Twitter - Necessity or Nuisance?

Well, today I finally bit the bullet and joined the Twitter revolution.

Rather than cynically judging it from afar, fearing it like a child does anything containing vitamins, I didn't bother with a swimming suit, I just dived (clothes and all) head first (think Michelle Lee at her best) into the Twitter sea.

Not surprisingly, my virgin experience, immediately had me asking questions about relevance, information management, and strategies for creating and maintaining intrinsic brand value.

And I came to thinking, it's not the Twitter-package that's the problem. It's the age-old language barrier (I know for a fact some academics struggle to decipher it!) as well as, some of the (at times dubious) User practices.

I decided there are categories of Twitterers (really?): the old-hands who have been manipulating code since well before any part of the interactive space became a trendy place to hang.

Then there are the Newbie's (like me) who are still wrapping ailling brain-matter around the art and science of this brilliantly inter-woven, sophisticated cyber network.

And then there are those who are just there to be seen.  The ones paying homage to the trend without truly understanding what or how they are doing it.

Are they Twits or innovators?  Or what the Spin doctors would call opinion leaders?

Are the Twits really embracing the community spirit of cyberspace and the instant-information platform?

As with everything in cyberland, I guess, for the moment, I have my suspicions, but I'm really not too sure.

Is the perception of technacy really enough to ensure positive interaction with your brand, or does brand management in the digital space require a more sophisticated, considered, even interactive think-tank kind of approach?

Watch this space.  I feel a dissertation being born...