I recently began following @Starbucks on Twitter. One of their updates informed me that Starbucks offers their used coffee grinds to their customers for composting if asked. I was taken aback at how successful Starbucks was at getting this information out to me that I wondered what other companies were using Twitter and what were they saying.

So using the trusty interweb, I found this site, Twitter Brand Index « Fluent Simplicity which maintains a list of all the well-known companies using Twitter to reach out to their customer base. While I always knew that @comcastcares was using Twitter in a very special way, I actually never thought that SO many companies would be using the micro-blogging platform to enable such a 2-way communication stream for marketing, PR, and customer service.

So after taking a look at the list, I’m really impressed! Everyone from the @ACLU and the American Heart Association (@foundersheart) to UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown (@DowningStreet) and Luke Wilson… yeah… THAT Luke Wilson (@LukeWilson)!!!

Now not all of the Twitterers Twits Tweeters use the system to update often (if at all). But the list is so long – and supplemented by (at last count) 123 commenters adding a few of their following – that you’re bound to find a few companies that will keep you informed in a way that works for you. I know I’m already adding a few of the people on my “following” list and I hope that I’ll be able to find more useful information about the organizations and individuals I support.