Wal-Mart Embraces Twitter, but Not Brevity

Figuring out Twitter’s business model may be complicated, but using the service isn’t: It’s fast, short and to the point. Unless you’re the world’s biggest retailer.

If you want a nice snapshot of the way corporate culture and legalese can make even the simplest things mind-bogglingly complicated, head to Wal-Mart’s (WMT) Twitter page. Now click on the “terms of use” link.

That long, long, long slug of text? That’s 3,692 words, and 23,105 characters–the equivalent of 160 Tweets.

Thanks to Microsoft (MSFT) social media guru Danah Boyd for pointing this one out.

[Image credit: sunlight foundation]