GrindEFX

By now you’ve heard of Twitter. You may have checked out the site, maybe even signed up for an account. Perhaps you’ve even twitted a couple times yourself.

But if you’re like most people I’ve talked to, you’re wondering just what all the hype is about.

You’re asking, “WTF do you do with Twitter?”

Do not worry, you’re not alone. For every Ashton Kutcher out there, there are thousands asking themselves why they would want strangers “following” them in the first place. Nielsen Online reported earlier this year that for every 10 people who sign up for a Twitter account, only 4 continue to use it after a month.

I’m no Twitter evangelist – I’m not here to say you have to have a Twitter. But I do use it daily, and have found it useful. And after hearing so many of my friends ask “Why?” when I mention I Twitter, I thought it would be helpful to answer that question in more depth.

By way of review, Twitter allows you to setup a profile and then post short text entries, limited to 140 characters (with links to other websites allowed). Other twitter users can then “follow” you, allowing your updates to appear on their profile – and you can do the same with other users. You can update your twitter on your cell phone, as well as receive updates from the people you’re following if you want.

That’s all it is. Nothing more, nothing less. It’s kind of like Facebook, if you took away everything except the status updates. But that still doesn’t answer the big question of “Why?”

It’s not as bad, or as great, as anyone says

In this funny College Humor video, “Dan” imagines what the world would be like if Twitter was real life. “Just watched The View this morning, not so bad!” he shouts to no one in particular. It seems to be that a lot of people perceive Twitter to be like this. “Why do I want to know what kind of soup you had for lunch?” they ask.

On the other hand, an independent musician might, upon reading that Amanda Palmer of the Dresden Dolls made $19,000 in 10 hours on Twitter, conclude that it is the golden key to success on the internet.

Both these examples are extreme sides of the coin. As I said before, there is nothing magical about Twitter.

I see Twitter as a tool – just another avenue for communication and networking. It’s usefulness comes from its simplicity.

That 140 character limit makes Twitter very conducive to quick and instant communication – an ease that makes people at all levels of your field or profession accessible. Email requires committment to respond to, and that’s if it gets noticed at all (you can easily find people you might want to contact who receive more emails than they have time to read every day). But a brief comment or question on Twitter often elicits a brief answer or followup from even the busiest person.

Because Twitter is so simple and straight-forward, however, users are just as idiosyncratic as the people behind them. You’ll find this at whatever level of the hierarchy a person holds in real life. If all you’re reading about in your stream is what random people had for lunch, then yeah, it’s pretty useless. Going up the food chain, some professionals may simply be reposting blog articles they wrote elsewhere, while some engage in more personal conversation. Celebrity users are everywhere on Twitter, but again some may be run by a harried personal assistant offering little more than publicity snippets while others may be personally communicating with their fans – insights into their personal lives, their creative process, etc.

Independent musicians are in the business of connecting with their fans, so if they haven’t already, they should check out Twitter. It shouldn’t be the central avenue for their promotion strategy, but it also shouldn’t be ignored. Like any other promotional tool, it should be used how the artist sees fit. For independent artists, that often means using it organically: don’t try to rack up as many followers as possible, don’t use it as just another place to mass-blast your latest PR.

Oh, and don’t be afraid to follow GrindEFX on Twitter!

Image courtesy of carrotcreative