There are legitimate reasons for busy professionals to take some time for Twitter. If you are curious, here is a simple explanation. Twitter is a free social site whereby you sign up for an account, create your personal profile (you may include a photo or not), then either invite friends or associates to “follow” you, and look for like-minded people you would like to “follow”.
Following on Twitter means you see public comments on those you follow and conversely, they will see your comments. You are limited to brief “Tweets” of 140 characters; the box you type into does a countdown so no worries there.
It is fun, and potentially profitable to meet people this way. For example, a friend of mine who is in the shoe business now has the CEO of Zappos, a wildly successful online shoe store, following her on Twitter. Do you think this communication will be beneficial?
There are a few “spammers” from time to time, but they don’t last. Members can block unfriendly Tweets. Mostly what you experience will be bits of valuable information, leads for great products and advice, and potential networking opportunities. And there can be some silliness; people wanting to share pictures of their kids, why there flight is delayed, what they are having for dinner, etc.
Tips: Use your profile to your advantage: help people WANT to follow you. Instead of “I have X experience in blah blah blah”, how about “It was fun to take company blah blah blah to X% increased profit with triplets on the way and a dead Blackberry. Did I mention my mother-in-law moved in?” An exaggeration, but I might check out the 2nd person…
If you want to learn more about Twitter I recommend this class: Twitter Squeeze. Other important things you can do include adding Twitter to your Facebook and MySpace pages, and on your blog (really!).
This is really another way to connect; as the internet grows, people continue to feel “hyper-local” and want to find people with the same interests, values, and goals. Give Twitter a try, and please email and let us know how you are doing!
