Twitter is the hottest educational tool in the social media world.
Hands down! Although some may feel Twitter is nothing more than a glorified Facebook status, this powerful micro-blogging tool connects and informs people from all over the world.
With the ability to customize, filter information through search results and get up to the second tweets, Twitter has the leg up on delivering fast and resourceful information.
So how can you leverage all of this rapidly changing media and innovation? With these three twitter tips, you too can join the Twittersphere and change your professional and personal life for the better.
First, be sure to seek out thought leaders.
Yes, it seems tempting to keep your Twitter account filled with the most random and quirky people or your Hollywood favorites, but in order to fully benefit from your Twitter experience, it is important to follow a variety of professionals (at least 5 from each major field), trade publications, prominent figureheads and media outlets.
Why? It broadens your perspective of the latest happenings, and enables you to network.
No matter what line of business you are in, you can find entry-level or established executives in the Twitter community ready to make a difference and share information.
Try to use the "Who to Follow" and "Browse Interests" tabs to skim through the categories or users.
Look for individuals who add value, are highly active in their industry and are passionate about what they do.
For example, if you are searching for PR professionals, type in "public relations," "PR," or "publicist" in the search box, and check all of the followers who interest you.
Again, in order to get a really diverse twitter timeline, choose the movers and shakers in the Browse Interests tabs and follow them.
They may range from prominent thought leaders to national organizations in just about every industry imaginable - Business, Arts, Entertainment, etc.
By following people in different sectors, you increase your knowledge and become well-rounded.
Besides, you don't want to restrict yourself only to topics/peers in your field - especially for business purposes.
(That off the wall banter in between those last-minute meetings and icebreaker inspired topics may come from your precious Twitter feed! You never know!) Twitter Tip #2: Utilize the search feature regularly! For instance, if you're trying to research environmental issues, try search-specific keywords such as Safe Drinking Water Act 2011.
Your Twitter results will show an array of facts, comments and concerns from all types of people and organizations - a great way to forge relationships, track data, create poll questions, and anything else your creative mind can muster up.
Twitter Tip # 3: Keep an eye out for industry-related hashtags (i.
e.
#jobs or #marketing).
If you can think of it, there's probably a hashtag for it! It's a great way to look up topics and see who's tweeting about them.
It's also one of the best ways to discover events, job or volunteer opportunities, and more.
You can even search specific tweets from users and favorite other users' tweets that are of great value! Think of it like a bookmark or highlighter, it just allows you to go back to that spot and recall what was of importance.
Long gone are the days of sitting around your table in the morning reading the newspaper.
Now you can just open up your smartphone and read the most popular news and info at your fingertips - anytime, anyplace.
Ah, you gotta love Twitter - your one stop education shop.
© Janelle Howell, 2011.
All rights reserved.