Twitter - Love it or Hate it?

Twitter - Love it or Hate it?

I've never really come across anyone who sits on the fence. When it comes to Twitter, people seem to either love it or hate it, get it or not.

It was a fair few years after setting up a Twitter account that I actually began to use it. I couldn't see the point really of having just 140 characters to post a status update and for others to do the same. The first few people I followed probably didn't help as I got to find out what they were having for breakfast or watching on TV on that particular day.

Years later after setting it aside for a fair few years, I'm now perhaps best described as a Twitter junkie! I'm struggling to remember what life was like before Twitter. I can't honestly remember what made the penny drop. Yes I admit that I do still keep in touch with what people are doing for breakfast and tuning into on the TV.

However, from a professional perspective, it's a massive part of my development. So what else do I use it for? To be honest, it's easier to list what I don't use it for, but I'll give it a quick stab....

- Researching topics for programmes I am designing

- Finding experts in particular fields

- Learning new stuff

- Keeping in touch with events that I can't be present at

- Finding out the real stories from real people as news happens

- Openly having conversations about topics of interest for the benefit of me and others in my network

- Building my network

- Discovering trends

- Gathering opinion

- Getting L&D insight at Twitter events, designed for L&D people (check out https://twitter.com/LnDConnect)

The list goes on and I'm sure there's more to add. It's not just about posting stuff, it's also about consuming stuff too! I'm not here to change your social media taste buds, but how's about this for a taste of Twitter...

The other month, I was delivering a Train the Trainer session for some Subject Matter Experts who were about to go out and design and deliver some training for themselves. I have a lot to discuss on that topic and believe I certainly have some credibility in that field having designed and delivered for a number of years. Even so, I thought it would be fun, useful and effective to bring in some of my external contacts, using Twitter, into the session.

So in the morning, I posted a Tweet asking experienced L&D people to share tips with new trainers. Throughout the day, the group kept checking back to see the conversation live as it built up. I had a Twitter Feed that I could switch to on the projected screen.

There's a photo below of some of what they saw....

So what's your view. Love it, hate it, get it or not? I'd love to hear your thoughts. Hey, and why not tweet me?

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Ady Howes - Community Manager, DPG

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Comments

  • Hi All. Some great replies on this one. Thanks loads. Thought you might find this link useful. Each week on a Friday at 8am UK time there is a great L&D Twitter conversation that takes place. I wasn't around for today's, but the great thing is the guys and gals that run this put together a useful summary of the tweets. Today's topic was "How can we influence L&Ders who still have the mindset that classroom training is the only way?"Have a look at the conversation by clicking on this link.

  • Here is a great example of a Twitter Chat on the very relevant subject of changing L&D's mindset and widen the thinking around how we support learning 

    https://storify.com/BurnhamLandD/how-can-we-influence-l-ders-who-st...

  • I love Twitter and have managed to convince the powers that be here to get the sales and marketing teams using it to promote the business. As a business we write lots of blogs and case studies so Twitter is a great way of promoting what we do. 

  • Great article! I love Twitter, it is a great networking tool and a great way to interact with customers and people who share the same interests as you.

    Since reading this article, I have followed yourself @adyhowes and @Powerhour60 and come across some really interesting tweets, facts and training information. #loveit

    • Phew we're already connected Amy ;)

      You should also check out the following hashtags as a great way to tap in to and get involved in relevant conversations

      #Chat2Lrn

      #LDinsight

      #LDlunch

      #elrnchat

       

  • I think its a really good tool for businesses to promote themselves - although it has to be used in the correct way. For our restaurant - its a vital part of our advertising and gives us a chance to interact with customers (we have built up a strong core of regulars by cementing the relationship with them through twitter). We have also found that for a business tool (i.e. the official account of a business) its important to have a personality, and to interact with issues/conversations not necessarily related directly to the business. If you simply promote the business constantly, people turn off. 

    In terms of using it myself - I use it to gather information, whether its finding out what competitors are doing or trying to improve my HR knowledge and developments. I don't tweet a lot myself personally at the moment, but I still have tweetdeck running so I can keep up to date on things. 

  • Hi Ady,

    This has come at the right time for me. last night I deleted all my "Following" and  started again, re instating a few.  I too have learnt a lot but have much more to go.

    I am not interested in what the people I follow re-tweet as it is never relevant to me, is there a way of blocking re-tweets and just getting what they tweet. I find from the people I have followed in the past that this where the professional boundary crosses in to the personal one and that is what face book is for.

    Any other tips to keep the breakfast comments out will be welcome.

    H

    • I think lists might help Howard - you can create specific lists of people who tweet certain things and these people don't appear in your timeline. 

      Came across this useful article on LinkedIn 

      http://linkis.com/lnkd.in/Rdbk0

      • Will follow the list of # you propose above. Cheers Mike

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