A number of weeks ago, a good friend turned me on to the social media phenomenon called Twitter. I have to say that I’m not a heavy user of social media and quite honestly don’t see the purpose. At least that’s what I thought prior to my experience. Three months later my thoughts and feeling have changed rather significantly.
Once I got online and started using Twitter, I better understood the fascination with this seemingly simple tool. It has its own vocabulary, functionality, and many features that you may not know about. Of course, the only way to truly understand Twitter is to read a how to guide, watch a video, or use a third party platform for managing Twitter related tasks.
After having some time getting used to Twitter and what it can do for me, I quickly learned the benefit of a far reaching social media tool. Having interest in tasks related to my job, hobbies, and other activities, I found large numbers of Twitter users who share the same interests. This is great for identifying a support group of other users who can discuss ideas and from whom you can learn a great deal. The other thing that’s so amazing is that you can get access to celebrities that are using the tool as well. They write about their lives and even share a personal anecdote from time to time. Twitter gives you a direct line to many people you thought weren’t within reach. This really does a lot to bring us closer to one another.
When you find a group of individuals who share your interests, concerns, and are willing to have a discussion around them, it enriches your experience. This is especially true as I have built a small following of people within my area of interest. When I have a question or topic that needs discussion, this group is there to share what they know and comment on my messages, also called tweets. When users respond to one of my messages, pushing it out to their followers, it is called re-tweeting.
Twitter allows you to easily filter your network of followers and those you follow. In addition, you can filter the information you receive from others. The good news is that you can respond to individual posts or chose to do nothing. The communication path is in your control. Another great thing about posts from others is that they usually contain links to helpful information on the web. You can follow these links or ignore them. Either way you have access to information you may otherwise never have found.
I was not an early adopter of social media and for good cause. I never saw the point of Tweeting or trying to build a fan base. However, now that I’ve gotten my feet wet and have a good deal more experience with Twitter, I see that it’s not only good for getting information but giving it as well. If you are trying to determine the value of Twitter from the outside then I encourage you to role up your sleeves and give it a try. Unfortunately you can’t appreciate it unless you do.