Why do you Tweet?

Twitter, the microblogging service that came alive a couple of years ago, has taken the digital media space by storm and has helped open up new avenues in the social media space. The real-time social broadcasting tool with its inherent viral nature has ensured that the service spread beyond the website and had people sharing their tweets on other platforms as well.

Timelines get refreshed with fresh content in a matter of minutes, followed by replies and retweets that eat into a large part of time for the Twitter addicts. With Twitter opening up its revenue streams through Promoted tweets and profiles recently, brand managers have become quite active in understanding the medium as well as utilising it for themselves and the brands they service.

Campaign India asked a handful of communication specialists on what are the benefits they accrue from being on Twitter. While a couple of respondents restricted themselves to the 140 characters limit imposed by the service, many elaborated on its features and uses for their personal and professional lives.

Paritosh Joshi
 

@paritoshZero

CEO, STAR CJ Network

1. Know the ebbs and flows of what matters to the world at this precise moment – trending topics and hashtags are suddenly a fairly reliable barometer of what is grabbing the world’s fickle attention

2. Great place to rant about things which offend me and thereby give vent to the banal frustrations of everyday life

3. Float ideas for crowd sourced feedback – ideas that resonate with the twitterverse should be generally considered more sturdy than those that don’t

4. Seek inspiration and illumination – so many people who hold (and are not intimidated by sharing) a distinct point of view on the world in all its endless variety share it on Twitter

5. Surf the peer-reviewed web – Instead of launching on a blind treasure hunt, I am now guided by what fellow tweeters are discovering on the farthest reaches of www.

Ashok Lalla

 @ashoklalla 

President - digital, Euro RSCG

Twitter has allowed me to expand my professional network as well as stay easily connected with the latest in the digital and marketing arena globally (since my primary reason for being on Twitter is use it as a micro-blog of my ideas and insights related to the future of digital for brands). Being on Twitter has also helped me understand first-hand the dynamics of social networking through this platform and how it complements other social networks -- this has helped me shape sharper social marketing plans for my clients.
 

Partha Sinha 

@parthasinha
 

Managing partner, BBH India

I must admit at the outset that I feel guilty using Twitter. Twitter is supposed to be a two way traffic but I use it more to learn than to contribute. I learn about great designs, great articles, great apps, great works of imagination from across the world. I follow the thinking of great digital thinkers (some happen to to be home-grown like BBHlabs). I don’t use Twitter to say that I am at the airport and I am eating idli-sambar. I quickly unfollow the idiots who do that. I use Twitter in my quest to remain updated, challenged and at times simply to be awe-struck. The problem with twitter was getting to be problem of plenty - I was not even opening many links. Now with flipboard on ipad that problem has got solved. Now Twitter to me is like a magazine created by people I care about - including myself.

Surekha Pillai
 

@surekhapillai

Communications consultant

My reasons to be on Twitter are primarily two-fold: It helps me form an informed opinion on a variety of issues that interest me as most mainstream media usually provide one-sided views. In that sense, Twitter is a great mind-gym. That said on the professional front, Twitter also helps me unwind and look at the lighter side of life. It also is the world’s best comedy channel.

Rahul Jauhari
 

@rjauhari 

National creative director, Pickle Lintas

On Twitter I get to interact with witty, talented, creative, intelligent people beyond advertising - something that would have been otherwise difficult offline.

I get references to great reading material - offline and online - valuable references since they are recommended by people I respect/like - so that saves me the trouble of going through trash to find gems. It’s fascinating to watch brands struggling/coming to terms with Twitter like platforms.

At a personal level, I know more people and more people know me thanks to Twitter. Both youngsters and peers. Twitter is a great engagement platform - it’s unapologetic and a great leveler. There’s no class system.

It swings from nonsensical fun to absolutely useful stuff. Breaking news breaks for me on Twitter - not on TV.

Finally - on a bad day, there’s nothing like a couple of witty tweets to perk one up.

Karl Gomes

 @karlgomes

Co-founder, Agencydigi

#listen #talk #socialize #network #test #influence #work #brainstorm #evangelize #share #gyan #grow #realtime #nospam #lovetwitter

Suman Srivastava

 @suman7

 Chief executive officer, Euro RSCG India

Twitter is like a sieve that allows only relevant news to reach me.

KV Sridhar

@kvpops

National creative director, Leo Burnett

Twitter allows you to interact with total strangers and friends with equal ease and everything happens in real time, news and views, joys and frustrations can be spread worldwide within a nano second.