It's more than 140 characters

As some of you will know I have had a particularly bad week this past week, between being ill and finding out my cat had cancer I wasn’t having a great time of it. It culminated yesterday in having to make the awful decision to have my gorgeous 17yr old cat put to sleep.  Just over a week ago she had been fine.

I was absolutely overwhelmed yesterday by the sheer volume of well wishes, love and support I received from my Twitter friends. 

But, I shouldn’t have been.  Ever since I got into Twitter I have been one of it’s most vocal advocates, ask anyone how my face lights up when I am asked to discuss Twitter.

So what is so special about it?  Yes Twitter is a great tool for business, but let’s focus on one of the words used to describe it – Social.  It’s not all about business; it’s about building relationships, and also friendships.

I have made some great friends on Twitter over the past few months, these are people who I love to talk to about anything and everything, I am not pitching my business at them, I am genuinely interested in what they are doing and how they are feeling, and I am really fortunate to have been able to meet some of these people offline.

There are some great conversations that have been carried out just in those 140 characters, and many a fun Saturday night had by several of us chatting about something totally business free.

Twitter has examples everyday of people using it to share, the most recent example was that of Sartoti, a young girl undergoing a horrible operation, and Twitterers from around the world who have never met her sent her postcards to cheer her up after her surgery.

Sadly, most days on Twitter there is bad news, someone has lost a baby, a child, a loved one or yet another soldier has been lost and another family is suffering. It put's your own imagined problems into perspective.

But also there are the days where the good news is being shared, engagements announced, babies born and weddings taking place.

Twitter also recently helped one guy back into work after being made redundant, thanks to the support of Twitter he ended up with two job offers in just a few weeks, granted he got the jobs on his own merits, but would the opportunities have been there if it hadn’t been for Twitter.

Twitter is what you choose to make of it.  Yes I use it for business, but more importantly and much more frequently I use it for Social as well.  People love people, just be yourself on Twitter and you will be amazed at the new friendships and relationships that come out of it.

So thank you to those wonderful people who choose to interact with me on Twitter, you really do make a difference to each and every day.

10 comments:

  1. Sorry to hear your sad news, Helen - it's very little consolation, but 17 years is a good run - 119 in our years, isn't it? That doesn't help, mind you. :(

    You're very right about Twitter. The same is notionally true of any medium, but Twitter seems particularly good, because messages are just going out "into the ether" - not always to one single contact - the "random" interactions which can occur are what makes it fun, interesting, comforting and at times frustrating, all in one package!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Hi Helen. What a great post about Twitter. I love it too, mostly for the chance to connect with people I would not normally meet all over the country and the world. People love people, their stories, their highs and lows. Relationships are what make life what it is, a wonderful enriching experience. A problem shared is a problem halved they say, but I would add that a joy shared is a joy doubled.
    Bless you today xx

    ReplyDelete
  3. Hi Helen

    I'm so sorry to hear your news. I wasn't on Twitter much yesterday so didn't see your tweets. I do know how you feel. When I had to put my beloved cats down, I was distraught. Thinking of you and sending hugs. x

    I totally agree with your comments about Twitter. It isn't just a business channel. It's full of real people, with real issues and problems. Engaging with people and getting to know people is the main reason I use it.

    So far, I've made some life-long friends through Twitter. It's truly enriched my life!

    Take care.

    Nikki

    ReplyDelete
  4. Love the blog Helen, I agree Twitter is such a fabulous resource not just from a business point of view but also becuase of the new connection you make on a friendship level. I find it hard to count now how many new friends I have made and met over the past few month form Twitter.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Hi Helen,

    Hope you're feeling better. I found your blog via a retweet from pcshortcuts. Sorry to hear your news about your gorgeous pussycat (I've got 2 lovely cats. I'm pretty new to Twitter so found your comments on Twitter really encouraging.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Thanks for all the interaction on the blog today guys, I love Twitter as you know and glad to share that with everyone else.

    ReplyDelete
  7. ditto:

    I am finding it difficult to keep-up I only follow a few people. they are all great. Although Helen did threaten me and say, quote "if I ever stop using Twitter, she will never talk to me again"

    ReplyDelete
  8. Thank you for that Helen, great blog post. I also love Twitter, the posts make me laugh, cry and think. It can also be my mini World News Bulletin!
    I too use it mostly for chatting but do pop in a link to my shop, not too often though I hope.
    See you on Twitter!

    ReplyDelete
  9. So sorry to hear about your cat Helen - so sad ((((HUG))))

    I would be the first to admit to being a Twitter addict - I think its great for networking. Socially and for Business. I have had so many occasions where conversatons on Twitter have made me smile, solved problems for me, made my cry and have also found Business opportunities that would never have been without it! It's a great site!

    Thanks for the great post x

    ReplyDelete

Please feel free to comment.