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ify and explore how these emergent channels can help build and maintain mutually beneficial relationship between organisations and their stakeholders through communication. 'SNSs are bundles of online technological tools that incorporate features of earlier technologies (such as personal websites) but recombine them into a new context that supports users' ability to form and maintain a wide network of social connections'(Ellison, Steinfeld and Lampe, 2011,p.3). Therefore by using SNSs to interact, share and converse individuals and organisations can create relationships, form online communities and strengthen ties (Smith 2010; Briones et al 2011; Lovejoy and Saxton, 2012; Lovejoy, Waters and Saxton, 2012; Waters and Jamal, 2011; Wong and Jusoff, 2011; Waters et al 2009). These benefits are further augmented for charities because they give individuals the ability to self-organise around causes by collaborating with each other (Kanter 2009).

So far research in this field has mainly focussed on one SNS, Facebook (Bortree and Seltzer, 2009; Waters et al, 2009; Greenberg and MacAulay, 2009). But academics (Briones et al 2011; Lovejoy and Saxton 2012) are now turning their attention to Twitter; which is a platform that allows users to publish and sharing short (140 characters or less) messages with others within a their social network (Murphy, 2008). With more than 10 million users in the UK (Arthur 2012) Twitter offer more opportunity for direct immediate interactivity, public open dialogue and network creation than other social networking sites (Evans, Twomey and Talan, 2011; Lovejoy and Saxton, 2012).

However the current literature tackling charity use of Twitter suggests that charities are missing out on the opportunity offered by this channel to build relationships with stakeholders. By primarily using Twitter to broadcast one-way informational messages they are missing the chance to engage their stakeholders in dialogue (Lovejoy, Waters and Saxton, 2012; Waters and Jamal, 2011). It is however this dialogue and engagement that helps charities and their stakeholders to build trust, identify with each other, develop similar values, beliefs and interests and meet the expectations and needs they have of one another- crucial essentials to any relationship or mutual benefit (Hallahan 2008; Briones et al, 2011; Kent 2008).

Such findings play an important role in increasing academic understanding around how charities are using Twitter. But what is even more interesting is that they show that researchers believe that charities can and are building trusting reciprocal relationships with stakeholders on Twitter (Briones et al 2011: Lovejoy and Saxton 2012). By applying social capital theory to these findings, as relationships of this type are identified as core to the social capital concept advocated by Putman (2000), it is reasonable to deduce that this form of social capital may exist within these connections (Lovejoy and Saxton 2012).

One study that highlights this possible link is Lovejoy and Saxton's (2012) examination of the Twitter usage of 100 large US non-profits. They document the presence of a particular type of Twitter message that is either designed to spark interactive conversation or give recognition or thanks and by doing so aims to cultivate social capital. But, as Lovejoy and Saxton (2012) admit themselves, their study,