I've been wondering for a while if jumping onto the latest-and-greatest social-networking phenomenon -- Twitter -- makes sense for someone who runs a business. I've been on Twitter for the last six months or so, and have managed to accumulate 172 followers. This is just a small splash considering it's not uncommon for celebrities to rack up thousands of followers -- each one presumably hanging on their hero's every tweet. If you listen to Internet pundits such as Guy Kawasaki, Twitter is a key marketing tool for any businessperson. However, just because you have followers doesn't mean that everyone (or even anyone) is listening.

The problem in my mind is that too many businesspeople view Twitter only as a broadcasting tool -- a one-way shotgun of marketing messages that hopefully find a target. I know from personal experience that when I follow someone who is simply sending out a steady stream of marketing messages, I quickly unfollow them -- banishing them from my incoming Twitter message stream.

I was therefore pleasantly surprised to read an article about a CEO who is using Twitter not to sell, but to gather feedback on his company. In an article on Inc.com, Lorien Gabel -- CEO of pingg, an online invitation website -- says "Unlike many people, I don't use Twitter to send out a constant stream of updates. Instead, I monitor what people are saying about us and about our competitors. I use TweetDeck, a simple, free software program that allows me to search for up to 10 terms on Twitter at once. Whenever a Twitter user mentions pingg, Evite, Evite alternative, party planning, or event planning, the message pops up. If someone has a complaint about pingg, we send a response and try to address it. If someone praises pingg, we'll respond and say thanks. It's a very easy way to build community online -- much easier than getting your users to friend you on Facebook."

So, before you get too caught up in the "social networking = marketing" paradigm, look outside the box and see if you can find other uses for these new tools. I believe you'll find that there are some very powerful things you can do with them besides bury people with more advertising.