Twitter: An Outsider's Guide

Part three in a series about Twitter (here's part one and part two).

There are plenty of long-winded articles out there about why Twitter is valuable. You don't need to bother with those. Twitter is only as valuable as you decide you want it to be. The deeper you get in, the more valuable it becomes.

Here are some great uses I've seen (some I use, some I don't):

• Getting up to the minute news (I'd be willing to bet that your favorite news source Twitters)
  
• Using it to update your Facebook status without having to get sucked into the mind-numbing vortex of poking, notes, pictures and requests.
• Letting people know you blogged about something (this can be annoying, though).
• Getting advice from real people about where to go and what to do in a strange town.

Here is how I use it:

• I tell people what I'm doing. That's what Twitter was designed for.
• I manage my daily task list.
• I have a group of designers and communications people that I follow. I can both learn from and teach these folks. It's a great mix.
  
• I talk to my friends and stay connected.

Here is how Grace Church is (and is going to be) using it:

• We're putting out summaries from our blog (through HootSuite).
  
• Prayer requests and devotional thoughts.
• Event information and weekend promotion.
• Volunteer coordination.

In Short:
If you don't want another thing to crowd your online life, steer clear. If you want to harness a valuable tool for your online life, climb on board. From what I can tell, Twitter is here to stay.