In 1600, Shakespeare wrote one of the most famous quotations in literature: “to be, or not to be.”
Fast-forward 400 years, and Shakespeare could be typing his line on the Internet as: “to tweet, or not to tweet.”
On the surface, Twitter is a mix of social networking and micro-blogging that enables users to send and receive 140-character messages and updates known as tweets. You can tweet on Twitter using the Web, text messaging services or third-party applications. Twitter is essentially a tool that condenses our lives into haiku. Those who can turn life’s banal details into interesting tidbits garner a big audience.
The first reaction most people have to Twitter is confusion, or a fear of the unknown. Why would someone want to read short messages about what someone else is eating for dinner or watching on television?
But Twitter is much more than that. It can help you get a job, brand yourself and provide you with breaking news (and also insight into what your friends are eating for dinner).
Throughout history, new technology has usually been feared when first introduced. Socrates feared the effect that writing would have on the ability to think. The printing press arrived with fear that convenience would prompt intellectual laziness, making us study less. The calculator was feared by professors who thought students would use it so much they wouldn’t understand simple calculations. But from a long term perspective, rather than hurt us these new technologies have increased our productivity.
Like its predecessors there are also many ways you can benefit from Twitter. Twitter enables you to get quick feedback from an audience of your peers. You can ask your advice and receive instant replies from other users. These collective opinions can provide great insight and influence for projects.
Once, I asked where a good place was to eat sushi in Los Angeles. Thirty minutes later I had five responses with restaurant recommendations.
Gone are the days when we only had to worry about our identity in our immediate community; now we also have our Internet identity to manage. One of the primary benefits of Twitter is to develop your casual persona by establishing yourself as an approachable and well-connected social personality.
Twitter can be used to mold your Internet image. The Obama campaign (known on Twitter as @BarackObama) is an excellent example of this, as it used Twitter to appeal to technologically savvy voters. Town hall meetings and radio addresses may nurture our nostalgia, but Obama’s Twitter feed met our need for speed.
For serious Twitterers, there is a commerical aspect to this. Building a base of colleagues and peers could lead to possible marketing opportunities. With thousands of subscribers to your thoughts, you gain a salable asset. A penny for your thoughts becomes prospective legal tender.
With the rise of citizen journalism, Twitter is often the place for breaking news. I remember first hearing about Michael Jackson’s death from the site. Twitter has also been the leading source for coverage on the Iran elections, the Hudson plane crash, sports and movie reviews.
In the case of the Hudson plane crash, a Twitter user (@jkrums) was aboard a ferry used to rescue stranded passengers. He uploaded a breaking news photo instantly. The New York Times didn’t have the information on their Web site until 30 minutes later.
Furthermore, you can follow many famous athletes including: Shaq (@THE_REAL_SHAQ ), Lance Armstrong (@lancearmstrong), and Lamar Odom (@RealLamarOdom). One athlete, Miwaukee Bucks forward Charlie Villanueva (@CV31), wrote “In da locker room, snuck to post my twitt. We’re playing the Celtics, tie ball game at da half. Coach wants more toughness. I gotta step up.”
Needless to say, this is a nightmare for most sports agents.
Using Twitter for its potential networking and noteworthy information ultimately provides users with a powerful media outlet, a source for recommendations and breaking news.
Something to consider, or even to tweet about later.