There is a lot of debate about the value of Facebook & Twitter. Here are two things that can make them worth some of your time.
1. Follow people, businesses or organizations that matter to you. Identify those who are in your field or in your area of interests. People are watching who you follow.
2. Add value to the people who follow you. If you run a business or lead an organization make sure that you are adding value when you contribute something on twitter. Don’t say things here that you wouldn’t say in a relevant business meeting. Please, don’t tell everyone about your morning breakfast from your work account.
To what extent do you think it’s valuable to try and personalize your work twitter account so that it’s more than just news? It seems like there could be some value in adding personal touches to engage people more.
Personal touches are great… especially as they relate to the actual work that you do. However, the bigger that you get the more that people have an expectation that your updates, comments, re-tweets, and personalization still involve the business that you are in. LOTS of people are overly active on their business accounts with personal dribble like the sandwich they had for lunch. I don’t even think you mom cares what sandwich you had for lunch unless it was hers and it is the best in the world!
A personalized example of twitter use for a business would:
‘Store closing early this afternoon on short notice; the sun is out in Seattle’
If you are a small shop, that is quirky, business related and sort of fun. And hopefully you twitter account is linked with other such local Seattle businesses and followers.
Hope this helps.