Twenty Things I've Experienced Since Joining Twitter

It's true, Twitter's not for everyone. It's simply a tool and a way to communicate, nothing more.

I've written bits and blurbs about Twitter in the past, but due to a number of comments I heard this week (all along the lines of “Twitter is dumb and a waste of time”), I thought I'd share with you the ways in which Twitter has affected my life.

I'm far from a power user. I don't do everything right. I'm not telling or even encouraging you to use it. I simply thought you might find it surprising how much this communication platform can impact someone like me: a Twitter user, but certainly not Twitter-obsessed.

Since joining Twitter two-and-a-half years ago, I've…

1. met a tremendous number of people I'd otherwise never have met.

2. made offline friends who've became online friends.

3. found and hired contractors.

4. learned the moment the Dillon Dam Road reopened after a temporary closure.

5. known when to take the Dillon Dam Road due to major accidents on Swan Mountain Road or I-70.

6. learned about snow conditions and chair closures on my way to the mountain (as I sat on the bus — not driving and tweeting, of course).

7. won a pair of Skullcandy headphones, just for responding to a company's tweet.

8. pushed larger companies (think phone, software and airline companies) to take care of some fairly big issues on the same day I tweeted (after having no luck with customer service via phone).

9. come across fantastic articles, videos and blog posts that I'd not have found otherwise.

10. introduced my partner, Josh, to Twitter — where he's made a ton of new friends in the bike world, many of whom he now sees on a regular basis at races and events.

11. received warm wishes on my birthday and sick days.

12. occasionally indulged my lazy side by talking to Josh while he's upstairs (also on Twitter) instead of simply walking up the stairs to talk to him directly.

13. sold a snowboard.

14. located happy homes for books I wanted to give away.

15. initiated lasting business relationships by introducing business colleagues to one another.

16. received hotel and food recommendations for cities I planned to visit.

17. helped create positive experiences for people I've never met. I've provided many fellow Twitter users with assistance and recommendations on items such as websites, online tools, Web-related services and even cookies, specialty recipes and flowers.

18. held interesting back-and-forth conversations with people I didn't know well enough to text or email.

19. followed breaking news minute-by- minute via tweets of people right in the middle of the action (example: the Boulder fire a year-and-a-half ago).

20. landed high-dollar jobs after new clients learned of my company on Twitter.

No need to bash Twitter if it's not right for you. It's nothing more than a tool. It's a communication platform that means different things to different people based on how they choose to use it. Nothing more, nothing less.

Grab Bag: Your Five Links of the Week

1. http://tinyurl.com/7sch4gw — What's the most efficient way for passengers to board an airplane? What's your guess? A) have passengers board in blocks of rows or B) have passengers board at random?

2. http://tinyurl.com/y97993g — How to take screenshots using Word 2010.

3. http://tinyurl.com/79stdp5 — Do you like your liquor and cocktails? Try Liquor Cabinet. It's an app that's “your ticket to the Golden Age of Cocktails.” Just tell the app what's in your bar/pantry and it'll present you with a list of all the delicious cocktails you can make with those liquid ingredients.

4. http://tinyurl.com/6skb577 — Ten tips to help you prevent iTunes (for Windows) from turning into (or remaining) a slug.

5. http://tinyurl.com/723lzfz — If you're a grammarphile (or grammar policeman or policewoman), this screenshot of a Facebook post and its two comments should make you chuckle.

erin pheil is the owner of timeforcake creative media — the Web Design company voted #1 in Best of Summit. Visit the timeforcake website at www.timeforcake.com or email Erin at erin@timeforcake.com.