Who Twitters?

[Evan]

Joel -- there is a Facebook application to import your Twitter feed. That's what I do... So the 9 people following me on Twitter are joined by the 900 or so friends on Facebook from across the globe.

[greenoak]

im pretty sure i wouldnt have time for it..way to busy....and i sure woulndt want my workers twittering...
..i havent heard very much that would possibly relate to my business....maybe i just dont get it, but whats the point?
ann

[seolman]

I've just started on Twitter a short time ago. Kind of an experiment. I just followed VG/ I'm gonna follow a few other guys I recognize following him to see who else follow me around. Looks interesting as a way to keep in touch with a lot of people at the same time.

[vangogh]

For those of you who haven't given it a try Twitter is kind of like Instant Messaging on steroids. You follow some people and then you get to see what they're tweeting. People tweet all sorts of things. Some is interesting and some not so interesting. People tweet links to interesting things and they also tweet links to their own stuff.

Lots of people use it in different ways. I find it most useful as a networking tool. It's strengthened relationships with people I knew elsewhere and it's helped to begin building relationships with people I didn't know before.

I have a hard time with IM since it distracts me too much. With Twitter I can check out the conversation for a little while when I feel like it and ignore it when I'm working on something else. With IM if you stop talking the conversation ends. With Twitter the conversation goes on with or without you and you can join in at any time.

Once again it's going to be more useful if you're following and being followed by at least some people. And naturally you'd want those followers to be people you'd like to chat with. The service isn't necessarily for everyone, but everyone here would probably say that networking is an important part of growing your business and Twitter gives you a chance to network with people.

[orion_joel]

I think that networking is very important to both personal and business growth. That is really why i started using facebook and myspace, was to keep track of my personal friends and the few business ones that are on there. More recently i joined linked in, so far no actual connections but am still getting into it. I may have a look and give twitter a try. See what it is like.

[KristineS]

I'm still getting adjusted to Twitter. I'm not sure I like it yet. I have a corporate account for one of our companies, and I find it easier to keep that one fairly current. My personal Twitter account has been severely neglected. I just feel like I'm talking into a void. I'm going to keep working with it, as I have seen some interesting pieces of information there. I guess I just need to build up my network.

[vangogh]

Try following a number of people first. Find someone you're familiar with online and then look through who that person follows and start adding names you recognize. Follow enough people so there's a stream of conversation. See what some of the more followed people are tweeting to get a feel for what seems to be working.

Then start tweeting. Mix in some of your own messages with replies to others. For example throughout the day I might have a quick thought I want to share or maybe I find an interesting article I think other people will like and post the link. Sometimes you can ask questions. When I switched from the PC to the Mac a few months ago I didn't know what code editors existed. I searched the usual places and also asked for recommendations on Twitter.

When you see someone else say something and you have something to add reply to them with your comment. They won't necessarily reply to your reply. Some people won't unless they know you. Some may not even see the reply. Some people will reply though and you can have a short conversation with them. Remember that person and start some other conversations with them later in the day or week. When someone replies to you their followers will see your username. That almost always leads to a few new people following you.

[orion_joel]

I find that i get the feeling of talking to a void with my blogs, while i know i must be getting an odd reader or two, as i would really hope that the unique visitor count is not just a couple of hundred bots. But it still feels like i am talking to no one really but it is letting me be open with what i say, even if i do have 100 people reading it i don't know them at least i don't think that i do, and it means that i can be more open without feeling that i am going to be judged in the same way as if maybe my family or direct contact's may judge me.

[orion_joel]

Well i joined twitter now. One thing that i find quite annoying is the inability to properly search for people. You can provide your email account which most sites for me pick up my hotmail address book, however twitter did not. Otherwise you can invite by email. Even if you could connect with facebook or myspace friends may be helpful.

[vangogh]

Joel there are a lot of tools available for Twitter that make the service easier to use, including some search engines for Twitter. Do a quick search for Twitter tools or similar. Even though I use Twitter, I hardly ever use it through the site.

Don't forget to post a link to your profile.

As far as feeling like you're blogging or tweeting to the void both can feel that way. Just trust that someone is listening. The worst case where no one is listening means you get to practice your writing.