There is a lot of buzz surrounding Twitter these days.
Even people who don't know what it is have heard of it.
But many still wonder "What's the point? How do I use it for any practical purpose?" With any tool what you build depends on how effectively you use it.
Twitter is no different.
Here's a real life example of how I used Twitter recently.
I was attending a webinar (online seminar) "Web 2.
0 Marketing Secrets that Create Customer Loyalty" presented by Vovici.
The presenters had a hashmark (#10Secrets) at the bottom of the slides so we could follow the Tweets of other participants.
So I logged into Twitter while still on the webinar and searched for #10Secrets.
A bunch of Tweets popped up immediately; mostly just "I am attending...
" type stuff at first.
But as the webinar progressed, people began asking really good questions and making insightful comments.
The "conversation" continued past the end of the webinar.
It was the kinds of thing you would expect at the coffee station during a "real" seminar.
We were discussing the relative merits of the points made during the presentation, contributed our own viewpoints and references other resources.
(You can go online now and search for #10Secrets and read the posts.
) Twitter is a tool.
In this example it was being used very effectively.
The presenters created a lot of conversation around them and their product and the attendees were adding value to the webinar through ongoing discussion.
Here are my three favorite ways to use Twitter: 1.
Getting information.
I find people who share my interests (through the "find people" search) and check out the kinds of things they Tweet about.
If I see a lot of good information, I follow them.
Now I can see on my home page all of their Tweets and I can access the links that they feel are useful, interesting or relevant in some way.
2.
Sharing information.
When I happen across such information, I can share it with my followers.
I can make comments or share other bits of news about what I'm doing.
This allows me to build a following and build "buzz" around me and my company.
3.
Connecting with people.
It seems like there is limited potential to make real connections through online social media outlets, but it can be done.
When someone follows me, I look at their profile before deciding to follow them or not.
When someone shares something particularly helpful, or I feel I can share something helpful, I do.
Over time, like in real life, I develop relationships with these people.
And, yes, on occasion, these do spill over into "real life.
"
Even people who don't know what it is have heard of it.
But many still wonder "What's the point? How do I use it for any practical purpose?" With any tool what you build depends on how effectively you use it.
Twitter is no different.
Here's a real life example of how I used Twitter recently.
I was attending a webinar (online seminar) "Web 2.
0 Marketing Secrets that Create Customer Loyalty" presented by Vovici.
The presenters had a hashmark (#10Secrets) at the bottom of the slides so we could follow the Tweets of other participants.
So I logged into Twitter while still on the webinar and searched for #10Secrets.
A bunch of Tweets popped up immediately; mostly just "I am attending...
" type stuff at first.
But as the webinar progressed, people began asking really good questions and making insightful comments.
The "conversation" continued past the end of the webinar.
It was the kinds of thing you would expect at the coffee station during a "real" seminar.
We were discussing the relative merits of the points made during the presentation, contributed our own viewpoints and references other resources.
(You can go online now and search for #10Secrets and read the posts.
) Twitter is a tool.
In this example it was being used very effectively.
The presenters created a lot of conversation around them and their product and the attendees were adding value to the webinar through ongoing discussion.
Here are my three favorite ways to use Twitter: 1.
Getting information.
I find people who share my interests (through the "find people" search) and check out the kinds of things they Tweet about.
If I see a lot of good information, I follow them.
Now I can see on my home page all of their Tweets and I can access the links that they feel are useful, interesting or relevant in some way.
2.
Sharing information.
When I happen across such information, I can share it with my followers.
I can make comments or share other bits of news about what I'm doing.
This allows me to build a following and build "buzz" around me and my company.
3.
Connecting with people.
It seems like there is limited potential to make real connections through online social media outlets, but it can be done.
When someone follows me, I look at their profile before deciding to follow them or not.
When someone shares something particularly helpful, or I feel I can share something helpful, I do.
Over time, like in real life, I develop relationships with these people.
And, yes, on occasion, these do spill over into "real life.
"