Toyota Travails: Twitter over Facebook?

As Toyota’s recall travails deepen, it is interesting to observe the company’s use of social media to communicate with owners and the public.  As of today, the company appears to be fielding four official Tweeters, both commenting on changing events and thanking Twitterati for support and comments.  On Facebook, a box directs people seeking recall information directly to the Toyota website, but amidst the shrieking or supportive wall postings, there appears to be no official interaction.  We surmise that the company has decided to let its many fans handle the firefight on Facebook while concentrating resources on Twitter, more immediate and more beloved of politicians and reporters.  If this is the case, it will be interesting to see if other companies in crisis follow the same approach.  This is obviously a tough time for Toyota because extensive apparent quality issues violate their customers’ baseline of expectation which is quality and safety.  Judging by the flow of commentary on both Twitter and Facebook, many of them are willing to give the company a chance to make things right.