A brief look at why I love Twitter

If you want to build relationships, share and learn, Twitter is quite simply the most powerful tool that exists.I have built relationships and made connections that add value to my life and career that I would never have had otherwise.

Personally, I find it invaluable in my efforts to build a better world starting with a better Kitchener. My efforts to make the Tannery a true district for people was as successful at getting attention as it was due to my use of both Twitter and my personal blog Perspectives from King and Ottawa. I’ll share lessons that I learned from this experience shortly but for now I’ll sum it up like this: I have always believed that it is important to have a personal experience with any social media tool before you can use them on behalf of your organization or business. By tweeting about something I believed in passionately, I took my Twitter knowledge to a whole new level and connected with new people.

Professionally, it has been my best source of professional development I have ever found by following others who are interested in social media and communications. As I launch my own business, Twitter will play a central role in demonstrating my professional expertise.
But there is a steep learning curve to Twitter. The biggest barrier is understanding what it is and how powerful it is and being willing to give it a try. Then there’s still lots to learn but lots of resources available to help including many on Twitter such as the team at Mashable or UnMarketing that point you to what you should know. But the key is that, as with social media in general, its about creating, maintaining and enhancing relationships.You need to put what you know about traditional marketing or communications aside to make it work.

There are no quick wins but with perseverance and a small daily investment, Twitter can make a huge difference in your life-personally and professionally.

You can find me @kingandottawa on issues relevant to people living in Kitchener and @communic8nhowe for my communications/social media tweets.

I will share more thoughts on why and how I use Twitter and why you should use it too in upcoming posts. If there’s anything specific that you would like me to cover, please let me know.