Have You Heard The News About Twitter?

Amanda Moshier | February 10th, 2009

The social networking and microblogging service was slow to catch on, but since its launch in 2006, Twitter has become a communications tool for over 6 million tech-savvy users. Today it seems everyone and their mom is tweeting, and as someone who only recently figured out how to work the phenomenon to my advantage, I’m enjoying the thrill tweets bring to my daily routine.

The value of Twitter uncovered

I’ll admit, I was skeptical at first. Why send updates to my personal network, isn’t that what Facebook is for? I wasn’t sure how Twitter could benefit me or whether or not it was a waste of time, but it was Wpromote’s very own Mike Mothner who got me interested in learning more. Last week, he told me that a tweet about a his recent blog post landed us on Fresh Inc., the blog owned by Inc., the go-to online resource for small businesses and entrepreneurs.

It all started making sense.

How Twitter helps me professionally

In the past 24 hours alone, after tweeting about my blog on on Google Analytics, I have seen my ‘follower’ list triple in size. Internet marketers, social media experts, and online entrepreneurs have slowly begun to follow me on Twitter, and the more industry followers I gain (and the more interesting people I discover), the more I realize Twitter rocks.

The downside of Twitter’s massive popularity – charging brands to Tweet

Corporate and global brands have caught on to the Twitter craze, too, and are using the tool to engage directly with consumers. Brilliant. Unfortunately, however, as predicted in this 2008 recap, Twitter is now being forced to deal with potential abuse of its service by marketers and spammers, and may begin charging brands for tweeting.

I’m not sure I like the idea of brands having to pay because it makes the whole thing feel like a sham. I understand Twitter needs to monetize, but the fact that brands are tweeting for free makes me more inclined to listen to their message. It feels authentic. I like it.

Still, the thought of being showered with a deluge of spammy tweets makes me shudder. If it happened, I’d surely abandon tweeting altogether, which is why a move to nip the problem in the bud makes sense. At a time when Twitter is poised to expand and the world is only beginning to ‘get’ the value of tweeting as a news source and global communications tool, fast action is essential to fostering the long-term growth of Jack Dorsey, Biz Stone, and Evan Williams’ brainchild.

To learn more about why you should tweet, check out this post by our rockstar SEO Director, Aaron Kronis. If you’re not sure how to get started on Twitter, this CNET guide should tell you everything you need to know.

Happy tweeting.

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