business and Verizon Telecom, which brings customers converged communications, information and entertainment services over Verizon’s fiber-optic network.
AT&T is the largest provider of both local and long distance telephone services, and DSL Internet access in the United States and the second largest wireless service provider in the United States.
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