In case you don’t know what Twitter is, the basic premise of it is that you post short frequent updates about what you’re currently doing. You can also subscribe, or “follow”, other users. Not a lot of us are interested in that – you might think. That could be the case, or not, as there are a lot of people out there who have thousands of followers.

So what is the point of this?

The main thing regarding twitter is that it can be a productivity gain, or a dead loss, depending on how you intend to use. If you are just using it to “tweet” random things like “I’m walking home from work” then there is little gain from using it, other than as an ego gratification tool.

Ok, so now you have it in a nutshell what Twitter is.

One of the ways that Business is using this tool is to connect with customers on a more real-time level, providing a bit more personalised stream of information. This is a useful way of keeping up with what’s happening with products and services that you’re interested. The difference being with Twitter is that it’s permission based, rather than “We have your email and we’re holding it to ransom”. At least spam hasn’t quite reached this far yet, although I predict that within 6 months to a year there will be an awful lot more spam than there is now.

I’ve found that you need to focus on what you “Tweet” about in order to make twitter useful. There is really no need for us to know about your dog, or what you had for breakfast. There isn’t any need for us to know about any part of your life really.

Sharing a link that you found useful, or telling us how you manage to get so much done on the other hand, could be. The advantage to you of your productivity is that you get a record of what you found out, we get to share it, and you might just understand what you shared a little bit better.

Then there is the commitment aspect. If you say that you are going to do something, and put it down in writing, you are more likely to feel committed to it, and actually get round to doing it. Maybe.

Next there is the improvement you will see in your writing, as you struggle (at first) to get used to the limited number of characters you have to express yourself. You may get frustrated at first, but if you persevere, you will get better. Trust me on that one.

Below are some tips on how to make yourself productive (rather than a time waster) on Twitter.

1. Tweet as many of the things you’re doing out to the world as you can.
2. Be specific.
3. Be honest.
4. Ask questions.
5. Answer questions when you have a good answer to give.
6. Respond to other people when you have the time.
7. Don’t be afraid to experiment, or ditch it if it isn’t working for you.

For other ideas on this see: http://lifedev.net/2007/01/how-to-use-twitter-as-a-productivity-tool/ or http://lifedev.net/2006/12/twitter-business-gain-or-productivity-drain/ from which this post took inspiration.

Feel free to add your own tips and ideas in the comments.