Do You "Get" Twitter?

For months I watched my friend and colleague Ron send Twitter updates such as "Leaving for work" or "Traffic really nasty today." As much as I really like Ron, I had to wonder: does anyone really care that he overslept this morning?

For six months I didn't get Twitter. Against my better judgement I started using it. And now I get it. Finally.

The idea of Twitter is remarkably simple: answer the question "What are you doing?" in 140 characters or less (each update is referred to as a tweat).

What seemed like an impersonal platform for the self-obsessed suddenly became a tool to bring me closer to people I care about.

Are there people you'd like to stay in touch with but there's no way you would call them or e-mail them daily?

My sisters come to mind. I got them to start tweating as well and now I've never been more in the know about what's going on with them and their families. In fact, I even call them more often. Even my dad in his mid-70's is tweating. By integrating Flickr and Twitter we're sharing memories more easily than ever.

Can it work beyond close family and friends? Absolutely. Imagine getting short updates from team members, particularly when you are not co-located. Business owners can use Twitter to develop closer relationships with customers. There are some intriguing possibilities.

I encourage you to try it. Sign up for Twitter for free at http://www.twitter.com/. Invite some people you want to stay in touch with. Keep in mind that they'll probably look at you funny and think you have way too much time on your hands.

That's OK. But once they get it, you'll be glad you started.

You can find me on Twitter with the user name "andy_kaufman". Happy Tweating!

P.S. As with any social networking tool, Twitter can be a major distraction to your attempts to manage your time. Contact me for some ideas on how to avoid that.

Another P.S. Click here to find out how Ron is doing. :)

Labels: networking, teambuilding, tools I love

posted by Andy at 1:56 PM