micro blogging

I had a meeting last Thursday with my PR team and one of my clients. Unfortunately, I had to jump out of the meeting a little early to handle a personal matter. When I got back to the office, and after my client had left, I learned that he asked my PR manager about Twitter. He said, “What is this thing called Twitter. I just don’t get why you would want to tell everyone what you are doing.” My PR manager who is not a Twitter user immediately told my client, “You need to speak with Deirdre. She’s always on Twitter. She thinks it’s great.”

My PR manager’s assessment of my use of Twitter was absolutely correct. I really enjoy Twitter and sometimes I think I’m addicted to tweets in Twitter land. Let’s face it, there are far worse addictions. I guess when I first started I was a little hesitant to jump right in and say what I was doing. But, now, it’s the first thing I do every day, even before I have my coffee or check my email.

If you’re not on Twitter or heavily involved in some type of social network, then you’re probably thinking that I’m either a tech geek (which I’m definitely not) or I have no life (well with the amount of time I spend running my business and writing my books for Pearson Education, you may be right). I will sum up my fascination with Twitter and then invite you to try it (but you have to stick with it for a while) before you pass judgment on why people find it enjoyable, valuable, fun, entertaining, etc.

Here’s why I like Twitter and why I can’t wait to tweet and review tweets all day:

• I find myself lost in the abundance of information from the people I follow. I learn a tremendous amount about technology and what are the hottest topics, tools, and news of the day.

• I have met some amazing people. They are all different; I can’t think of two who are the same. If you enjoy meeting people and experiencing everything from happiness and joy to frustration and sometimes sadness through new acquaintances, then Twitter will let you have these first hand interactions.

• I’m a PR person and I want to listen and learn from people. I could read tweets all day because the people are genuine and provide firsthand experience and knowledge that interests me.

• I’ve made some awesome networking contacts. I will continue to grow my networking base.

• Twitter allows me to let everyone know the things that are important to me; everything from my family to my books and my business.

• I feel like I’m a part of a large community that is friendly and rarely has the pretentiousness that you often find in the physical business setting. On Twitter, we are all stripped of our titles and we’re basically all created equal.

• Twitter allows me to release emotions, anxiety, excitement, and happiness quickly and serves as a release mechanism for a stressed out business person; this really helps to get me through the day.

• I never feel alone when I’m on Twitter. In fact the opposite is true. I feel incredibly connected to so many people, especially people who I don’t think I would have ever met without this micro blog.

I know that everyone is different; some people will gravitate to other types of social networking forums rather than a micro blog. Twitter takes some time to get used to, but if you can be yourself and share information openly then you join a community that offers valuable and meaningful communication. My advice is to engage and you too will understand and experience the Twitter fascination.