A few months ago, someone I work with turned me on to Twitter. By now you know that this is the biggest things as far as social media sites are considered. I resisted joining Twitter for a very long time. This is largely due to the inability to understand what the big deal was. I never quite understood Twitter but now my opinion is significantly different.

Once I got online and started using Twitter, I better understood the fascination with this seemingly simple tool. It has its own vocabulary, functionality, and many features that you may not know about. Truthfully, the only way to truly understand Twitter is to read a how to guide, watch a video, or use a third party platform for managing Twitter related activities.

With so many varied interests, its always been a real challenge for me to find like minded individuals who are in to so many of the same things that I am. Social media platforms like Twitter have solved this problem for me. Not only can you find others who share similar interests or vocations, but you can follow posts made around a given subject area or topic. This clues you in to those interested in the topic and what’s being discussed across millions of users. Not only do you have access to individuals sharing the same interests you have, but also celebrities. I never really thought that I would care to have access to what one celeb or another was doing, but it definitely makes people seem more approachable. I’ve also sent and received Tweets from celebrities, making them seem more human.

As I explore my hobbies, I am finding others who are also learning about a particular topic or leisure area. They share great tips and information that save me tons of research. I’ve even built a small following of similar individuals and as a result can share what I know with them. Sometimes they respond directly and other times they pass on my tip or information to others. This is called re-tweeting and will probably be part of Websters dictionary at some point.

The greatest benefit of connecting with other with whom you chose is that you can filter the information and respond when the mood strikes. By using applications that allow you to prioritize Tweets or search for specific conversations, you can quickly see benefit in the information that’s being shared. Often times, individuals include links to valuable content and information that they have come across on the web. This is both useful and time consuming when related to a particular need you may have.

The truth is that I was not an early adopter of social media for a number of reasons. Now that I’ve gotten some experience with Twitter and other social media tools, I better understand my initial reluctance to jump on board. I avoided social media because I simply didn’t understand it. What I didn’t realize at the time was that I’d never be able to fully appreciate it until I actually used it. Now that I have, I clearly see the value.