Posts: 9,660
Name: Steven Bradley
Location: Boulder, Colorado
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Joni thanks for the compliments. The thing about Twitter is you only participate when you want. People will only know what you're doing and where you are if you're telling them.
When I first joined Twitter I didn't really get it. It seemed kind of silly to me. Who really wants to know what I'm doing all day and why do I care what other people are doing. The more I've used Twitter the more I appreciate it's benefits.
Even though the site still asks the question what are you doing now, that's not how people use it. I can't recall the last time I tweeted something like what I was going to have for dinner or where I specifically was. Twitter becomes more useful if you use one of the desktop clients since they have a lot of features you won't get by using Twitter through the site.
One nice feature many clients now have is the ability to organize people you're following into groups or lists. I create groups for friends and then I tend to group people around the industry they're in. I also have groups set up to follow news like the NY Times and CNN and some of the local Colorado papers. That helps manage things since above a certain number it's very difficult to follow so many people. Now I can always pay attention to friends while still ignoring others if I don't have the time.
One of my favorite uses for Twitter is for market research. Many of the clients will let you set up a search for a particular word or phrase. Then you can see every tweet that mentions the word or phrase. For example I work with WordPress a lot. I've set up a search for 'wordpress themes' When I look at just that search I can see what people like about themes, what they don't like, what they wish a theme included. That helps me decide what to include in a theme I'm developing.
The search also helps me see what help people need. Sticking with the wordpress themes example I can see when someone is having a problem with their theme and I can provide a quick answer. That can lead to more people being aware that I work with WordPress. Some will follow me, some might subscribe to my blog, and some might even end up contacting me outside Twitter on the way to becoming a client. I actually haven't picked up clients through Twitter, but I know people who have simply by answering questions in their area of expertise.
Another way to use searches to to help generate ideas for blogging. I've set up some searches around some common design terms and can see what people are currently saying about the topic and what they'd like to know about the topic.
When it comes to networking for me it's mostly a way to strengthen relationships I've started elsewhere. Imagine an offline equivalent. You meet someone at a bookstore and have a short conversation. You may never think anything of it. Now imagine you run into that same person while sitting and having a cup of coffee. Maybe you have another conversation, but this time you do think a little more of it. Another day you run into that person coming out of a movie and maybe the next day you see them at the supermarket.
The more you keep running into that person in different places the more likely you'll develop a relationship beyond that initial conversation. To me all social networking sites work that same way. I have developed some online friendships with people after connecting with them in a variety of places. Twitter, Facebook, StumbleUpon, a forum, etc.
As far as the time involved I don't spend all day on Twitter. It's hard for me to work and IM at the same time and Twitter is similar to IM. I leave it open in the background and in between projects I'll see what people are saying. Maybe I join a conversation for a few minutes or post a link to something interesting. I might follow some links others have posted. That probably all happens in a few minutes and I'm back to work. Some days I don't even open a Twitter client at all.
In the end it's just another tool and the more you use it, the more you'll find ways it might be useful to you. Maybe Twitter won't be something that you find useful and that's ok too. You don't have to use every social site out there. There are plenty I don't care much for and there are others I discover I enjoy.
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Re: Twitter
I guess I just don't like the idea of everyone knowing where I am and what I'm doing thru - out the day. I'm pretty much a private person. I have lots of friends that I don't stay in constant contact with and I like it that way. Twitter seems (to me) that the usage of if as a social tool to make friends, and put yourself in a position to be "followed" daily is a bit creepy. It seems to so contrived and desperate. 
