Twitter for Teams

By now, nearly every one knows something about Twitter, even if they aren’t using it themselves. The uses of Twitter are evolving rapidly and in a year, we may be seeing uses no one has yet dreamed of. But even now, uses are emerging that can benefit those of us concerned with human performance beyond the random tweeting that occurs in the Twitterverse. One example is using Twitter or similar applications to collaborate with members of a workgroup.

Unlike instant messaging, a key benefit to workgroups of a microblogging service like Twitter is that each member of the group can monitor the stream of conversation without feeling compelled to respond to every post. Sometimes just being aware of the flow of conversation can be a great benefit. When the group is not in the same office—a common situation these days—Twitter adds a sense of presence and cohesion among group members. From a manager’s perspective, the number and nature of tweets can provide insight into each member’s personality, work habits, and capabilities.

Setting up a Twitter group  is easily accomplished simply by setting up a Twitter account specifically for the group and setting the privacy options to restrict access to only the members of the group. The details of how to use Twitter for workgroups is handled nicely by Joel Comm in his book Twitter Power.