Poor Twitter Misunderstood: What you can really do with it.

Why do you use Twitter so much? Twitter is stupid.
I used to be one of the people who didn't understand twitter (just 2 months ago. =P,) but now it has become my main source of news, insights, and much more.

Here are some of the common misconceptions of the use of Twitter and what Twitter really is.


The number of followers is the most essential aspect

Granted that the more followers you have the more exposure you get + the more people you reach out to, but it all comes down to how you interact with them or engage them.

Twitter is NOT just about broadcasting. People who follow you are there to connect with you. If you are there to just repeat the posts on your Facebook page, flyers, or company website, then you do not understand what Twitter is about.

Provide insights, interesting and relevant information, quality feedback. Engage yourself in meaningful conversations. Your followers will come.


Twitter is like taking the status component of Facebook and putting it on a feed. T/F?

Kind of true, but at the same time not really.

There are of course people who like to tweet "I am on the bus to school," or "Yay, I got my new Macbook Pro!" This seems to work out more for celebrities than for companies or individuals. Boring/mundane tweets don't work here. The question you should always ask is "So what?"

If you want to share with the world you're at an Italian restaurant, what's the spice to it?

Twitter is also kind of like mini-blogging. This works for short attention spanned people (like me), as it puts all the headlines and links in one big feed so I can just skim through and find the ones that interest me.


Businesses don't need to use Twitter

Twitter can be a good way to alleviate the barrier between the company and its public. We always talk about transparency right? Here's where you can get up close and personal. It's a faster way to interact with your public, to find out what they think, to get quality feedback or criticisms and respond quickly.

It's also a great way to manage a brand's image by seeing what kind of bad-mouthing people are doing or if you're awesome, all the free evangelists you have around!