Where celebrities go, fans follow. The truism applies as much in social media as in the real world, David Karp noticed after famous artists began using his blogging service Tumblr. As a result, encouraging celebrities to set up accounts on the site has become “absolutely part of our road map and our business plan,” Karp says. In fact, he recently hired a full-time employee to help high-profile users design and manage their blogs.
It’s no secret that well-recognized players in a host of fields — from acting to athletics, music to politics — are using social media sites to connect with fans and promote their brands. Celebrities used to seek out promotion “in People magazine or Vogue,” says Robert Passikoff, president of Brand Keys, a researcher that tracks the value of celebrity brands. “It’s now become a necessity to have a Facebook page.”
But the benefits go both ways. Sites benefit greatly from the online cavalcade of stars. Oprah Winfrey’s recent debut on microblogging service Twitter sent visits to the site skyrocketing 43 percent over the previous week, according to analytics firm Hitwise. Facebook, Google’s YouTube, Ning, and other Web 2.0 destinations have also seen swarms of activity around the profile pages of their famous members. And like Tumblr, social sites are going out of their way to keep the celebs happy and coming back.
Obama on MySpace, Facebook, and Twitter
On May 1 the Obama Administration said the White House is setting up profile pages on MySpace, Facebook, and Twitter. To accommodate 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, News Corp.’s MySpace agreed to build ad-free pages and equipped the profile to get automatic updates from the White House’s official blog, MySpace says.
In some cases social networks give VIPs a heads-up on changes. Recently, Facebook worked with the handlers of select celebrity members, including CBS news anchor…