A CEO’s Journey Through the Twitterverse

Jon Whitmore likes to connect with people on Twitter. He enjoys hearing about others’ interests, challenges, and experiences. As ACT’s chief executive officer, Whitmore is especially interested in what the organization’s customers and employees are saying. Here, he answers a few questions about his entry into the Twitterverse.

What has it been like learning Twitter?

It’s easy to use at an elementary level. It also offers some sophisticated features for those who want to use it as a communication tool. For example, Tweeters can engage one-on-one with individual followers via private messages.

I enjoy the personal interactions with people on Twitter that may not have happened otherwise. This kind of activity puts a face on ACT.

What’s it like being a CEO on Twitter?

That’s an interesting question, because I’m representing both myself and ACT. Twitter is a quick and easy way for me to share information within the education and workforce development spaces and about how ACT relates to those spaces. I can call attention to specific ACT reports, press releases, test dates, or events, and embed links in the tweets that direct people to our website for more details.

At the same time, I can let my personal self shine through a little, so people can see that the company CEO is a real human being. I’ve tweeted about my interest in off-road Jeep driving and my enthusiasm for theater, which gives my followers a glimpse into my life outside of ACT.

What have been some of your tweeting highlights so far?

ACT held its first-ever all-company meeting this past spring, and I used Twitter to thank employees for attending. Via a couple of tweets, I promoted the ACT Workforce 2011: National Workforce Development Conference. After a recent White House event, I used Twitter to discuss President Obama’s introduction of an initiative to increase the skill levels of America’s workforce and ACT’s role in it. I also posted a tweet congratulating my children on their graduation from The University of Iowa and all those graduating from universities and colleges across the country.

What do you enjoy most about Twitter?

I like keeping up to the moment with real people in the real world and with the issues that affect them. It’s easy to scan any number of topics and click on links embedded in the tweets for more details. Some of the links go to articles with practical advice—such as how to find a job after college—that I’ll retweet in an effort to provide information to ACT’s customers.

What can ACT gain by your use of Twitter?

It’s an outlet for people to learn more about ACT and what we’re working on. It provides a public forum where I can find out what other people and organizations are doing and also offers a platform for responses from ACT on various education and workforce issues, research findings, and studies.

Who do you follow?

I follow several news, education, and workforce related resources, such as New York Times Education, The Chronicle of Higher Education, US News Education, Inside Higher Education, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and National Association of Manufacturers.

I follow a few corporate executives. For example, I follow Mark Yudof, president of the University of California, partly because he’s a friend and partly because he oversees such a broad and respected university system. As the former president of San Jose State University, I’m interested in higher education and budget issues affecting California, and he often tweets about such topics.

I also follow official ACT Twitter accounts: @ACTstudyintheUS (ACT International Office), @ACTworkforce (ACT Workforce Development), and @ACTStudent (ACT Student website).