As part of my social media marketing efforts for 2008, I signed up for a Twitter account on January 1st and have so far posted only 15 updates, most of which have been completely inane.
For example, who the heck really wants to know that I was “up way too early… again” or that I was “force-feeding the cat with a medical milkshake…“?
Mine haven't been quite as inane however as Chris Pirillo's “I farted” twit last night — which is silly enough to be funny… almost.
But I guess I'm missing the point.
Fortunately, Maki over at Dosh Dosh has written a blog post titled “17 Ways You Can Use Twitter: A Guide for Beginners, Marketers and Business Owners” that confirms my problem with Twitter and spells things out about how to use it wisely.
In her preamble, she talks about the problem with Twitter, and says “What really matters is how it impacts your online habits and daily life. For many, Twitter is a distraction…” and “It saps your attention and pulls your focus away from other tasks.“.
No kidding. You get in there and start reading Twit after Twit and next thing you know, you've twittered away an hour of your time. It boggles my mind to see some who are supposedly following 2, 3 and 4 THOUSAND other Twitter–ers? How the heck is that even possible?
Presuming you can avoid falling into the pit of distraction, Maki lists 17 good ways to use Twitter for getting feedback, personal branding, setting up meetings and more.
OK, so maybe I'll give it another try. In the meantime, let me know what you think…
Are you using Twitter? Has it been an effective marketing tool for you, or like me, do you find it more of a distraction?
[tags]twitter,marketing,blogging[/tags]