Revisiting Twitter and Twitter's Relevance

The more I read about Twitter to help wrap my mind around it, as a phenomenon and a tool, the more I am removed from my first impression of it, that being “what is the point?” I am now seeing the value of it in real terms of professional connections, professional advice, and revenue.

In my February 17, 2010 blog post “Follow Folks Who Get Results (and lots of comments, too” I link to a an online article by Jon Phillips, a fellow who started out on Twitter and initially felt the same way I did about the “real-time information network powered by people all around the world that lets you share and discover what’s happening now.” The best way to grab my attention (and hold it) is to establish a commonality of observations and opinions.
This article, “5 Ways 5 Ways You Can Use Twitter To Build Your Online Profile, Network And Get More Clients”, lists the following ways in which Twitter can jumpstart an established business venture or act as a catalyst for a new one:
1. Use your Twitter account to connect with other people in your field.
2. Use your Twitter account to help others.
3. Use your Twitter account to link to your portfolio site and blogs(s).
4. Use your Twitter account to “tweet” about industry-related topics.
5. Make sure you respond to messages.
Please read this article and explore every hyperlink in it. It is rich in information relevant to what we are studying in so many of the classes within the Interactive Technology Program. Phillips helped me make sense of what Twitter is worth as a tool. The article spurred me research how other individuals are using it as such, in particular those who are in the design profession, which I was initially trained for.
I am always interested in how individuals or companies in the AEC industry (Architecture, Engineering, and Construction) are adapting to current and emerging technology, especially in how they are leveraging them to help their business thrive (glass half full) or survive (glass half empty). I explore this from time to time on my blog.
Here are some interesting links to things I have learned about how people in this industry are using the tool of social networking to augment their business.
1. How is one architect using Twitter and Facebook to maintain and grow his business in a tough economic environment? Click here to find out.
2. Want to know of innovative ways that designers are thinking these days about how to survive and keep food on the table? Check out Designer Sobriety, and dig, dig, dig, because there is lots of golden nuggets for those in the design field. Use the site's search engine to look up the meta-tags Content, Social Networking, and Strategy.
3. How are some architects “putting themselves out there”? This article relates to social networking in a different way, but the focus is the same as if they were doing it through online social network services.
The more I read and experience how others are using Twitter and other online social networking tools to “put themselves out there”, the more I realize the profundity of the phrase “thinking outside the box”. What is in this for me? I am finding out and I must not be timid about it either. Opportunities knock at the door.