There is one very good reason you should be on Twitter, and it has nothing to do with sharing what you ate for lunch (as important as that might be for some people).
And funnily enough, it hasn’t got anything to do with building your network and connecting with key influencers and other interesting and savvy individuals (as critical as this can be in terms of growing your business or enhancing your career).
No, the one key reason to be on Twitter – if indeed you still need one – is that you will become a smarter person as a result.
Let me unpack that thought for a moment.
Twitter is home to some of the sharpest minds on the planet. People who are thought leaders in their space. Points of reference for their industry.
Thought leaders aren’t just smart people, but they’re smart people who read.
They go to conferences and meet other smart and interesting people.
And then there are those thought leaders who are also active on Twitter and invariably share some of their knowledge and expertise with the world.
Videos and podcasts
Even if it’s just sharing links to some of the interesting articles and videos and podcasts they’re reading (or watching or listening to).
If you follow their blog and other articles they write, you’re probably going to be all the better for the experience
If you gain the ‘inside running’ to the news and information they consume (and happen to share via Twitter), you are definitely going to become smarter than the next guy (if indeed you take the time to read and watch and listen to said resources).
If they are the type of person who interacts with others on Twitter and regularly tweet observations and insights relevant to your business or industry, or the cause or issue you’re interested in, this is like a ‘free pass’ into their mind.
Richer for the experience
Now, if you duplicate this path of action and follow numerous authorities and thought leaders in your profession, industry or community – if you absorb not only the content they create but the links they share and the comments they make – well, I’d say your mind will be all the richer for the experience.
Which of course can manifest itself in many different ways, but let’s just say if you’re savvier than others, it can only be a positive thing (in business and professional employment).
So the real reason you need to be on Twitter is to follow (and take note of) smart people.
Let them become your ‘editors’.
Don’t worry about buying newspapers and magazines. Let your coterie of Twitter editors bring you all the relevant news and information and insights that will in turn help you become a smarter operator than you would be had you not ventured into the Twitterverse in the first place.
And here’s the kicker: Why not also start following some of the people these thought leaders follow and interact with on Twitter! It’s a great way to start building an online ‘brains trust’ that will serve you well over your professional journey!
P.S. As an aside, I follow many thought-leaders on Twitter. Here is a sample of the people who help me on a daily basis become a smarter operator:
- @briansolis
- @jonathanfields
- @mitchjoel
- @markwschaefer
- @nilofer
- @DionneLew
- @jaybaer
- @brainpicker
- @ginidietrich
- @leeodden
- @MarketingProfs
These are whip-smart people with whom I check in with regularly via an app called TweetDeck. As a result – and in my humble opinion – I am all the better for doing so.
Who are your ‘Twitter editors’?
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