Trouble with Twitter: Are You Making These Twitter Mistakes?

Twitter might be Godsend to some, but it does not hold all the answers. Yes, micro blogging can be very addicting and fun, but that is precisely the trouble with Twitter. I’m sure a lot of teachers, parents, employers and maybe even spouses around the world agree with me on this one. Twitter is known as the SMS of the Inte et due to the limited amount of characters you can send to an exclusive group of followers. Still, that does not diminish the appeal of this social media one bit. Here are some issues about Twitter to watch out for.nnTrouble # 1 with Twitter: It’s virtually irresistible. Many Twitter users admit that checking their Twitter account is one of the first things they’ll check when they turn their computer on. While this does not exactly pose a problem when you’re at home, it is a different matter when you’re at work. Some companies have actually restricted Twitter sites on their employees’ computers because it hinders workflow. Instead of composing filing documents into their respective folders, employees are twittering on their computers - maybe even twittering that they’re filing documents and then forgetting about actually doing it all together. There’s nothing wrong with using Twitter. Just keep it in moderation, and not when you have a list of other more important tasks to attend to. nnTrouble # 2 with Twitter: It’s a poor replacement. Twitter also has a nasty habit of taking over meaningful conversations and reducing them to 140 characters. Sure, it’s instant messaging in an attractive package, but Twittering thank you messages to the friends who attended your wedding is not the same as sending them thank you cards. In fact, it’s almost an insult to use Twitter to deal with such personal expressions of gratitude. Sending Twitter messages to dear friends can be fun, but don’t use it to take care of personalized special messages. nnTrouble # 3 with Twitter: It cannot promote your business single-handedly. More and more people are using Twitter these days, but that doesn’t mean you can rely on it to single-handedly market and advertise your business for you. While Twitter marketing can be effective for your business, it cannot stand alone. It needs the support of other means of marketing and advertising. According to CEO of Zappos.com Tony Hsieh (via Copy Blogger), they do find Twitter an advantage to their business but they don’t necessarily use it for “driving immediate sales.” Twitter helps spread the word around through followers – and can be extremely profitable as a marketing tool - but it should not be the sole backbone of your business. The trouble with Twitter is that it is sometimes being used in unproductive ways. But as long as you know its limitations and proper usage, you can achieve amazingly profitable and productive results with Twitter.