Twitter's Blackout: Bad for Business - BusinessWeek
August 11, 2009
Starbucks, IBM, and other companies rely on Twitter to reach customers. The site's outage could encourage them to speed up implementation of backup plans By Douglas MacMillan
Pitching products and talking to customers on Twitter has become so easy for companies, many may forget how they ever did without it.
They got a sharp reminder on Aug. 6, when a hacking attack on the microblogging site left users around the world unable to access Twitter for much of the day.
At IBM (IBM), the outage impeded thousands of staffers who use the site in their work. But Social Media Manager Adam Christensen said it didn't get in the way of pressing business. "The thing that's important to keep in mind is that Twitter is real work, but it's not deadline-oriented work," he says. Christensen says he usually spends much of his day sending messages through Twitter; during the outage he went to meetings.
Backup is always a good idea, whether it is data or operational technology.
Proverbs 21:5 says that “The plans of the diligent lead to profit as surely as haste leads to poverty.”
To plan is to recognize that humans and their inventions can fail and falter. There is no human or technological perfection. While our ultimate trust must be in an unchangeable God, that same God would have us do our best as well.
The book of Proverbs offers some wisdom along these lines:
No human plans are fool-proof¨: Proverbs 15:21-23 - “To man belong the plans of the heart, but from the LORD comes the reply of the tongue.”
What we give to God succeeds as long as we let Him define success: Proverbs 16:3 -
“Commit to the LORD whatever you do, and your plans will succeed.”
A great Proverb to remind us that God can always override our best plans: Proverbs 16:9 - “In his heart a man plans his course, but the LORD determines his steps.”
Purpose trumps plans: Proverbs 19:21 - “Many are the plans in a man's heart, but it is the LORD's purpose that prevails.”
Good planners do their homework: Proverbs 20:18 - “Make plans by seeking advice; if you wage war, obtain guidance.” and Proverbs 15:22 - “Plans fail for lack of counsel, but with many advisers they succeed.”
Finally, beyond what is expedient, we are called to plan what is good: Proverbs 14:22 - “… those who plan what is good find love and faithfulness.”