Type "What is the point of Twitter?" into Google...

...and you will be presented with a long list of bloggers and articles addressing that very question. Read a few and you soon get the idea that Twitter either is pointless, or is whatever you want it to be. It can be a way to bore your friends with the mundane details of your day or, as the vid at top left explains it, a way of opening the doors between your interests and those of your friends. Pollies use it to spruik. Spammers use it to sell. Writers and comedians use it to develop a character. But is it a fad or a twend? (ok, apologies for that one).

Well, Mr Brown has dipped his brogue (https://twitter.com/Mr_RPBrown) for the simple reason of ‘goin’ with the flow’. To my mind the essence of Twitter is as a loose conversation between people with shared interests. I say 'loose' because the conversation mostly rambles aimlessly; the conversation can be very one sided; and you're not sure who (if anyone) is listening. For those wanting more from their Twitter than vapid updates of daily humdrum, Twitter is a way of promoting whatever is you do. Some examples will illustrate this.

Dave Navarro is a rock star. The guitar hero of Jane's Addiction has over 10,000 followers on Twitter. Dave is a prolific twitterererer. Every hour or every 10 mins, depending on what's happening. What does Dave Twitter about? His studio session, his online radio website, his concerts, and his PS3 ‘Dead Space’ addiction during band downtime. Basically, Dave is busily promoting the activities of his band. On the day of his concert in Austin, Texas we followed Dave from his morning cuppa, through press interviews and the soundcheck, dinner, waiting in the hotel lobby, driving to the venue, minutes before going on and... wait for it... a Twitter after the first song! I'm not sure what the rest of the band did while Dave twitted away in the corner of the stage. But for a fan of the band the sense of connection with the band (or at least Dave) at that moment, was a buzz. (Did that sound a little sad?).

Actor Stephen Fry is another prolific Tweeter. Every few minutes Stephen is updating his 340,000 followers with details of his trip around South East Asia filming some wildlife TV program. In effect, Stephen is using Twitter as pre-publicity for his forthcoming show, a virtual ‘The making of...’.

With amusing updates on his day, Dave "Hughesy" Hughes is effectively promoting his radio, tv and theatre gigs to over 7,000 followers. Britney Spears' fans are kept up-to-date about... who cares? (well, over 500,000 followers actually).

The key to marketing on Twitter is to remember that it is about connecting with people - it is not a billboard. This kind of micro-blogging will have many uses in bringing businesses, brands and people together, although not always in the way intended as you can read in this article about an angry customer and their bank. Article: News.com.au

To be a Twitter Tw@t or a Twitter Not? That is the question.