A wise man once told me that you keep plugging away until you get it. Like all social networks it is pointless until you find friends/common interest on there at which time it has a value.

I enjoy using twitter for music conversations, massive knowledge share and amusement - plus a small amount of business promotion for me, and major connections/conversations for brands we support. It has come a long way in the last 18 months where I was with you thinking if the limited value in someone twittering they had eaten lunch...

And while I am here what's with the sign up to comment angle? I know you need to control comments but the sign up thing is a bit laborious and may stifle commentary. (just my tuppenceworth)

www.twitter.com/jamieriddell

I'm with you ... I have a profile on there, although rarely remember to update the thing. I'm intrigued to see how this can help businesses. I guess it's all about having a 'voice' and ensuring what you say is relevant.

And yes, I agree with Jamie, what's with the sign up?

Hi Joel, thanks for the mention, where is the link ;p

I'm a big fan of twitter and really believe that if used correctly it can be a big asset to a business or person wishing to learn/network etc But as any other social networking site, you need to put in the efforts to reap the benefits.

Last week I had a lead through twitter, the week before I used it to find out what was the most search engine friendly CMS. Asking my just over 400 followers a question usually gives me at least 5-10 replies within the hour. It's a great networking and communication tool. I was never keen on instant messenger (IM) as you have to commit to time for "chatting". With twitter you can say what you want then leave, reply and talk to people, ask questions, spread the word about a blogpost, article, new product. Pretty much anything.

I have ten folds of reasons and uses for twitter. I feel a blogpost brewing =)

Cheers,
www.twitter.com/LisaDitlefsen =)

Amen.

I've been spending more and more time on Twitter and I'm starting to wonder if it's worth it.

A few things I use Twitter for:

-- Listening – a good way to see what people are saying about a given topic (often using Twitter search).

--'Pimping' content – letting people know about a new piece of content; hoping they read, retweet; and so on...

-- Asking questions – you can get some quick insights from knowledgeable people.

-- Extending my network – we had one real new business lead through Twitter and a few contacts I've found really valuable.

-- Fertilising the existing network – a nice, light way to keep in touch with clients, suppliers, contacts... helping them with their goals (re-tweeting for them) and pointing out links...

-- Spreading 'Link Love' – every little backlink helps...

-- Helping our clients do any and all of the above – we can listen, pimp, ask and network on their behalf

That all sounds pretty useful. But I'm still not sure it's worth the time investment (or why would I feel so guilty?)

Time will tell. Today, I can imagine simply switching it off and never looking back. But one day soon, that might be unimaginable.

Twitter has two primary benefits - relationship building and signposting. This can be for professional, personal or brand promotion purposes. The key is to define for what reason you're in the game and build your networks accordingly.

On a professional front my network keeps me abreast of the latest developments in B2B marketing. I can also throw out a question and get recommendations from the network.

On the business side I can follow market developments and dialogue; understand issues that prospects are seeking to address and look to build a relationship by helping them out. Using Twitter search is also increasingly valuable.

At a personal level I can make contact with people around the world with similar interests.

The downside is that you do have to sift through a lot of drivel to find the nuggets. There's some guy in my network (who I've never got round to unfollowing) who thinks it's clever to keep posting quotations. There also the classic "I'm drinking coffee/on the train/picking my nose" type stuff.

Anyways, it seems to be working for you guys by putting your brand in front of folks!

Nice post Joel.

As a recent convert to Twitter I can safely say I am still somewhat confused by it's appeal - although like a bad tune that gets stuck in your head - it's difficult to leave behind once you try it.

Here are my three favourite applications to help you 'get it'.
1. Twollo - keyword targetting auto follow
2. Tweetlater - the autoresponder of tweets
3. Twitterfall - great fun for the visually stimulated! (like myself)

Neil