Does Anyone Use Twitter For Anything?

I'm always getting messages from marketers chastising me for not using Twitter to promote my website. But I'm like,

Hey, we're truck drivers or wanna be truck drivers. If we wanted to hear what Britney Spears has to say or listen to the Miami Dolphin's lineman insult each other's mothers then we'd be on Twitter. But what's in it for us?

So I ask you people....do any of you here use Twitter for much of anything? Because the only people I'm interested in following are right here in this forum and I have a ton of fun doing it. But hey, maybe I'm missing something! If Twitter is good for something then I'm all ears.

No twitter here.

I do not have an account with Twitter, Facebook, or any other major social media site. Please do not promote your website by using Twitter. I think we will do just fine without them.

Twitter Not Yet Profitable

"Twitter, which was founded in 2006, has not recorded a profit for at least the past three years -- the time period for which the company was required to disclose its financial information. Losses came in at $67 million in 2010 and $164 million in 2011."

I never tried Twitter either. Seems like the best promo tool for your own website is relevant content in the form of text: e.g. blogs, articles, forums. Anchor text and back-links are tried and true SEO tools. Of course the back-links better be to content that is relevant to your website. That's been my experience - relevant content w/ relevant links ;) I know you weren't asking about SEO, but rather Twitter, but you asked the question in the context of people suggesting Twitter for website promotion. Just like Facebook, I think Twitter is only useful if you commit to it and use it frequently. In short, I think great content and tools (CDL practice material) like you've already provided, is enough to drive traffic. The resources and positive people are what defines this trucking website, compared to others. A sense of community. That's why I'm here ;) Hopefully I can contribute more once I start my trucking career.

I use twitter, mainly because it's a quick and efficient way to keep in touch with friends, both IRL and online, that it can be difficult to contact via other avenues. I refuse to be assimilated by the Faceborg, and other social-y websites don't necessarily play nice with my phone's browser(s). And I can message/tweet people at any time of day or night without disturbing them, unlike calling or texting.

I know you weren't asking about SEO, but rather Twitter, but you asked the question in the context of people suggesting Twitter for website promotion.

I was somewhat thinking of SEO along with the community aspects of it....

The resources and positive people are what defines this trucking website, compared to others. A sense of community. That's why I'm here ;)

Me too!

Along with SEO I was also wondering if there was a way to enhance the sense of community here with Twitter. For instance, I added the TT Tracker to the site so everyone could keep up with each other and see where they're at. And of course this forum is the hub of all activity here at TruckingTruth. But I thought maybe someone had an idea about how we could us Twitter that I hadn't thought of. I've pondered it for years but I can't think of any ways that Twitter would actually enhance what we're doing here.

Hopefully I can contribute more once I start my trucking career.

I sure hope so! To come back here after getting your career underway to help others get their start in the industry is such a big deal. It's hard to put into words how important that is. I mean, I can talk til I'm blue in the face about the trucking industry, what to expect out there, and how to handle it. But if you're getting ready to start training and you can get advice from someone that's currently in training or has just recently completed it - that's priceless information!

With veterans like myself and the other highly experienced moderators we can give people our "Old World" perspective on trucking. But we can also give the "New World" experience of recent CDL graduates and rookie drivers. That combination is fantastic.

And I can message/tweet people at any time of day or night without disturbing them, unlike calling or texting.

That's a good point. Do you find yourself using Twitter for exchanges more so than email? I mean, I'm certain you use both. But I'm curious if you've found one to be better suited to you than the other?

You mean with all I have to do during the day....Dodge 4 wheelers.....deal with shippers/receivers......deal with dispatch.....deal with attitudes of everyone and their mother......

On top of that you want to know if I have learned to be witty Or insult people in 140 characters or less? Ummmm nope.

That's a good point. Do you find yourself using Twitter for exchanges more so than email? I mean, I'm certain you use both. But I'm curious if you've found one to be better suited to you than the other?

If it's just a short message, I find twitter to be faster, since I don't have to bother with typing out an email address at all, just tap the name of whoever I want to talk to. If it's anything lengthy, I have to use email because of the character limit on twitter. Generally I don't send long messages though, so twitter tends to be my method of choice.

I tried using twitter by following some of the states I travel regularly for weather updates. But it wasn't worth the trouble to me.

If I were to suggest anything it might be looking into tapatalk. I've used it with some other forums that I used to frequent and to me it was very helpful when using my phone. The only Internet I have right now when on the road is my phone and find it a little difficult to browse and post to the forums with my phone. So I only post when I am home or at a terminal wit wifi.

Woody