Paul Chambers convicted for Twitter bomb ‘threat’‎

You wouldn’t dare say the word “bomb” out loud whilst stood at an airport check-in desk… but would you dare Tweet the very same word?

It turns out the answer should be “no” after today’s ruling against a South Yorkshire man who has been charged after joking on Twitter that he would blow an airport “sky high” if his flight was delayed.

When the Robin Hood airport in Yorkshire was closed due to snow in January this year, Paul Chambers tweeted to his audience of followers:

“Robin Hood airport is closed. You’ve got a week and a bit to get your shit together, otherwise I’m blowing the airport sky high”

The tweet was spotted when an off-duty manager at the airport did a Twitter search for “Robin Hood airport.” Something that all businesses should be doing in order to manage brand reputation online. Twitter have made the search function very flexible allowing businesses to keep track on what is being said about them online. In this case with disastrous results for Paul Chambers!

The result was a fine and costs totaling around £1,000! But, crucially, a criminal record. Chambers, who apologised to the court, had already lost his job as a financial controller. He reportedly told the court: “It did not cross my mind that Robin Hood would ever look at Twitter or take it seriously because it was innocuous hyperbole.”

Twitter has experienced unprecedented growth since its conception in 2006, with latest year on year figures showing an increase of 1,928 percent in unique users from June 2008 to June 2009; propelling it into the top 5 of all social networking sites. Contrary to popular belief, the majority of Twitter users (84%) are over 25, making it an ideal audience for the business community.

At Mixd, we believe Twitter is a powerful online tool that offers substantial benefits to businesses including:

• a new and innovative way to drive new traffic to your website;
• online protection of your brand / reputation;
• customer support;
• opportunities to engage with a new audience to share opinions, tools and resources and demonstrate your knowledge; and
• the formation of networks and collaboration.

Above all, this case is a good reminder to be aware of what you tweet and the need to get expert advice!