IRS Expands Use of Twitter to Help Taxpayers, Tax Professionals

In preparation for the new tax season the IRS is expanding their presence of Twitter to "to share timely information with taxpayers and the tax professional community." It’s about time the agency jumped on board and committed whole-heartedly to social media.

From IRS.gov:

The IRS Twitter news feed, @IRSnews, provides the latest federal tax news and information for taxpayers. The focus of the IRS Twitter messages will be on easy-to-use information, including tax tips, tax law changes and important IRS programs such as e-file, the earned income tax credit and “Where’s My Refund." Anyone with a Twitter account can follow @IRSnews by going to http://twitter.com/IRSnews.

Another important IRS Twitter feed, @IRStaxpros, is designed for the tax professional community. Follow @IRStaxpros by going to http://twitter.com/IRStaxpros. The IRS also tweets tax news and information in Spanish at @IRSenEspanol. Follow this Twitter feed by going to http://twitter.com/IRSenEspanol.

The IRS Twitter feeds will work in conjunction with IRS.gov and the IRS YouTube channels to bring IRS information direct to taxpayers. Since August of 2009, there have been more than 1 million views of videos on the IRSvideos (http://www.youtube.com/irsvideos), IRS multilingual (http://www.youtube.com/user/IRSvideosmultilingua) and IRS American Sign Language (ASL) (http://www.youtube.com/IRSvideosASL) channels.

Continue reading at IRS.gov...

Twitter activates the “Cuddle” Hormone?

Does using social media give you that warm, snuggly feeling?

Dr Gupta of CNN reports that Twitter and Facebook can strengthen emotional bonds, as evidenced by the release of oxytocin in the brain. This hormone is closely linked with emotional bonds, often released during breastfeeding, birth and other experiences of pair bonding, hence its nickname the “cuddle” hormone.

A recent study at Claremont Graduate University in California tested the theory. The test subject, a journalist, had a blood sample taken. He then spent 10 minutes using Twitter, reading and sending tweets the entire time. A second blood sample was then taken. The result? The test subject’s oxytocin levels increased substantially, while stress hormones went down.

So, will online communications fulfill all our needs for social interaction? Probably not, but it’s good to know that we do get some positive benefits from our virtual interactions. As it turns out, connecting with people, through any means, is good for us.

So, to help you reap the rewards of online communication send me a @ronideutch/Twitter or Facebook message to tell me your favorite ways to use social media.

Consumers Say: "In tweets we trust"

According to the second annual Digital Influence Index study, 75% of U.S. consumers are more likely to trust companies that microblog on popular sites like Twitter.com. The study also noted that 90% of consumers use the Internet to either buy, or compare prices on items.

Some 75 percent of people surveyed said they view companies that microblog -- sending short, frequent messages on sites like Twitter or status updates on social networks like Facebook -- as more deserving of their trust than those that do not, according to a survey by Fleishman-Hillard, conducted with market research firm Harris Interactive.

The second annual Digital Influence Index study, released at the Reuters Consumer and Retail Summit in New York, researches the extent to which the Internet affects consumer behavior.

The findings on Twitter are particularly notable in a year where many leading corporations found themselves in crisis mode, from BP's role in the Gulf oil disaster to recalls from Toyota Motor Corp and Johnson & Johnson and a viral campaign against new diapers from Procter & Gamble on Facebook.

"What really matters here I think is that the rules of crisis engagement that we've known for years and years still apply, but they still apply in a much more accelerated way," Dave Senay, Chief Executive of Fleishman-Hillard, told Reuters in a telephone interview.

Continue reading at Reuters.com…