Why do you tweet?

It seems as though everywhere I go, marketers look at me and ask about Twitter. They bring up the fact that they don't want to know "what everyone is having for breakfast" each day. So they usually ask me why I use Twitter. I've found the best answer is to ask my Twitter community in real-time while I am sitting with them.

This happened the other day when a person at another agency asked me the same question. I turned the conversation over to Twitter and received some really great responses. I'm not sure if she'll join, but she was impressed by the quality and sincerity of the replies.

I wanted to collect the responses I received and post them here. I had to jump right back into meetings so I didn't get a chance to thank everyone who replies, so let me say thanks to CC Chapman, David Brazeal, Tim Brunelle, George Nemeth, Rob Boles, Jeff Lowe, Trisha Jackson, Bo Jacobson, Dan Perry, CK, Steve Woodruff, Brendan Cooper, Megan Maguire, Kevin Huff, Joel Libava, Joe Pulizzi, Jeff Beeler, Alison Edward, the good folks over at Thundertech, Leslie Caruthers, "Cleveland" Mark Goren and Sean Scott for responding.

They even crossed over into Facebook because I have my last message on Twitter update my Facebook status.

Here are some new reasons from my message today:

So why do you use it? Let me know in 140 characters (or more if you like).

Technorati Tags:
conversations, Matt Dickman, social media, Techno//Marketer, Twitter, why do you tweet

Comments

[Steve Woodruff]

I'll tell you one major reason I Twitter, Matt - I'm a solo entrepreneur and I love having the "company" of like-minded folks who are a mouse-click away. Being a consultant can be lonely, even if you're a pretty independent person (as I am). On-line networking helps keep me challenged, engaged, and sane!

[Matt Dickman]

Steve -- I think it definitely bridges distance and keeps connections close. Thanks for sharing.

[Becky Carroll]

Twitter is great for getting quick answers, staying in touch (and top of mind), and catching up with my cyberspace friends. Even better when I get to meet them in person, like when we met up at BlogWorld! I already feel like I know them. :)

[Carolyn S.]

Well, of course I use it to stalk my son. What else can a mother do these days? So much better than texting because I not only keep tabs on him but also all his friends.
Seriously, I have expanded my blog audience which is great and I find resources and friends all over the country and the world.

[Matt Dickman]

Becky -- I agree that the physical connections that come from these virtual ones are amazing.

Carolyn -- I think stalking is part of the overall voyeurism that is a part of the Web2.0 movement. I also love the global nature of Twitter. The perspective I get is priceless.

[thunder::tech]

Thanks for compiling and sharing all these answers Matt! It is interesting to see everyone's Twitter motivation.

[El Gaffney]

i do it to be in many places at once. whether i'm at home, at the office, on the train, in a restaurant physically - i always have another world one view/tweet away. i'm post-run with @adrianho, in amsterdam with @katiedreke, etc.

[Dan Harris]

I started twittering to connect with new contacts from startup weekend. It was a small group, that met in person and worked together over a weekend. Then I realized how many people in various professions, with diverse interests were using Twitter and my curiousity led me to follow more and more. Now I'm hooked. I like sharing what I know, things I find, and quickly catching up with my extended tweets in minutes. Great post Matt.

[Brendan]

What I find remarkable is that you got so many replies before me (assuming the compilation above is chronological)! I swear, I jumped in the second I saw your tweet. I realise that webcasting is not instantaneous so other peeps must have got your tweet before me, or their replies might have hit you before mine did. Interesting.

[Devi]

A few weeks ago, my boss mentioned that he thought the company should look at marketing and networking through Twitter. I had thought the service a bit silly (since most of the posts I had seen dealt with breakfast cereal) but decided to try it for myself.

I’m now trying to use it as a way to connect with other writers and to keep people updated on the status of my projects.