It was January 2009 when I entered the world of Twitter. I was not convinced of its value, unsure how it really worked and wondered who on earth would want to follow me?! I checked out all the Twitter resources on how to contribute, how to gain followers and basic Twitter etiquette. Everyday I learned something new, connected with amazing people and began to see the value of Twitter. Of course I became a bit obsessed with reaching 100 followers and then 500 and then 1,000 and now I don’t even keep track. In the beginning I had to force myself to tweet 3 times a day. Now I am a tweeting fool. I hate missing a day on Twitter. It’s a chance to exchange information, learn from others, make new contacts and friends, yes friends.
Early on in my tweeting I followed Mike Henry Sr. What struck me about Mike was his willingness to connect, share and encourage. So when Mike started tweeting about the Lead Change Group he started on LinkedIn, I jumped at the opportunity to become part of the community dedicated to leading change. The Lead Change Group is a community of amazing people applying character-based leadership to make a positive difference. The purpose of the group resonated with me. For me, it started on Twitter, crossed over to LinkedIn and has continued to grow. The Lead Change is the most active community I am a part of. The members of the group support each other, contribute to each others success and most importantly they lead by example for character-based leadership.
I have the honor of co-hosting monthly Lead Change webinars with Mike Henry Sr. The purpose of the monthly Lead Change webinars is to showcase our members talents and their work. They share research, key note speeches, training and experiences all based on leading change. Through these calls I have met some unbelievable folks, learned so much and have a renewed hope that true leaders do exist. The monthly webinars was just the start of bringing the Lead Change community together. In February, several members of the group met in Florida for LeaderPalooza. Mike has started hosting a weekly BlogTalkRadio book review show. He has also started the Lead Change Roundtables. Of course LinkedIn is always lively with discussions, questions and news posts. This week Mike is kicking off a new BlogTalkRadio show to showcase and highlight Lead Change group members. I am thrilled to announce that I will be the first guest interview!! I hope you will join us this Thursday, June 24 at 3 pm Eastern. Get the details here.
The moral of the story, is you never know the true value of something until you try, participate and add value. If I had let my lack of knowledge and understanding for Twitter stop me from using this awesome social media tool I would have never met Mike Henry Sr. or any of the other Lead Change Group members. I would not have been afforded the opportunity to learn, contribute and share. I continue to be inspired by the Lead Change community and the group has given me way more than I have given them. While you may not see the value at the time, my advice, give it a chance, you never know what you might find. You have everything to gain and nothing to lose!
How have you used Twitter or LinkedIn to develop relationships, learn and contribute?
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{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
Brilliant post Kelly and a great example of how social media can transform your life and add so much value. I have conversations with people all the time who are sceptical about the value of using Twitter and still very few of my friends use it (aside from all the brilliant people I have met through Twitter of course!) Next time I have this conversation I will point them to this article and they will soon know what they are missing.
Thanks for sharing your personal social media adventure, my favourite part is “In the beginning I had to force myself to tweet 3 times a day. Now I am a tweeting fool. I hate missing a day on Twitter.” I think this sums up most of us Twits perfectly!
Great work!
Jed
Hi Jed,
Thanks so much for your kind words! Twitter has tremendous value and just like everything else you get from it what you put into it. I have to admit many of my local friends are also skeptical still, no matter how many stories I have shared.
The Lead Change Group is just one example of the power of Twitter. I have had the chance to chat with, meet and collaborate on several projects with folks I have formed relationships with on Twitter. I am constantly learning from my brilliant tweeps like you!! I love taking part in the #Custserv chats on Tuesday nights at 9 pm Eastern. I enjoy reading my tweeps blog posts and adding to the conversation. I love following the #BeOriginal tweets and sharing them with others. I have met so many talented, passionate and amazing people that I do call my friends.
Cheers to Twitter for making the world a smaller place and allowing us the chance to form relationships from miles away!
Kelly
Hi Kelly,
This is a great post. I think we all benefit when we stretch our comfort zones and embrace change. It took me a while to embrace LinkedIn, and even longer for Twitter. Now, I can’t imagine working without either.
A few years ago, I was trying to fill a position for a San Francisco company for a PR Director. I had a VP with a notional PR firm tell me to check her LinkedIn and she would make an introduction to a contact. Not being experienced on LinkedIn, I pushed it aside. Instead of placing someone, I moved on to another project. Later, I found that she knew several prime candidates that were open to other opportunities. Now that I know how easy it is, I shake my head at that experience. It was an expensive lesson.
The Twitter phenomena has been a pleasant surprise. In just a couple months, I have built relationships with several people. When I see a tweet from them in my mentions column, it is like getting a note from an old friend.
Thanks for the posting.
Cheers,
Marty
Hi Marty,
Thank you so much for sharing your experiences. Having met you on Twitter, I have to say I am thrilled you challenged your comfort zone and got tweeting! I know what you mean about seeing tweets from the friends you’ve met and relationships you’ve built. Had someone told me 2 years ago I would have the chance to meet, engage, share and form bonds with so many amazing people that I may never even meet in person through Twitter, I would have said, “Your crazy!” But I have and I am thankful everyday for folks like you in my life.
By the way…you are my LinkedIn Idol!
Cheers!
Kelly