Yes, that’s right – Twitter is not all fun and games (although it can be – the subject for tomorrow’s post!).
Can it be used for professional reasons? Absolutely. And once you learn this it is hard to turn back because it is so useful.
Remember when I wrote about social networks and the ability to bring geographically disperse, like-minded people together? Twitter does the same thing. I follow people (from all over the world).
People I follow on Twitter
Most of the people I follow I am similar to in some way (except for maybe the llama). Twitter brings us together to allow us to have discussions (albeit short ones).
Here are a few of the most popular professional uses of Twitter.
#CHATS
Example of TweetGrid on the #lrnchat hashtag, but not during a session.
There are Twitter Chats that happen on many different subjects. Usually one hour is set aside for anyone to join in on a chat and it is assigned (by the moderator) a #hashtag. Then they use web page like TweetGrid or a downloaded app like Tweetdeck to watch the chat’s #hashtag. They will automatically update.
Then, at the appointed time, those who want to join do a short intro (every tweet will have the hashtag) and the moderator will ask the first question. Everyone else will start answering and having discussions about the topic and sharing resources (links to more information). These are very valuable discussions which help you step out of your comfy box and find out what others are doing or how they have tackled certain problems.
Sound good? Find a Twitter Chat that interests you. Here is a short list of twitter chats. There are chats for the organizational learning profession – #lrnchat (a favorite of mine); accountants – #AcctgChat; knowledge management – #KMers; children’s literature – #kidlitchat; social media – #socialmedia; young moms – #youngmoms; dogs – #WoofWkly, and a ton more.
#CONFERENCES
This is what hooked me on Twitter. Every conference nowadays will have a specific hashtag. For exmaple, the Enterprise 2.0 conference uses #e20conf. Those tweeples at the conference can use the hashtag to discuss or share the content of keynotes, sessions to those who didn’t come, which sessions to come to because they are so good or which ones to avoid, and to hook up with others for dinner after the conference. There are many more ways to use it – these are only a few.
#TOPICS
Dave Wilkins and I used to moderate a “social learning question of the day “(@slqotd). We would ask one question and everyone would answer. We used a little bit of technological magic that made it so when you DM’d @slqotd, everyone who followed received the response, but we got too much spam. I haven’t done it for a while, but need to get back on track.
Others, however, have done it differently. For example, #lrn2day – what have you learned today? Andrew McAfee asks a question a day using #andyasks. Everyone answers with that hashtag. Everyone else follows it to see all the answers.
There are lots of ways to do it.
#QUESTIONS
So many times I have thrown out a question on Twitter and received immediate responses from people who knew more than I do. These are people I would not normally have access to. What a great resource that is!
ASIDE: In a session where I spoke about Twitter, one person asked why I didn’t just Google a question. I brought up the point that the answer may not be out on Google (imagine that!). But someone from that session later emailed me his AH-HA moment which I feel is worth quoting:
“I hadn’t thought much about the power of Twitter, but yesterday’s session brought it into focus for me. When I do a regular internet search, I’m either added or doomed by my choice of words for the very rule-based machine search that ensues. In Twitter, I benefit from the interpretive skills of fellow human brains that read and interpret my need and thus are able to better design a relevant response.”
Well said!
#THROUGHtheDAY
All day I have Twitter up on my screen. When I have a free moment, I look at it. I always find something valuable to my profession. A link to a study. A reference to a new technology I had not heard about. A new perspective that helps me broaden my own. A person in need that I can help by responding to.
BTW – there is so much coming in that I miss most of it. And remember – it is OK to let go of what you missed. Taking in more than you are able would overwhelm you. Don’t even try. 
Do you have any more professional uses of Twitter that you can share with us? Use the comments below!
Tomorrow: The fun side of Twitter and great Twitter apps.
