From conversations I have with my SAP HR brethren, I am amazed at the number of people who are still not accessing Twitter on a regular basis.
Why should I sign up for yet another social network? I'm already using Facebook for my non-work life and LinkedIn for business.
In my personal experience, I've found that Twitter has become my go-to place for actionable, relevant information. The 140-character limit requires the messenger to really focus their thoughts. Jarret Pazahanick has done a great job explaining some of the merits of Twitter in some of his blog work (see the links to Jarret's content below), but considering that many of you still are not convinced, I thought I would add my voice to the chorus. This blog will focus on the top 5 myths/misconceptions on Twitter:
Myth #1- Twitter does not have business information.
Very False. There are a lot of people who tweet out a lot of really good information on a variety of subjects. For example if you follow some of the key people in SAP HR, you would have found out the following in the past couple of months before just about anyone else:
1. SAP was delaying EHP5
2. The year-end support packs were set to be delivered 10/14
3. SAP is delivering a W-2 solution for ESS (finally!)
4. SAP added in more ESS functionality during the delay in EHP5 rollou
5. Nakisa is offering a light version of its org chart for MSS
Myth #2-If I get an account, I have to tweet
False. I believe this is the biggest misconception that many people have about Twitter. For most people, Twitter is simply a consumption media. Everyone uses the internet every day to visit sites such as SDN and consume information, but few people have websites or blogs that we post to regularly. Twitter is often referred to "micro-blogging" which is an apt analogy. I can use it to get the latest SAP HR news as well as get breaking news from sites such as CNN or The Economist.
Myth #3- I need the permission of the person to follow them (ala Facebook)
False. In Twitter, I can follow whoever I want, and I do not need the person's permission to do so. Moreover, I can actually see who that person is following. So, for example, if I am interested in what Luke Marson (@lukemarson) has to say about the latest Nakisa offerings, I can look to see who he's following and choose to follow some of the same people he does--such as me @brandontoombs (shameless plug).
Myth #4- I need to be on my computer to use Twitter
Twitter's short format (140 character maximum) is ideally suited for your smartphone. I can't tell you how many times I've been waiting for a meeting to start and pulled out my iPhone and skimmed all of the latest news on Twitter . It's the perfect on-the-go medium. All of the major smartform players (iPhone, Android, Windows Mobile, and Palm) have a number of twitter apps to choose from.
Myth #5- Twitter users are more attractive
Ok, actually this one is true, at least as far as I am concerned. 🙂
Read More About It
As promised, here are links to a couple of great articles from Jarret Pazahanick. These will tell you how to get on the bandwagon.:
Value for SAP Customers to start using Twitter
Five Ways Twitter will Help your SAP Career
