MVP of Communications: Your friend, Twitter

Most of my friends are well aware that I spent a couple of days last week at this year’s Boards Summit conference in New York. The publishers and editors of Boards Magazine have been producing this event for 10 years now, to support and help lead people from all points around the globe who are actively involved in the commercial production industry, and other sectors directly engaged in creating breakthrough marketing initiatives. The organizers outdid themselves this year, at a time when changes are playing out faster than ever, requiring us all to rethink, revisit, and then redouble efforts to seize any potentially viable opportunities, even those where there is little or no expectation of profit.

For my part, I’ve seen that success is demanding a great deal of effort. Fortunately, I’ve been ready, willing and able to step up — and happily, very good things are happening for me, my clients, and many of my friends and colleagues. I’m very excited about where things are heading, and while the commitments of my business can at times seem overwhelming, I feel it’s my willingness to persist in facing them that is my key to success. As a businessman, I’ve had to manage my interpersonal communications at a new level over the past several months, in order to incorporate and maximize a new communications channel of which I am becoming increasingly fond. I am referring to what has been the most important aspect of my professional growth, and my marketing efforts, over the past eight months: Twitter.

Thank you for bearing with me to this point — I aim to reward you for your interest. I’ve developed some more developed thoughts on this subject, but for the moment, and for whatever they may be worth, here are my top-level thoughts in favor of going ahead and beginning your business or personal use of Twitter, if you have not already.

. If you’re already using Facebook, by adding a feature called Facebook Connect, you can easily enable your Twitter account to automically update your Facebook profile… so while Twitter is seen by many as being something “extra” that they are certain they don’t have time for, Twitter can actually enhance your use of Facebook in a direct way, that’s pretty fun to use and easy to set up.

. Twitter offers you a way to actually connect with people you want to know in a meaningful way. As shown in the funny “Twouble with Twitters,” it may seem dumb for people to publicly share very brief thoughts with a group of friends and semi-acquaintances, but depending upon your interests and your personality, you can probably think of some things you’d like to share with — or learn from — at least some people in the world, and by looking at what others are sharing using this service, it often winds up being a very interesting way to pursue your interests and socialize.

. Going to this recent business conference, I found that virtually all the really sharp people are using Twitter… and it may even be safe to say that part of the reason they come across as being so well-informed and in-the-know is because of their willingness to be “open” to this very rich communications channel.

. I also learned about people and businesses who are missing real opportunities because they have avoided Twitter. That’s a shame to me, considering that it’s such an easy hurdle overcome by just playing around with it a bit. While Twitter can get complicated with all its add-on applications, I just use it in the simplest ways, and I’ve still experienced many benefits in my education, connectedness, and communications capabilities.

. Many people seem to be waiting for Twitter to go away. It very well might, but I feel that a much better approach is to jump in and see if it may be a fit for you. You never know, it might be just the thing to help you achieve your dreams.

. Finally, I want to admit that I delayed using Twitter for over two years after first hearing about it. After attending this recent business conference, I came away feeling like those individuals who are currently actively using Facebook and Twitter are some of the smartest people in business… and being able to share these experiences with them as a common interest put me in very good company.

This past week, Twitter launched a new ability to make Lists, where you can use your Twitter account to curate lists of users according to your interests. I spent a little time and made a list of the Twitter feeds of the companies and people I hooked up with at the 2009 Boards Summit, and another one unifying Twitter feeds of industry jobs. By taking a look at my personal Twitter feed below and the two lists referenced here, hopefully you’ll see something that gives you some sense of Twitter use being a worthwhile investment of your time.

"How To Use Twitter," from Howcast.com. With Twitter you have the potential to reach millions of users instantly. Use it to issue public safety alerts, broadcast real-time news developments, inform constituents, or solicit feedback. It’s free and easy to use – this video shows you how to get started.