How I Use Twitter — Let me count the ways

June 30, 2008

I started to use twitter maybe 2 months ago. I am not sure as time flies when you are having fun. And I have witnessed first hand how twitter has become a key tool in my marketing efforts. And please understand, I don’t only use it for marketing. It has also become a great way to stay in touch with old friends and new friends. In the last couple of months, I have become well aware of the additional uses of twitter.

Since I spend some of my time visiting with real-world friends and business contacts and individuals online about twitter, I thought it might be time to provide a post on “how I use twitter.” In addition, Cheryl Smith who publishes Culture Smith Consulting Blog had an interesting post called 6 Ways You Can Use Twitter Today which got me to thinking about how I use twitter myself.

Follow leaders in any field. I have been able to follow the going ons and conversations of some of the biggest names in many different fields. With twitter, I have followed conversations taking place between individuals and even heads of companies I never would have had the opportunity to do without it. It is almost like going to business school without paying the tuition. And you can do it with no strings attached. You can actually follow conversations if you want without adding one single thing. Not the best plan, but possible.
Do your own R&D. We have one mouth and two ears, use them that way. I spend a lot of time listening to conversations going on in twitter. I am amazed, but shouldn’t be, at the quality of individuals on twitter. Listening to the conversations they carry on with have been a great source of ideas and free input to me. Not only listening, I ask questions. You can get some great answers to questions you have or bounce your own ideas off your followers too. That is why I call it my own R&D department. Ask questions and listen as your research.
Breaking News. I have just started to use twitter for this. However, a prime example of how twitter can be a great source for breaking news was the coverage on twitter when the major earthquake happened in China. Even the major news agencies watched twitter to keep up on what was going on in China.
Follow Trends. Because I follow individuals in my niche and other areas, I am actually able to keep up on trends and new developments in my field. I have also been able to get some of my best blog post ideas from twitter by following the conversation going on about a certain trend, product or subject.
Get Noticed. I have to say, my blog traffic and my own online visibility has increased since I started to use twitter. You can generate traffic to you own blog by feeding your new blog post to twitter. While I would not recommend this as the only posting you do on twitter, it is a great way to get noticed. In addition to the constant posting I do, I do feed my new blog post to twitter.
My Second RSS reader of choice. Since I follow many in my own niche, I appreciate it when they post to twitter their own new blog post RSS feeds. I have found twitter has become my second RSS reader of choice. I actually get a lot of my feeds with twitter and tend to look at them before I even visit my RSS reader in the morning.
Water Cooler. Cheryl is right on with this one. “While working from home has many great advantages, solopreneurs can sometimes feel isolated or disconnected. Twitter is like an online water cooler or break room, providing you with a venue for conversations about daily happenings.” I too have found twitter is a great way to take a break from the day to day task we do while working in our home offices to just stop and have a conversation with friends.

If you have not started to use twitter, you should. And if you are already using twitter, let us know how you use it day to day. Add your comments here to this post or to Cheryl’s and lets keep the conversation going.

Grant Griffiths twitter

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Nancy Sutherland

July 8, 2008 | 10:17 am

I love having the ability to share content for our blogs and learn from others on twitter. Having the ability to quickly answer someone’s question or solve their problem is exciting to me as well. The biggest frustration for me is being able to track direct replies. I have used twirl, tweetdeck and summize in addition to the website. It gets distracting and confusing if you are trying to do other business at the same time. So sometimes I just have to shut it down completely. (but I hate missing any breaking news!)
Thanks for sharing your insight into how to use twitter as a relationship and business building tool.

Grant

July 8, 2008 | 10:51 am

Nancy — thanks for commenting and reading Blog for Profit. Twitter is a great marketing tool if used for more than it was originally designed for. Twitter if used for interacting and learning will show you results.

krissy knox

December 23, 2008 | 10:27 pm

I started using Twitter seriously about a month ago. I’ve used it for all the same reasons as you, except the RSS reader. I would never have thought of that. Not sure why. Do you have more than one reader than, such as google, and than follow feeds on Twitter? Also, is Twitter set up like other readers so you can get all the Tweeters in one Twitter Reader, each in an individual thread? I mean like Google or Bloglines? Wow, if that’s true, I didn’t know. Please reply if you can, and how to check into it! Thanks!

What else do I use Twitter for? Intellectual stimulation! As you made reference to, I have found those on Twitter some of the most intelligent, intellectual and fascinating people. I work at home, and I often don’t have interaction with those like me, both in and out of my niche. So it is refreshing to find likeminded people to talk to! Ones that think similar to you, yet that really stretch your mind, and help you grow! Truly amazing are the people on Twitter. I had never known, nor would I have ever thought I would be on. I had not too good experiences on Facebook and swore I would never go on Twitter. When I found those who twittered I was so delighted! There are people from all walks of life!

Perhaps this may be a little controversial, but I use Twitter for a little bit of fun and play as well. My nice is blogging (as well as some other things as well, actually), and I often post “blogging tips” posts. At the same time, I feel we should also post fun things! While work is always fun and interesting to me, so is play! I believe in the motto “work hard, play hard.” So if I find something of quality that is fun, I post that also. For example, I may post a funny cartoon in a blog or newspaper, a silly or cool video on youtube, a fun question others may want to answer, a link to a page of earrings my female blogger friends may want to look at — & I ask them which pair they like best. Yes, it’s controversial what I am doing, I know. Most NEVER do this. They want me to “cut it out” b/c they say it is “work time.” I know I have lost followers b/c of doing this. Especially in my niche. They will stay on the web from early, early morning till sometimes midnight and NEVER post anything but work and an occassional “it snowed today.” If I post a funny Christmas cartoon amidst many serious posts, they unfollow me.

I find this amusing that some decide they shouldn’t be associated with me (and therefore they unfollow me), merely because I have occassional fun throughout the day, such as posting Christmas carolers who can’t sing, or saying that we should “mail our packages early, so that the post office can lose them in time for Christmas” (Jonny Carson). I think looking at a quick joke is just as important and interesting as “it is snowing.” I know that I am unfollowed, I have seen it, and it’s because I am supposed to be “at work” as most view it, and I need to be “serious.” Well, if we are at a “cocktail party,” as Perry Belcher intimates, why can’t we have an occassional good time? We are working and having fun. I work very, very hard and play the same way. Intelligent play is fun too! Very much so. Tasteless play, never ever. So whoever wants to unfollow me b/c they are worried that I am not sophisticated enough for their friends and followers, so be it! Gee, do I sound defensive, LOL? Who cares!

I think I just wrote my next blog post! Sorry if this was too long…

Krissy
http://sometimesithink-krissy.blogspot.com
my twitter: http://www.twitter.com/iamkrissy

krissy knox´s last blog post..Monday Morning Question — What was your worst Christmas shopping experience?

Grant Griffiths

December 23, 2008 | 10:33 pm

Thank you so much for your great comment. And never apologize for leaving a long one either. You think you just wrote your next post. I was thinking I just got my next guest post. Thanks again!!