This post is for those of you who wonder:

• Why do I need to use Twitter?
• What is the point of so few words?
• How can I find the time for one more tool?

I suggest taking a new approach. Think of Twitter as a tool for research, a public list of information about any business or organization. You can access this list without logging into Twitter or having a Twitter account.

1. Visit an interesting website, for example, OpenSesame.
2. On the website find and select the Twitter symbol.

Locating the Twitter symbol.

The Twitter page for that business will open immediately. On the right side you can view tweets to and from the business.

The tweets are addressed using a Twitter handle, an account name noted with an @ symbol preceding the name, for example, @OpenSesame. You can see the Twitter handle at the top of the profile page.

Using a profile page to identify the Twitter handle; reading tweets to and from a business on their profile page.

Think of Tweets as quick headlines or bits of interesting news. Tweets are short and easy to scan with their 140 character limit. Most tweets contain hyperlinks to websites, videos, or photos.

The age of a tweet may be important in your search. The life of the average tweet is considered to be one hour.  Although tweets remain on Twitter long past one hour, the expectation is that most people will only read a few of the tweets. Some socially active businesses tweet several times per day; other businesses may tweet several times a week.

Locating hyperlinks and age of a tweet.

Businesses like OpenSesame use Twitter to discuss current events, share new tools, or thank other businesses publicly.

In this example we can see OpenSesame is advertising a new workshop, thanking others, and advertising new products in their Tweets.

Example of a business that shares information about products, events and community news on Twitter.

Wasn’t that easy?

Starting on an interesting website I use the Twitter symbol to view the Twitter profile page of recent headlines. If something catches my eye, I can follow hyperlinks presented on a tweet. I can learn what this business produces, what events they are attending, and who they enjoy watching in their industry.

Have fun using Twitter as your business research tool!