I recently joined Twitter over Christmas break as a way to promote my crochet business.  I was resistant at first – I thought it was just a simplified version of a Facebook status.  But, keeping an open mind, I decided to join in hopes of increases my business’ web presence.  Was I impressed? 

Eh, it was alright.  One thing I liked was how many unique people there are on Twitter.  It surprised me actually, to see the range of people who had Twitter accounts – people I never expected to be into “that type of thing”.  In one afternoon, I was following everyone from business expert Guy Kawasaki to Jim Halpert from “The Office”  to a fellow crocheter from Etsy.

One thing I didn’t like about Twitter, though, is that while there is great information out there, most of it gets burried so quickly that I often miss things I’m interested in.  In theory, I could follow less people so I would only get feeds from those people I’m actually interested in, but that’s not why I joined Twitter.  I joined so I could increase my web presence, and I can’t do that when I’m only following a few people. 

While Twitter is a great for professionals wanting to share business advice, stay-at-home-moms writing about cooking leftovers for dinner, or companies trying to promote themselves, I didn’t find it that beneficial.  The time commitment just wasn’t worth it and I didn’t feel like I was getting any real benefits from updating my status or following other people. 

I do see why it’s become so popular, though, and for those select people who are committed to maintaining their Twitter page, it’s an efficient way to stay connected.  So, is Twitter worth the time?  Well, it all depends what you want to get out of it;  there’s only one way to find out: try it out and decide for yourself.

Stumble Upon is great.  Most Stumblers log in and use the site’s services to:

1. Kill time
2. Find new, interesting websites
3. Explore the vast annals of the Internet
4. Increase their online business presence

Wait.  Most Stumble Upon users will admit to they “stumble” for first three reasons, but the fourth one – probably not why most people joined the growing number of discover-ers.  Katie mentioned that marketers should use Stumble Upon to reach potential customers, and they definitely should.  But so should internet entrepreneurs.  The self-made business men and women on the internet know that when you have an online business, web presence is HUGE.  The more your site’s out there, being viewed by people, the better chance you have of making a sale.

To generate business exposure and increase their sales, business owners should create an account on Stumble Upon and start submitting their sites to categories people might find interesting.  Whether you link your sales page or an informative blog that you’ve created to compliment your business, you need to start stumbling.  It takes seconds to create an account and minutes to recommend a new page.  What entrepreneur – internet or otherwise – wouldn’t want increased exposure in reaching people that have said, “Yes -I’m interested in your type of business.  Show me what you’ve got.”  Businesses thrive on professionalism, but sometimes, it doesn’t hurt to stumble.

“Your cousin’s wedding looked beautiful!  Did you have a good time?” I asked a fellow classmate one Monday morning.  Now to any outsider, my question would have been merely dismissed as a thoughtful way to greet a good friend after a long weekend, but I realized my blunder as soon as the words left my mouth.  I didn’t even know this girl, but here I was asking about her cousin’s wedding!  Sure we were friends on Facebook (who isn’t these days?) but we were the farthest things from being friends in real life.  I had just revealed to this girl – whose last name I didn’t even know-  that I clicked through 59 pictures of “Always and Forever… Lisa and Bob”. 

With eleven words, I had revealed to this girl whom I barely knew that yes, I followed her on Facebook. 

Facebook has made it easier to keep in touch with people, though sometimes it can lead to an abundance of information that you shouldn’t know about someone.  In theory, Facebook was made so you could keep in touch with people you do know—follow high school friends as they head off to college, keep in touch with your cousins back home—not to click through pictures and check on the dating status of people you haven’t spoken more than a few words to. 

Facebook users need to be conscious of how “involved” they are in people lives they don’t even know.  Yes, other users control the information they put on Facebook, but we also need to check ourselves with how much we know about people we don’t even know.  I shouldn’t have known my classmate’s cousins had green and yellow flower centerpieces at her wedding, but I did.  And not only did I know, but my mistake was that I told her I knew.  As a generation, we should use Facebook responsibly, not only to respect the privacy of others, but also to avoid awkward conversations.