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Okay, I admit it – I am still more of a Twitter lurker than anything so far. I do occasionally throw a thought or 2 up but find it still a little difficult since I’m usually caught between 6 different things at any given time. One moment I could be grooving to some great new music while scanning the plethora of fantastic news and info beamed to me via Google Reader. Meanwhile, I’m likely having a conversation with one of my super hero Account Execs about a particular client/project situation and also thinking about the email I was in the middle of replying to before I began to think about how much I like this one song…

So then I turn to Twitter and gag. Gee, any of this is really worth a tweet, right?  Then I get distracted by someone or something else that needs immediate attention. By the time I get back to Twitter the moment has passed and I’m on to 6 other things and the cycle starts all over again. Yikes! Therein lies my dilemma. I want to share these things but I don’t want to be one of the those folks suffering from “Twitterhea” either –you know who you are. Your constant blathering has to be a sign of some sort of neurosis.

Back to me. Do I need to make the decision to go all personal or all professional? I am finding the mix a little distracting from some of the people I follow. I’m also not sure how I should feel reading the personal bits about my colleagues. (Sorry the garlic pizza didn’t go so well Meggan!) I imagine some of them don’t feel comfortable that I’m following them because I’m their supervisor. I’ve actually chosen not to follow some people for that very reason. I know I wouldn’t want my boss to have a front row seat to all of my personal goings on – and we have a pretty open work environment here at eROI too. ALSO – who are the random people that decide to follow me? So far I’ve had 3-4. How should I feel about their sudden interest in me?

Which leads me to the other twouble with Twitter that I’ve been discussing with other Twitterphiles here at eROI.  I am finding that some companies are pursuing a full blown Twitter creep out strategy. Please stop. I don’t want the fact that I’ve shared my one too many glasses of wine the night before story to suddenly open me up to be followed by some wine company because they’ve heard the news and want to share their love of the vino. Okay, I also don’t want AA unnecessarily following me because they’ve heard and now they’re concerned for my overzealous love of the divine grape. I’m okay, really!

Don’t get me wrong – Twitter is an up and coming force that companies need to reckon with. It is already gaining a serious footing as a marketing channel. The best strategies for using Twitter are surely yet to come but so far most brands are pursuing a couple of solid yet simple strategies. For instance, piggybacking broadcasts of recent posts to drive traffic. Another strategy is using Twitter to widen a campaign’s reach for topic driven outreach to achieve broader messaging and soliciting feedback. Be open to experimenting but stay true to your brand.

One great local example is the way Travel Portland uses Twitter to get info out about local happenings, hot spots, restaurants and the like. In fact they have just launched the first “Twisitor Center” for visitors to our fine city to use for help and insider information. By far though, one of the most powerful uses of Twitter to date taking  place today is Twestival an international charity event bring together Twitter communities 175+ cities around the world for an evening of fun and to raise money and awareness for charity: water. Find your local event!

So if you’re just getting to know Twitter, what should you/ your company do?  I’d suggest you at least secure an account(s) for your company and any brands under your umbrella. If you are already tweeting as a company or brand, step one;  don’t be creepy. Step two; review step one. Ask yourself what your audience would want to hear from you or your brand frequently. Also, are your  tweets achieving any strategic objective? Is your audience going to get anything from what you’re saying? Keep in mind Twitter could be a qualitative strategy providing a way to promote the personality of your brand and the people and the things around it rather than a call to action soap box. (I’m personally looking forward to the real Captain Crunch tweeting.) Above all keep it simple and sane and please avoid becoming a purveyor of “Twitterhea.”

In the meantime on a personal note, I’ll keep working on what the right call for me is– all personal, all professional or a saucy mix of the two. It may be like seeing how sausage is made for awhile but follow along if you dare –yes, even if I don’t know you! http://twitter.com/mpimley