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Twitter cofounder: Most interesting tweets come from mobile users

ORLANDO, FL - During his keynote at CTIA Wireless 2011, a Twitter executive said that smartphones are helping get the word out about international issues such as the recent earthquake in Japan, and that an open exchange of information can have a global impact.

During the ?The Power of Wireless ? New Technology and Trends Shaping Our World? keynote session, the speakers discussed how the use of mobile and other technologies is helping users and companies around the world. The panel was moderated by Michelle Caruso-Cabrera, anchor and reporter at CNBC, New York.

?Mobile is very much in our DNA,? said Biz Stone, cofounder of Twitter, San Francisco. ?It?s what we began with.

?The most interesting tweets come from people who are doing things on their mobile phones,? he said. ?It?s more interesting when they?re out there in the world and they?re experiencing life.?

Mobile effect
Mr. Stone gave an example of a Berkley student who was in Egypt in 2008 ? a year after Twitter launched.

The student was in Egypt trying to take photos of the rallies, but kept missing them. He then found out that protestors were using Twitter to set up the rallies.

The student began taking photos and posting them, but was arrested. He took out his mobile phone and typed the word ?arrested? into his Twitter account.

His friends called the dean, who called a lawyer. The student then ? via SMS ? tweeted the word ?freed.?

?At the current point and time our philosophy is that the open exchange of information can have a global impact,? Mr. Stone said. ?Anyone can say anything they want ? we don?t mediate content.

?However, we do have policies of threats that we follow,? he said. ?But also, we?re thrilled with the sheer number of world leaders that have joined Twitter.?

Social network
John Stanton, chairman of the board at Trilogy International Partners, Bellevue, WA, agreed that Twitter is an incredibly powerful tool, but so is mobile.

?We see all over the world you have sophisticated platforms in the developed world,? Mr. Stanton said. ?And in the undeveloped world you have you have SMS and texting.

?The dynamic is the ability to speed and personalize communications,? he said. ?It has revolutionized the way that we think of changes in the world.

?Mobile devices become a source of identification.?

Mr. Stanton gave an example about his son who often forgets his wallet.

?The dynamic for him is that every piece of information he has is on his mobile device,? Mr. Stanton said. ?Ultimately mobile devices empower individuals.

Bank on mobile
According to Mr. Stanton, there are a lot of people out there who do not have access to banking.

However, the executive has been working to stop that problem, especially in Haiti.

?Haiti has become our passion,? Mr. Stanton said. ?We made a commitment last fall to create a system there that represents a convenient way to help with a rebuilding effort.?

The company is letting Haitian citizens deal with their banking via mobile in a more secure way.

?It becomes a much more effective tool,? Mr. Stanton said. ?It?s a step in the right direction.?

Kenneth Roth, executive director of Human Rights Watch, New York, believes that the mobile channel helps him as well.

Mobile provides users with a wealth of information and the communication channel is an essential thing.

?Technology gives the government an entry into who?s doing what,? Mr. Roth said. ?If through mobile technology you can allow a farm, for example, to know what the market conditions are and if today is a good day to sell then that helps them.

?Additionally, transactions taking place via SMS rather than exchanging cash is tremendously empowering,? he said. ?Facilitating this information has made concrete challenges in people?s lives.?