BUSINESS
The time to tweet is now
20-10-2009
by Sheila M Averbuch
Putting Twitter to work is easier than you think. Try out some of these resources to get started and get strategic about Twitter.
Twitter may continue to make global headlines on a daily basis, but even some of the most powerful ICT industry insiders still tell me privately that they don't get Twitter and aren't inclined to try.
If you haven't made your first moves with any social media, the time to try is now, and the easist service to start with is Twitter. To start tracking trends that can affect you or your business, begin with the resources you already trust. ENN's official Twitter stream is updated as we publish here. Or, for something more personal, get our own views on the news from the ENN Editor's stream.
"Twitter's a big, chattering waste of time"
If this is your impression of Twitter, or if you just plain don't get it, you still shouldn't rule it out. Twitter is like a Google for gossip…but one where it’s easy to screen out the noise (”here’s a picture of my lunch!”…”I can’t find my keys!”…) by keyword-searching relevant topics. If something makes it to Twitter on your chosen topic, or from a trusted contact, it’s probably a truly useful bit of information — pre-screened by a global network of info scouts, all on the lookout for interesting tidbits, and all eager to tell everyone what they’ve found.
These tidbits can become very useful: business development leads, early news on important software or hardware developments from your key vendors, or intelligence about competitors. By choosing to follow those sources who regularly broadcast interesting tidbits, you'll be ahead of the game in whatever area is your specialty. Start off tweeting about and following tweeters who cover topics you are passionate about. The wider applications will then become clear.
Useful Twitter resources
- Try Twitterfall for a good way to track who’s talking about what. Like the sparkly bits falling down the screen in The Matrix, the scrolling tweets give a real-time, bird's eye view of who's saying what. Try the geolocation utility to find people located near you who are covering the topics you like best.
- TweetDeck and HootSuite are two great tools for managing the tweeters you're following, or managing your own multiple social networking accounts.
- Mr. Tweet does a fairly good job of helping you find tweeters you might like. It can analyse the tweeters you've already chosen to follow and make recommendations based on what they like.
- Get strategic about the way you or your organisation uses Twitter with advice and insights from Mashable, or get personalised direction from a professional -- we used design consultancy Fission Creative.
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