Why are you on Twitter?

April 6, 2011 8 comments Buffer

Why are you on Twitter?

As regards Twitter I am not an early adopter, I have to admit. Actually I am a super late adopter. It was not until spring 2010 that Twitter put its magic spell on me. I found the reasons for spending time on Twitter are very varied and differ from person to person. Here are a few reasons which motivate me – are they the same reasons for you?

 

To learn and to grow

One of the foremost reasons that triggered me to join is to learn. What better place is there than Twitter? It is the fastest information highway in the world.

There is no better place to learn in a fast and targeted way about all the things that interest you.

If you are here to learn too and are interested in finding the right people, who are like-minded, check out this great list of places you can go to.

There are so many great people tweeting amazing resources all day, I am very sure you will never get tired of finding new and interesting users if your aim too is to learn and to grow.

 

To build relationships

Building relationships which carry true value is another goal which Twitter is truly built for.

Early on we learnt that the ease of how Twitter allows you to connect to people without barriers makes it an incredible facilitator of new conversations.

Learning more about the great projects and various interests of the people we meet on Twitter is a true enhancement of our day to day experience.

One thing that might appear a little difficult if you are new to twitter is to get hold of existing established users you find interesting. If you think people feel so engaged with each other you don’t dare to interrupt their flow, don’t worry about it.

Sparking up conversations is really simple, read up on some great techniques.

Another great thing is of course that you have to get to the point, all you have got is 140 characters. This really helps to go beyond small talk immediately and jump right into the interesting stuff.

 

Out of curiosity

At first this might not seem worth mentioning so much. But exploring the world of Twitter has of course also much to do with a sheer human craving to learn about the new and the unheard of.

Our natural human need, which is sometimes overthrown by the fear of change, is very well reinforced whilst being on Twitter. In this sense I believe you can even see Twitter as a driver of personal development.

It teaches me about life, straight to the point and ongoing.

The world of Twitter users constantly shows us loads of new things we can still explore and learn about. This is another key reason for me to be here.

 

Why are you on Twitter?

These are just a few reasons which describe why Joel and me love spending time on Twitter. How about you?

What are the reasons and moments that trigger the “This is why I love Twitter so much” thought for you?

I would love to hear about them and discuss them with you. Please leave a comment with your thoughts below.

 

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  • http://twitter.com/MarianneWorley Marianne Worley

    Have you ever read a post and wondered how the writer was able to read your mind? I couldn’t agree more with everything you said. I’ve only been on Twitter for a few months (a super-late adopter!), but I found it fascinating from the moment I joined.

  • Berrich

    Good info but the scam type ad above the comment box bothers me.
    It warns that browers setting is preventing you from logging in.
    If I click the link I will surely get a virus if I was using Windows.
    Good thing I have a Mac!

  • http://twitter.com/LeoWid Leo Widrich

    Marianne, wow this is such a wonderful comment, thanks a lot for your kind words.

    So good to hear you are having a similar experience to me, definitely, I don’t think the great conversations we are able to lead here are able to be led somewhere else in this hassle free manner.

    Thank you very much for stopping by, hope to speak to you some more soon! :)

  • Anil Anar

    It’s a great way for language learners and students like me. I’m studying Japanese and it’s a great place for me to practice my Japanese. I’ve been on twitter since 2009 and it helped me with my English, too. :)

  • http://twitter.com/BeingCallum Callum Hill

    I’m on Twitter purely because it’s a haven for information regarding start-ups by young entrepreneurs; a topic I follow excessively!

  • http://twitter.com/LeoWid Leo Widrich

    Callum, thanks for your comment.

    You are absolutely on the right track then I believe. Twitter definitly is just like you say a haven with a vast amount of great infos. Me too, I am trying to follow the startup scene from there! :)

    Hope to speak some more soon.

  • http://twitter.com/LeoWid Leo Widrich

    Anil, thanks for your comment.

    Wow, that is a great reason you are having there. I never thought about that, but it looks very obvious to me now! Twitter is definitely made for Practising languages I have the feeling now that you describe your experiences with Japanese and English it all makes a lot of sense.

    Many thanks for stopping by, hope to hear more from you soon! :)

  • http://lighthouse-insights.blogspot.com/ Prasant Naidu

    Nice question that didn’t make me think as given a choice i will spend my 12-13 hrs on twitter and still want for more(apps make it more killer.)
    when i started as a normal user i never understood the power of 140 words but today when i have found LHI as my passion i know the value.
    1. I am on twitter for information/news etc. i am going to beat my time line one day :)
    2. I am on twitter to find and connect with like-minded people. when i started it was like connecting with 100′s of people without thinking, over the few months i have made it slim, gives me more chance to speak up with guys like you.
    3. I am on twitter to share things with people and see how twitteraties take it. this more related to links, blog posts etc…get an instant open feedback and way to draw people to my blog also.
    4. I have used twitter for an email campaign to collect noteworthy speakers for a smm summit in india and believe me i connected with 10 industry leaders all with the help of simple ‘@’. it really works and the action time was max 60 minutes.
    5. Engagement is easy with 140 words :)

    I am proud twitteraty and thanks for the post. hope i have not over-boarded ur comment section with a big comment :)