I was on LinkedIn this morning checking the LinkedIn Answers section. On person asked how to use Twitter, saying he didn’t get it. Several answers were from people who agreed that they didn’t quite know what to do with it.
This made me laugh a little, because I don’t know if I could function without Twitter. I’m on it all day, every day. So here are some ways I personally use Twitter beyond marketing and promotion.
1. Keep In Touch
First, I use Twitter to keep up with people I actually know in real life. I can see what they’re doing and be up to date with their life and their business, even if we don’t see each other or talk on the phone. If someone is having a bad day or has something to celebrate, I know about it almost instantly and can commiserate or sympathize immediately. As a solopreneur who works from home, Twitter has become a virtual water cooler where I socialize throughout the day without leaving my office.
2. Industry News
The second way I use Twitter is to keep up with my industry. I follow several people who are leaders in my field. I see what they’re doing, what they’re working on, what they’re promoting. I find I don’t always have time to read the ezines or the blogs I subscribe to, but I always have time to scan my Twitter feed. If something interesting comes up, I’m less likely to miss it.
3. Help with Technology
The third way Twitter is useful for me is to keep up with technology. While I’m something of a techie, I don’t really have the time to keep pace with the changing technologies. Thankfully, several people I follow on Twitter make me look like a Troglodyte. They are early adopters of everything new and report on the best tools via Twitter. I’ve discovered many useful tools that have become a regular part of my business life thanks to Tweets from people I follow.
4. World Events
The forth way I use Twitter is to keep up with world events. I subscribe to a couple of news feeds, for example, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation’s Twitter feed. I don’t listen to the radio while I work and for a while I was feeling sort of out of touch. But now, throughout the day, I see headlines of breaking news stories so when I leave my office, I haven’t missed anything important. If a story is of particular interest, I can click on the link and read the entire story.
Even more important, I hear about world events from my Tribe. When a hurricane threatens the southern United States, I hear first hand how it’s affecting people in the area. When terrorists attacked Mumbai, people I “know” virtually Tweeted about it and how it impacted them. These semipersonal connections to world events act to make the world a smaller place and give me a personal attachement to the news that I’ve never had before.
5. Getting to Know People
Throughout the day, I’m reading the Tweets of people I follow, many of them people I don’t actually know. But over time, I’ve started to feel as if I know them a bit. I begin to look for their face in my Twitter feed and read their Tweets first. I start making @replies to their Tweets or sending them direct messages. And they start talking back. It’s the start of a relationship, which is what networking is all about.
Andrea J. Stenberg
How about you? Other than promoting yourself and your products, what do you get out of Twitter? Leave a comment and let me know.
