I suppose Shakespeare would complete this line with, “…that is the question.” But, in my opinion, there is no question – only an obvious answer. TWEET.

I started tweeting about two years ago, and I’ll admit I was a skeptic. Heck, I didn’t even put any thought into my Twitter handle (@Asmithconsult) because I figured I’d never really use it. Boy, was I wrong. Twitter has become an integral part of my work – and my life. Seriously.

People who use Twitter effectively get this. But, they aren’t the people I need to reach. They’ve drunk the Kool-Aid.

I’m here to convince people who aren’t using Twitter, or who haven’t found its value, that they are missing out – and it’s time to get in the game. And, it’s okay to take it slow. Actually, I recommend it. When I joined Twitter, I set my account to private for the first nine months because I really wanted to understand how people were using it – and how I wanted to use it.

During this time, I realized I wanted to use it primarily to build new relationships and strengthen existing ones. I also wanted to garner and share knowledge. And, heck, have a laugh or two while I’m at it (thanks @ConanO’Brien).

Once I learned the ropes and “practiced” with family and friends, I opened my account to the world and started building a strong and relevant community.

I started to follow and interact with people in my local community, as well as with:

• Innovative people/companies (@ZapposCEO, @Skap5, @FastCompany)
• Storytellers/writers (@GetStoried, @BrianAndreas, @EllMcgirt)
• Branding and public relations professionals (@McGrathComm, @BrandNarrative, @MeChristopher)
• Social media difference makers (@JeffPulver, @ChrisBrogan, @DigitalRoyalty)
• Happiness drivers (@Karl_Staib, @GretcenRubin, @HollyMac)
• Nonprofits (@UlmanCancerFnd, @Livestrong, @TheTellingRoom)

This is, of course, just a short list (I also interact with the health care, organizational design, appreciative inquiry, and leadership arenas). My point is to give thoughtful consideration to the communities in which you want to play. Once you do, connect with them. Study them. Follow them. Learn from them. And, build authentic, meaningful relationships.

Thanks to Twitter, I have built lasting relationships, joined the Reinvention Summit design team, gotten new business, shared in conversation with an artist I’ve admired for 15 years, befriended a reporter and editor from Fast Company, volunteered for big ticket conferences, met Tony Hsieh on the Delivering Happiness bus, and more.

The best part…it’s all unfolded naturally. Twitter is not a “What’s in it for me” kind of platform. People who approach it this way are the ones that never realize its value. My experience is the more I share, the more I engage, and the more I listen… the more I gain.

Most people agree that Twitter is changing my industry (marketing and public relations). I’ll go a step further – a leap further. I believe Twitter is shaping lives and, in ways both big and small, changing the world.