Elizabeth Holmes, Reporter, The Wall Street Journal

What Would Pinocchio Tweet?

March 24, 2009 at 6:22 am PT

Twitter may not have figured out a way to turn a profit yet, but that hasn’t stopped its users from monetizing the site.

Sponsored tweets are becoming more popular. Brands are recruiting well-known Twitterers to spread the word about a specific product or service. For example, Marcelo Tas, a Brazilian television personality, signed a deal with Telefonica (TAR) to help pitch its new Internet and phone service.

But marketers aren’t just looking for celebrities with hundreds of thousands of followers. They are also going after Web personalities with a more targeted following.

Enter Melanie Notkin, the 40-year-old New York entrepreneur behind the site SavvyAuntie.com. She has built a community of what she calls PANKs (Professional Aunt, No Kids). She offers advice on things like gifts an aunt could buy her niece or nephew.

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Tagged with: celebrities, digital, Digits, Elizabeth Holmes, frontpage, Internet, Marcelo Tas, Melanie Notkin, New York, No Kids, PANKs, phone, Professional Aunts, SavvyAuntie.com, software, telecom, Telefonica, The Wall Street Journal, tweets, Twitter, Web

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