#followfriday (or #ff) is a tradition started by Micah Baldwin (according to Mashable), whereby you name Twitter user your followers should know about. It is important to provide information about the name user, to help others decide whether to follow them. Hence, in addition to naming interesting users on Twitter, I provide a bit of background information on them in here. Enjoy!
If you want to see how community engagement via Social Media should be done, then you need to follow @qualityhunters.
Quality Hunters started as a short-term joint initiative by Finnair and Helsinki Airport. The goal was to recruit 7 social media users with an interest in travel. These users would travel the world on paid expenses, and feedback on their experiences of quality air travel. Their insight would help the two supporting organisations – Finnair and Helsinki Airport – understand what ‘quality’ means for today’s travellers.
The initiative was a tremendous success, both in terms of the enthusiasm it generated among travel bloggers and social media users, and in terms of the number and type of ideas suggested.
It gained a life of its own.
Everyday, @qualityhunters interacts with travel enthusiasts on topics as diverse as security at airports, airline meals or combating jetlag. Most importantly, it does so by giving a voice to its followers: asking them questions, nudging them when they are too quiet, retweeting links to personal (travel-related) blog posts, and so on.
The interactions via Twitter are, then, complemented with initiatives on other channels – for instance, some calls of action may direct followers to the website, or provide links to video messages on Youtube like this one:
The bottom line is that you should follow @qualityhunters, even if you hate travelling or are afraid of flying. Because this really is a great example of how to engage with a community on Social Media.
Ana Canhoto 