Tuesday, February 9, 2010

Twitter: Helpful of Useless?

One of my friends asked me the other day what the purpose of Twitter is. And he stumped me. I hadn't really thought about it, and wasn't prepared to come up with an answer to his question.

I took a moment to think about it, and this is how I replied:

"Twitter can be completely useless to some, and super helpful for others."

I explained to him that I am still learning to use Twitter strategically myself, but from what I've learned it can be an extremely useful tool for businesses, organizations and anyone else who wants to get some publicity.

Facebook is a more personal form of social media and can be used by people to connect with friends. But, it too can be used as a media tool. Social media is a quick and easy way to get the word out to hundreds of people with one click.

From my personal experience, I see people use Facebook mostly to connect with friends and family through messages and photos. However, it is a convenient way to publicize events and groups. I see Twitter being used to connect people through news and links that they think others will appreciate. But, don't be fooled. Twitter is used multiple times within minutes by people who post utterly useless messages about their day-to-day activities. I am still unsure of how this is helpful to others within 140 characters.

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