Gates tweets

For someone at the forefront of technology, it might seem like a bit of a late move, but Bill Gates has joined Twitter (you can see his Twitter stream here).

Mind you, one can understand his reluctance: the social media platform creates a notoriously direct channel between users. When one of those users is a celebrity, then clearly that can create some difficult circumstances.

It’s this same directness that Gates is obviously hoping to tap into for good. He’s using the channel to promote new blog posts and initiatives from his charity foundation – in just the same way that any other charity or small business might.

Unlike the man in the street, though, he is going to be heavily scrutinized. Time will tell whether the undoubted benefits of Twitter as a medium will outweigh the fuss around his every tweet.