Qua’s Social Computing Digest

I recently started using Twitter.  It took me a while to figure out the interface and how to find people, but within an hour, I was getting real business value from using Twitter in conjunction with blogs and email to associates !

Twitter can compliment other tools like email, IM and blogs by providing a unique back channel that , unlike IM, is one-to-many.  The Twitter culture fosters a sense of humor and casually intimate connection which helps build relationships among associates that otherwise don’t see each other frequently.  I strongly recommend using the widget, Twhirl with Twitter. It makes for a much better Twitter experience.   Once you get started you may want to adjust your settings so that only approved people can “Follow” (subscribe) to your short Twitter posts  (‘tweets’).    You can also receive tweets via text messages on a cell phone which you may not be able to do with your  enterprise IM tool.   If you try it out, and log in, you can find me  @qveda (shorthand for twitter.com/qveda), and Follow me.

Here are some excerpts from Jason Hiner’s blog on TechRepublic that I’d like to share with you.:

In response to Jason’s article  on Twitter being the most important development on the Web in 2008 and his 10 tools that will make you a Twitter power user, TechRepublic member Palmetto questioned why he would want to use Twitter and asked what made Twitter any different from IM, text messaging, or blogging.

“I’m still missing the point of this application,” he wrote.

Jason responded to Palmetto and explained that: “Twitter is a great way to find interesting information and links from people who have similar interests, but I don’t think I convinced him. However, I recently found a post from blogger Nicole Nicolay, who wrote 22 reasons to use Twitter for business and pleasure. She gave 11 reasons for business and 11 reasons for personal use, and she’s done a nice job of encapsulating many of the things that make Twitter useful.”

Like Jason, Nicole originally scoffed at Twitter but is now a regular user.  Here are her 11 reasons to use it for business:

1.               Gain exposure for blog/site and gain potential readers

2.               Build network with transparency and trust

3.               Market work, products, services, etc.

4.               Answer questions and ask questions

5.               Learn new things from other industry professionals

6.               Share tech tips and resources (mini blog post) and teach stuff

7.               Meet and talk with others (some business, some pleasure)

8.               Conference connector (stay connected, share info, get social)

9.               Seek out industry colleagues for assistance with special projects

10.           Safety – Tweet unfamiliar meeting locations and while traveling

11.           Better understand social media

The one thing I would add to this list is that if you have co-workers and colleagues who are on Twitter then it can be a great way to pick up on news, information, and developments that you might have missed — especially for colleagues who work in different offices or different locations.

Check out the original post to read more and to see Nicole’s top  reasons to use Twitter for personal use.