Twitter's Real Value Is In Personal Connections

Adam I think you along with few others have really brought Twitter on the forefront. You are a thought leader. it has given an opportunity for us to be in league with other thought leaders and instantly be connected with a human touch. This is a revolutionery trend. What it took months or days now is instant and with a personal touch.

I agree with @velvetescape about the value of interacting. Twitter isn't about talking "at" your audience, it's about talking "with" your audience. Just as much as the @reply can tell you about how effectively they're using Twitter, so too are the re-tweets and number of following/followers. Our Twitter expert for @pegexec is adamant about avoiding the "at".

Great article. Twitter is indeed about interacting, sharing information and community-building. I still see many companies/organisations who just shoot promo messages and deals into the Twittersphere and think they've done enough. Look up their Twitter page and often, you won't see a single @reply (indicating a sorry absence of engagement). In my view, this only does more harm than good to the company/organisation's brand/image. It's also a terribly wasted opportunity. Time for these companies/organisations to get some Twitter consultants to help them out!

For the team here, Twitter is about engagement. Making a difference to one guest at a time. We humbly want to share a guest testimonial: This morning I noticed that the hotel had used twitter to respond to some other event attendees who’d remarked on the venue, so I posted a comment of my own using the new “public” twitter account that I set up for the conference (and to use for “professional” purposes so that I can continue to jealously protect my personal account). They replied quickly, asking what exactly I’d enjoyed about the hotel. It’s clear that they’re using twitter as a conversational medium, not as an impersonal marketing channel. They get it. As I went on with my day, I forgot about the exchange. But then, this afternoon, the message light came on my room phone, and the front desk told me there was an “amenity” to be delivered to my room. Fifteen minutes later, a waiter appeared at my door with a tray of tea and hot water…and, far more importantly, a lovely hand-written thank you note from the Westin staff signed by more than dozen of their staff. Now that’s customer service. Next time I have to run an event at a hotel in Bellevue, you can bet that I’ll be looking at the Westin as my choice. That kind of attention to detail, and engagement with customers, is the best of what social media can effect. Bravo!

what a great article. being novice hope to use effectively develop personal links to our customers.