We Asked You to #AskBostonTweet, and @BostonTweet Answered

By Brittany Falconer

RaceTalk was lucky enough to catch mild-mannered Tom O’Keefe (better known as the legendary @BostonTweet) in between burritos and assorted Boston goings-on and convinced him to chat with us for a spell to talk about his Twitterlebrity status, social media in Boston, and some other Tom Trivia.

Prior to our discussion, we asked the Twitter community to tweet their questions for Tom using the hashtag #AskBostonTweet. We got some great response, and have included the timestamps for each question in the video below. Enjoy!

Special thanks to Mandy Miller (@AmandaMMiller9) for her awesome, patient camera work.

1:30 Do you use other social media platforms?
2:17 How do you pitch @BostonTweet?
3:15 People can win Groupons by retweeting your tweets. If they retweet Groupon’s tweets, can they win you?
3:45 Where will @BostonTweet go from here?
5:15 Will you release a @BostonTweet-branded fragrance, a la Britney Spears and Khloe Kardashian?
5:30 What causes and nonprofits inspire @BostonTweet?
6:50 Are there @BostonTweet counterparts across the country?
7:44 How many tweets could a Boston tweet if a Boston could tweet tweets?
7:58 Aside from “I’m @Bostontweet,” what pickup line generally works best on women in Boston?
8:36 Have Twitter followers ended up crossing over to real life friends and colleagues?
9:50 After you die, will you submit your brain to the MIT Media Lab?

3 comments April 21st, 2011

New York Times Subscription Model Successful – For Now

By Ben Haber

After launching a new subscription model on March 28th, the New York Times has reportedly sold 100,000 digital subscriptions over the past three weeks.

While this is a very positive start for the NYT, it’s possible these numbers were aided thanks to a significant discount offered to readers: 99 cents for a 4-week trial. The normal cost of a 4-week subscription ranges from $15 to $35, and it remains to be seen if the trial users decide to continue subscribing past their initial four week subscription offer.

Why might some subscribers not feel the need to pay for access? It’s been heavily reported throughout social media channels that the NYT paywall allows readers to access the content for free through social networks such as Facebook and Twitter. Additionally, users are allowed to access 20 free articles a month.

If the NYT can maintain their current subscription rates for a full year it will have a major impact on their bottom line – to the tune of $20 million.

Are you currently subscribed to the NYT with the 99 cents offer, and if so, do you plan on keeping your subscription past the 4-week trial?

1 comment April 21st, 2011