When I first began using Twitter, I was incredulous that this type of medium would be of any value to either me personally or to my real estate career. My thought was "why would anyone care to know what the heck I am doing every minute of the day?" I was talked into creating a profile by my office manager because as he proclaimed, "It's social networking Rose, just like going to the Chamber After Hours!" So I went for it. Incredibly, I have found that i like using Twitter for a variety of reasons.
1. I have made many new friends! At last count, I was following over 1,000 people and had over 800 following me. Exponentially, i had grown my sphere of people in just a couple of months. Some of these people have become really good and close friends with shared experiences and social benefits.
2. I have learned so much during my time on Twitter. I've learned about twitter tools such as www.twitpic.com (which allows you to post pictures), www.tweetlater.com (to continue your twitter presence if you know you can't get to your computer for length of time) and www.tweetdeck.com (helps you organize your "tweets" or posts). In a round-about way, I've learned about marketing myself in an entirely different way.
3. My Activerain Blog traffic (and coincidentially my website also) has increased significantly. When I added Activerain to my Twitter account, any blog entries that i write get automatically updated on Twitter; so my audience enlarges with Twitter.
4. It has helped me to stay up-to-date on current events. Even by checking into Twitter updates once a day, I am able to parse through the information and gather what is important to me. Last week, I found important and valuable information about listing short sales! But it could be information considered mundane to others, but to me was significant such as recipes, books to read, and pets.
5. My writing has improved by using Twitter. I have learned that being clear, concise, and correct all contribute to my effectiveness as a writer. Since i only have 140 characters, it has forced me to write short, bite-sized informative chunks of information.
6. It has shown me reality like I've never seen it before. While I have always considered myself a straight-forward and authentic person, (not subtle at all), I never gave much thought to how others might react to that. Being on Twitter, I have come to realize that all people have quirks, that they experience the same wide range of emotions that I do, and that everyone has both good and bad sides to their personalities. By sharing all this on the Twitter forum, people (or tweeple) are able to share themselves in a unique way.
7. I have loved the way Twitter has enabled me to stay in touch with people that I enjoy and that matter to me. While other mediums are also capable of doing much the same, Twitter is so fast that it creates a quick and easy bond. My relationships with others have improved, my level of communication has increased, and my feeling of well-being is enhanced!
8. It is addictive (I admit it). Twitter is seductive. My husband asked me recently, what is so fun about writing "what I am doing" umpteenth times a day? I realized that isn't what Twitter is about; it's about sharing yourself to others, and allowing them to share themselves with you. It can be funny, emotional, sad, or just plain entertaining.
9. It is relatively quick, easy, and free way to invest your time. I limit my Twitter Time to once in the morning (for about 5 minutes) and later in the evening while dinner is cooking (another 5 minutes).
10. I haven't realized a sale as a direct consequence of being on Twitter, or if by "marketing" myself as a realtor on Twitter will lead to any business, but I suspect that it will. Just the fact that 1000 people are now aware of me as a professional, should translate into tangible business in the future. As one of my "twitnicks" said to me, "Twitter gives you another way to build your brand". I think it just might do that.
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