I\’ve been doing a lot of traveling lately. I\’ve been from California to New York, to Utah and Seattle, and to Denver more times than I can count.
In theory, none of that traveling should be necessary. Twitter, after all, is the ultimate networking tool. I can be sitting anywhere and by firing up Tweetie on my iPhone, find myself swapping tweets with Tim O\’Brien of the New York Times or exchanging ideas with best-selling author David Bach.
In fact, anyone can. That\’s what makes Twitter such a fantastic tool. All of the barriers are down. Anyone can now get directly in touch with all of the leading experts in their field. They can make the connections that lead to job offers, business leads, sales and contracts.
It\’s incredibly valuable – and that\’s before you even start to talk about branding, customer service, viral marketing and all of the other amazing things that Twitter can do.
But while I do believe that Twitter is fantastic, it does have its limitations.
It still hasn\’t replaced the value of a real, face-to-face meeting.
I\’ve managed to get in touch with some amazing people on Twitter, people I don\’t believe I would have contacted any other way. But I\’ve also met some amazing people at conferences, at book signings and at the media interviews I\’ve been doing recently. Sure, some of those people I met on Twitter beforehand. We\’ve read each other\’s tweets, maybe tweeted to each other directly a few times.
But meeting them in person moved the relationship to a whole new level. Instead of restricting contact to 140 characters or trying to broker a deal through email, we\’re able to explore issues in depth, provide full answers and look for opportunities.
Twitter has revolutionized networking. It\’s the place to make contacts and tell the world who you are. But it\’s only the beginning. You still have to move off Twitter to close the deal. That\’s why you\’ll continue to see me at conferences and seminars, giving talks and doing readings.
And that\’s why you\’ll also see me on Twitter, making new contacts and telling everyone where I\’m going next.