Twitter Can Work for You. Really.

It seems everyone has to have an obligatory post about twitter and their inability to explain it. That’s in part why I haven’t bothered posting about it. I’ve felt that if I can’t relay its potential uses or where it adds value, then I haven’t sufficiently explored it (unless of course it simply provides no added value, which is certainly possible given some things online now a-days. Unfortunately my humor has partially escaped me as I can’t think of a social network off the top of my head to poke fun of. Anyhow, time to get out of the parenthesis). All that said, I think I have come up with an explanation of Twitter, as well as some benefits I’ve found

Think of Twitter like a big lounge. It’s the lounge at some gigantic cocktail party. Ideally the kind with lots of comfy couches. I hate it when they remove seating to make more room for “socializing”. Maybe I socialize sitting down, dammit! I digress.

The lounge is filled with people whom you’ve decide that, at least currently, are interesting. Because of this, you’re following all of these people, and thus their conversations. Some people happen to be talking about politics. Others asking some sort of question. Still others about the names of their pets (maybe it was even the same person talking about politics). It’s an eclectic and joyous group. The catch about all this, however, is just because you’re following all of these people’s conversations doesn’t mean they’re following you. Likewise, just because you say something at (@) them doesn’t mean they will respond.

As for the question of “Does Twitter add value to what I do?” Not to be arbitrary, but really it depends entirely on how you use it. I personally follow an assortment of people. I find it rounds out the information I get through Twitter rather well. I have a mix of personal, professional, and general people I follow.

Some ways I have used Twitter:

• To have a question answered
• To keep up with the latest in a specific industry
• To keep up with conversations that are going on in general
• To learn more about people I have met through blogging
• To share links I think others may find interesting
• To help others find the answer to their question
• Some people are funny. I enjoy that.
• It can be used by companies as a communication tool

And the list goes on. Twitter, like most social media properties, will give you a return based on what you invest in it. If you need a concrete example, Twitter for me opened my eyes to the large amount of social media activity going on in North Carolina (specifically Raleigh, Durham, and Charlotte). But that was only after I started dedicating at least a half hour every day to using and learning it.

If you’re on Twitter, please don’t hesitate to add me.

Bonus Link
Rafe Needleman has a good post that takes you through the steps of how to get started with Twitter.

Bonus Info:
Unfortunately, the ‘conversations’ in twitter are only text. In my opinion, one of the most interesting inroads into creating a picture version of twitter is Twitxr. Apart form having a horrible name (in my opinion) they were smart in creating a native iphone application that allows you to take pictures and add them to their site very easily.

Sidenote:
For those curious as to how people can possibly be “addicted” to Twitter. I would venture to say it’s due to the random, variable re-enforcement that occurs when someone does reply to a statement you made. It is also most likely a bi-product of the frenetic pace of the people you follow updating their ‘conversations’ frequently. Imagine following 20 conversations in real life. It’s kind of like that, except you can thankfully scroll.

For more timely, relevant, and engaging articles, subscribe to Brazen Careerist.