Twitter, what's with the hype?

So, this post is actually an assignment. Thing is, I’ve never been one to follow the rules, at least not entirely. I’m supposed to talk about Twitter, more so about how it works, what one can do with it and the technical aspects. Thing is, I’d rather talk about my own experience with Twitter. For those few out there who are still reluctant to give it a shot, let me give you my reason for trying Twitter out. Don’t worry, I was once one of those reluctant few. I mean what exactly could 140 character IMs do for one in the real world? Apparently, quite a lot.

I’ve noticed there seem to be two kinds of Ad/PR majors. Those that have just joined the ranks, have finally made it into the program and thought this might be a cool major. Boy are you in for a surprise. The latter are the veterans, the one who have Intern Pursuit and interviews wired and have already figured out the value of Twitter. Don’t worry this article will catch you up to speed.

Now, you might be wondering what made me give Twitter a chance?

Curiosity. Let’s face it. We keep hearing about Twitter being some marvelous social media tool. Would you be reading this if you didn’t wonder what all the hype was about?

I didn’t think so.

Open those eyes. At the risk of sounding cliché, sometimes you just have to open your eyes. Twitter allows users into a new world that their predecessors could never have accessed. What is this world you ask?

Whatever you want it to be.

Dare to dream. You want to be a big ad exec one day? Well, follow Disney’s Creative Director on Twitter, then stalk his blog, then find his LinkedIn. No this isn’t a tool for stalkers but instead a tool to network and learn and keep up-to-date with industries that are ever changing, whether it be advertising, film, trout migrations, or my personal favorite, the publishing industry.

Network baby. OK, so perhaps not everyone uses Twitter to stalk the person with his or her dream job. In fact, most consider it a valuable networking tool. Think about it, Twitter grants access to the Creative Director at Disney or that editor at HarperCollins. Be active, comment and read what these professionals post. As a follower you could be privileged to information others normally wouldn’t have. Say that Creative Director was in quite a good mood and he knew plenty of students followed him. So instead of posting the new internship position available on the company website he gives a shout-out to his followers. BAM—you may have gotten an internship opportunity all from spending some time online. Fun ain’t it?

Don’t believe me? Here’s someone it worked for. Nicole Zoltack answered a Twitter call by a publisher looking for linked short stories. According to Zoltack, “It’s how I got contracted for my ‘What You See Is What You Get’ series”.

“It’s definitely a community,” said Larissa Hardesty, an avid writer and Twitter user. “I love it.”

Twitter is versatile. You can use it to network, to imagine what that dream you’ve been chasing after your whole life looks like or maybe just to open your eyes to something you never thought existed.

All I’m saying is--believe the hype.

Liz