I was an early adopter of Twitter back in 2008. This isn’t to brag, it’s just the one social network that truly works for me. MySpace came and went, Facebook wasn’t for post-collegiate users yet, so Twitter was extremely appealing. The platform has gone through quite a few changes in the past five years, some which I think are great, while there are others  I don’t care for.

What I love best is the instantaneous style of communication  Twitter offers. It’s proven to be a tool in emergency situations and as a way to keep tabs on anything and everything.  Here’s how I use Twitter:

I Engage

Twitter is what you want it to be. Asking questions, replying to others and jumping in to conversations are my favorite ways to  connect with users on Twitter. Occasionally I’ll use Twitter to crowd source a question instead of a Google search. Why? Because I love the interaction with my followers. The odds are, I follow someone who is an expert in an area in which I’m clueless. I’d rather get the answer from a real person who I can ask follow up questions of instead of a website any day. There’s also the thrill of a big brand tweeting to you personally. I’m much more likely to become a customer if a business takes the time to tweet me back.

I Control My Newsfeed

With all of the recent changes to Facebook, it can be hard to know what’s really happening with anyone you follow. Maybe you will see their content and maybe you won’t. You have control with Twitter. Follow accounts you like, unfollow ones you lose interest in.

I’m always rotating who I follow. While my following list may grow, I try to weed out the accounts who have abandoned ship. Twitter has a nasty habit of unfollowing people, so hopping onto the dashboard occasionally to check out your following list is a good idea.

Social media platforms will continue to evolve. New services will come along and replace those that won’t adapt and change. While five years doesn’t seem very long, in the world of social media it is. Twitter has remained relatively the same as when it launched, I think because it is a format that fits a unique need. For now, Twitter is still my favorite.

What are your thoughts? What social media platform works best for you?