"Since the first Texas Social Media Awards were held in 2009, the landscape has changed drastically. The online tools that help people connect keep getting more popular, reaching those who never imagined that something called tweeting could be used to promote a business or a cause or to simply have a conversation."

"'What's different this year is that organizations are winning, said American-Statesman social media editor Robert Quigley. "Organizations are becoming adopters.' This year's group of 25 winners includes several organizations — from arts groups to government agencies."

"Quigley; Mathilde Piard, social media manager in the digital division of the Statesman's parent company Cox Media Group in Atlanta; Statesman technology writer Omar L. Gallaga; and food writer Addie Broyles selected these 25 honorees. The overall winner, who will join previous winners Michelle Greer, community manager at Infochimps in Austin, and Josh Williams, co-founder and CEO of Austin-based Gowalla, will be announced at the awards ceremony March 10 at ACL Live at the Moody Theater. Here is a list of the winners, with, when available, their Twitter handles.""Fort Worth Opera

@fortworthopera

"'We use social media to deepen our relationships and level of engagement with our ticket buyers and the public at large," communications manager Martha Martinez-Sotelo says. "We're not what they expect; we're fun, sassy, sometimes naughty, and definitely not your grandma's opera company.'"

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