Why is Twitter useful for work?10

Last week I was running a briefing session on social media – and asked people that follow me on Twitter to help prove to some particularly sceptic delegates that social media could be useful for professional purposes, so I tweeted:

proving value of twitter in soc med trg group – pls reply with your job/org to prove twitter is useful for work (convince sceptics in room)
10:53 AM Sep 16th from web

The answers were really useful, so I’ve published them here for future reference:

alncl @simonwakeman I use twitter for work every day. It provides examples of best practice and a chance to share problems and solve them together
11:00 AM Sep 16th from HootSuite

harry_harrold @simonwakeman I’m a project manager. Twitter helps keep up to date with best practise: I get help, I help others.
11:04 AM Sep 16th from web

escapetocreate @simonwakeman Am developing a new tourism business – twitter great for connecting me to people who want to work with and buy from me
11:05 AM Sep 16th from TweetDeck in reply to simonwakeman

ingridk @simonwakeman Policy /KM/project manager type role – Twitter essential for me in discovering new practice in gov, a network of the helpful
11:11 AM Sep 16th from TweetDeck

leejorgensen Looking 4 stats/research on social media use. Have @simonwakeman http://bit.ly/FjVLB & @lizayan LGEO http://bit.ly/VOtpw #lgcsoc #psfbuzz
11:12 AM Sep 16th from TweetDeck

charlottetwitts @simonwakeman PR for @Hillingdon. Great way to get news out quickly to colleagues and trade press. Good for networking. Handy to get ideas.
11:13 AM Sep 16th from TweetDeck in reply to simonwakeman

sharonodea @simonwakeman I’m an internal comms mgr, and I find Twitter invaluable for getting research and info in my field, networking with others
11:13 AM Sep 16th from web in reply to simonwakeman

abeeken @simonwakeman Web Officer/Lincoln City Council. Use of Twitter for networking with other councils helps to keep on top of trends & news
11:17 AM Sep 16th from HootSuite in reply to simonwakeman

abeeken @simonwakeman Has helped to add functionality to customer facing website that wouldn’t have been aware of otherwise.
11:18 AM Sep 16th from HootSuite in reply to simonwakeman

annaleeb @simonwakeman Media relations, Northants – love it for breaking news, making connections (professional and personal) and sharing woes
11:18 AM Sep 16th from Snaptu in reply to simonwakeman

TessaHallett @simonwakeman Communication Officer, Swale Borough Council
11:19 AM Sep 16th from web in reply to simonwakeman

lesteph @simonwakeman I’m Head of Digital Comms. Twitter keeps me in touch with stakeholders, gives me ideas and helps me promote our campaigns
11:20 AM Sep 16th from web in reply to simonwakeman

sharonodea @simonwakeman oops, forgot to say where I work – London Borough of Sutton
11:20 AM Sep 16th from web

pubstrat @simonwakeman Serendipitous connections: finding out about people, ideas and activities faster and better
11:20 AM Sep 16th from web in reply to simonwakeman

juliac2 @simonwakeman echo @ingridk + @lesteph – I’m in digital comms – good tool for quick updates and ideas – a network of the helpful
11:23 AM Sep 16th from web in reply to simonwakeman

Symmetry_PR @simonwakeman Can be v useful, depends on work/campaign. Gd 4 environmental scanning, issues & crisis mngt, relations. Not 4 product push.
11:25 AM Sep 16th from TweetDeck in reply to simonwakeman

pezholio @simonwakeman I find Twitter invaluable for networking and sharing ideas with people who I might never otherwise have met…
11:30 AM Sep 16th from Tweetie

pezholio @simonwakeman …With budgets tightening, it’s less easy to get out and about and meet people through the usual route of conferences too
11:30 AM Sep 16th from Tweetie

simoneverest @simonwakeman web strategist @defragovuk – share ideas with peers, feedback from end-users, up to the second news…
11:31 AM Sep 16th from web in reply to simonwakeman

danslee RT @pezholio @simonwakeman I find Twitter invaluable for networking and sharing ideas with people <-- echo that
11:32 AM Sep 16th from web

lozman74 @simonwakeman We use Twitter daily @NeLincs, have 300 followers and is vital and integrated part of our comms strategy. Take that, sceptics
11:35 AM Sep 16th from web in reply to simonwakeman

micheleidesmith @simonwakeman Web Dev Manager, Cambs CC. Use Twitter for same reason as @alncl and @abeeken. Also useful to keep up with UX and SocMed news
11:35 AM Sep 16th from TweetDeck in reply to simonwakeman

sharonodea @pezholio @simonwakeman I find Twitter much more useful than conferences. Potential for self-organised events like LocalGovCamp is great.
11:36 AM Sep 16th from web in reply to pezholio

bmwelby @simonwakeman Graduate Upstart Hull City Council - immediate access to network of thinkers & doers without being anyone or knowing anything
11:37 AM Sep 16th from web in reply to simonwakeman

LizBridgen @simonwakeman senior lecturer, PR, De Montfort Uni, Leics - keeping up to date with industry trends, networking (w/ex students in PR) +more
11:42 AM Sep 16th from TweetDeck in reply to simonwakeman

sarahjohnstone @simonwakeman I’m a senior public relations officer at Dorset County Council, cheers!
11:43 AM Sep 16th from Twittelator in reply to simonwakeman

paulgeraghty @simonwakeman A s/w dev involved in many niches whose ‘news’ do not obviously cross over using tw to highlight trends + x-seed common ideas
11:48 AM Sep 16th from web in reply to simonwakeman

paulgeraghty @simonwakeman in short tw helps me straddle communities and hopefully identifies me and my worth – also id likeminded souls – networking
11:50 AM Sep 16th from web in reply to simonwakeman

melanieharper @simonwakeman I agree with @pezholio and Twitter is very useful for keeping up to date – often it’s the first place I hear about things.
12:07 PM Sep 16th from Echofon in reply to simonwakeman