Twitter for Dummies - Laura Fitton [90]
Say that you come up with a major presentation about what your company does or sells, but you need something to complete it, such as a chart or a link to a relevant study. Twitter can probably help you find that missing piece. People on Twitter usually offer a helping hand when it comes to knowledge sharing, collaboration, and information gathering, especially if you spend time interacting on Twitter and building your network. Avid Twitter users are all aware of the same thing: By helping out others, they can get a hand when they need it.
The very existence of this book is an example of Twitter bringing people together for knowledge sharing and collaboration. Laura got to know two Wiley employees on Twitter and in person at conferences, which led to a conversation about Laura writing Twitter For Dummies. Laura in turn had met Michael and Leslie via Twitter-related conversations and events, and they had all come to trust one another over time. We also reached out via our personal Twitter accounts and @dummies on Twitter to ask the broader Twitter community what they thought belonged in a book about Twitter. Moving forward, we’ll continue to listen and interact via the @dummies account, our Web site, and, of course, via the community at Laura’s Twitter-powered community startup www.oneforty.com.
Chapter 12
The Social Side of Twitter
In This Chapter
Using Twitter as a support system
Connecting with people
Making new friends
Deciding who to follow
Getting quick answers
Sharing information
Just as businesses can benefit from using Twitter to build goodwill, communicate with stakeholders, and establish personal relationships with customers (which we talk about in Chapter 11), the service can likewise be used by individuals to build strong social connections. Through these connections, one can tap a wealth of resources that were heretofore unavailable due to limitations of time or distance.
As we show in this chapter, your Twitter network can help in a myriad of ways that range from the prosaic (such as recommending a favorite pizza place in an unfamiliar town) to life-saving (coordinating disaster relief efforts in real time). We also go into detail about the social benefits of strong Twitter connections and provide tips for building and participating in a supportive Twitter community.
Using Twitter as a Support System
Most people don’t realize this, but Twitter is a support system for your support system. Twitter keeps you connected in real time with the people in your life, providing support to your support system itself.
Many users instinctively turn to their Twitter network when they need to commiserate over a loss for their favorite sports team, when they get a promotion or a new job, when they lose a loved one, or when anything else happens that they want to share with a supportive network of people.
Twitterers have used the service to help displaced families, victims of natural disasters, abuse victims, job-seekers, animals in need, and even researchers who need people to take part in focus groups. Twitter has also proved useful for couch-surfers, who have come to know interesting and accommodating people in different fields of expertise.
Because Twitter helps people get to know each other on a more personal level, new friends can successfully meet and interact with each other offline.
As always, exercise caution when meeting people for the first time. Meet them in a public place, like a cafe or restaurant, and if you can, bring another friend with you, so you’re not alone. Pay attention to your instincts — if something doesn’t feel safe, it probably isn’t.
For many, Twitter has replaced