Twitter - I don't get it!

[Reid Cornwell]

Like everyone else I have a twitter account. The vast majority of trafic is about how some person is suffering from the delay in an airport (being sarcastic). Frankly I don't care about such trivia. Would somebody tell me what is the allure of this service. I don't get it.

Reid

[Wendy]

I find that as an business learning & networking tool, Twitter is extremely valuable. It's like being at a cocktail party with all the people I want to meet, learn from, and maybe even pitch. By reading and following links/blogs/articles of people I respect, I am able to learn vast amounts and by doing the same with people who I think might make good prospects, I am able to see their needs better. I don't sell on Twitter at all. But I do help people with issues that relate to my business (or help in general) by offering time, links, referrals, etc. I am able to have conversations and become on friendly terms with people who would never know me. When they need services like mine or are asked for a referral of such, I'm top of mind. Plus, I've met some amazing people and I believe my work life is enriched in many ways.

[Andy Fugard]

I use Twitter quite a lot for research purposes, but mixed in with other random stuff.

http://twitter.com/almostandy

It's most useful for generating discussion offline.

[Robert E. Watson]

I think the issue isn't the technology as much as "how much attention can you afford to give." That's highly variable and, I think, makes Twitter most useful to those who have a focused use for it.

[Tim Adams]

I love twitter because I follow the people and things that are important to me and get information that I would have overlooked and I didn't have to search for, plus a quick read in 140 characters - can't beat that ! I get the traffic and news updates instantly to my iphone but I must say at first I was hesitate until I found out how to use it to my advantage.

Like many technologies - it was developed for one purpose but morphed into another. You can select who you follow and who follows you! At first I was overcome with ads like whiter teeth and other things - but killed those quickly. I follow a lot of industry leaders in the learning space - like Brandon Hall and Josh Bersin and others and so I get info on new learning trends - and because it is 140 characters - I get what I need better than in an email blast. I also have HB and CNN - and the beauty of it all - if it doesn't interest you - you can unfollow them! I have people that follow me - but then they see my tweets and are turned off - because it is about getting information that I need.

I agree that some people tweet too much information - like stopping at the store or getting on a plane - look at my seat and what I am eating - to those people I say - get a life! Like online learning in the beginning - people just threw up content on the internet and called it online and the adoption rate was poor. So you find something that works.

Try it out - what can you lose - but watch out who you follow and who follows you! And as Deb at the Davinci Institute says - 'do you dream in 140 characters?' Tim on Twitter @tadams2347 - ENJOY!

[Dave Malouf]

Reid,

I'm a big twitter user.
There are many reasons to use twitter, but twitter is also not for everyone.
I.e. Would you really question the value of television if you didn't watch it? Of course, you understand its appeal but you may just like listening to NPR and that's all you need in your broadcast life.
The same is true of twitter. Some people like it, get it and use it and others won't.

That being said here is what Twitter has meant for me:
1. A means of expanding my personal brand into another network space. How I do that is a presentation/article/blog all of its own.
2. A means of staying in touch in a fairy passive, yet more active way than I get from facebook b/c of its more conversational tones.
3. Twitter is better than google for finding the hard answers quickly
4. The connections I make for my business network are just intense. It is hard to explain but I have made more and better biz contacts through twitter than I have through any other social network.
5. The whole "broadcast IM" thing. This is true. The analog model reminds me of "the quad" or the "plaza" in a university. You may be discussing (read as arguing) something with 2-4 people, but another 50-100 are listening. I did a lot of political activism when I was a student at Berkeley, so that's why this model works for me. The difference now is that it is my "followers" + their followers.
6. My influence is that much greater due to the viral nature of Twitter.

But, Twitter only works if the entertainment and social value aspects of it work for you. It's a game with more than game value, but if you don't like the game part either a) you come across as inauthentic or b) you don't use it.

since many people on here are also academic/educators, I have also found it to be an amazing tool to use between myself and my students. I'm actually giving a talk on it to faculty here at SCAD next quarter in February.

-- dave