Sometime in the beginning of summer I was convinced to set up a twitter account. I explored the social network and quickly lost interest. Twitter's distinguishing feature is that the site is a platform for members to type up to 140 character-long messages. The idea is that anything can be said in that small amount of space. For you Facebook users, think of twitter as the status space on your profile.
Initially, I found twitter intrusive. I didn't want to tell friends, none-the-less strangers, what I was doing from moment to moment. And so I closed my twitter tab and returned to Facebook.
Months later, I was compelled to give twitter another try. This time I came to twitter with a purpose; to exist and participate in the green community. First, I changed my twitter account name from a monotonous name (H_R_N) to a green-themed name (ecowarriorr). This notified others that I was interested in the environment. Second, I looked for green companies that I admired (Ideal Bite, Grist) and "followed" or in Facebook terms, "friended" them. I scanned these companies' friend lists for people who were also interested in green...things. Slowly, I began following more people.
Meanwhile, I was posting about relevant and interesting eco-news, environmentally friendly tips, and thoughts. To my surprise, people started to follow me. Today, my fellow twitters range from companies, experts, friends, family, peers--all of whom are making constant updates on their own twitter accounts. Tweets range from status updates to interesting leads, blogs, and interesting products. Twitter is great when you have an interest you identify with. Chances are, there are people on twitter who share your interest.
So, join twitter. Check it out. Go ahead, give it a go and tweet out!
X,
Eco Warrior