DrSN gets all a ‘Twitter’

NEW YORK Drug Store News has found a new way to reach readers, 140 characters at a time.—

Since its inception as a side project in San Francisco in August 2006, Twitter has attracted members from around the world who “tweet” several times a day, posting short messages to update readers on their activities and thoughts. The company wouldn’t release the exact number of users, but told Drug Store News that the number of new accounts increased by 1,841% between February 2008 and February 2009.

Lately, the popularity of the service has attracted a new set of users, including companies and such politicians as Florida Gov. Charlie Crist, who announced his candidacy for the U.S. Senate on Twitter.

Drug Store News started its Twitter account (www.twitter.com/drugstorenews) on March 8, offering links to news stories posted on its Web site, updates from reporters on assignment and news from suppliers and retailers. “How retailers and vendors get their news, where, how often and from whom has changed dramatically in the last five years, and Twitter is a big part of that change,” Drug Store News publisher John Kenlon said. “With Twitter, DrSN can give its readers upto-the-second updates on trade shows, store visits, breaking news—for a news organization, its uses are limitless.”