Tweeting, Twittering and Twits– OH MY!

I consider myself an "early adopter with training wheels"– technologically somewhere between the beta users and the masses.  But when it comes to Twitter and Tweeting - I just don't get it. I had lunch recently with a technophile and he spent a good portion of my salad course trying to explain what Twitter is and what value it brings.  After getting past all the big words he used that I didn't really understand, this is what I took away:  Twitter is like Facebook for on-the-go people with ADHD, without the privacy controls.   Which means its available to anyone and everyone.  Yes, that means your boss, your boss’s boss and even the creepy guy down the hall with chronic eye twitch.   Its value, however, is a little harder for me to understand particularly when you’re talking about professional twittering. 

I get how if I’m in digital marketing it might make sense to show how I’ve embraced technology and am trying to create a brand for myself.  But if I’m just a normal corporate grunt – what in the world would I want to Tweet about and who in the world would follow my twits?  Tweet about the economic impact on Wall Street?  Pretty high-brow stuff, but it doesn’t sound very sexy not to mention very 2011.  What about Tweeting about how great my company is?  That just sounds self-serving—although definitely a good political move.  I guess I could chirp about more mainstream social events, like the Grammy’s, the latest issue of People Magazine, and the chances of 50 Cent making a comeback (mind you, I also learned the correct pronunciation of 50 Cent's name during this same lunch).   But doesn’t that just get me in trouble with my boss?  I mean, even if he agreed that Adele should have won album of the year, isn’t he going to be pissed that my chirping is keeping me from solving the economic crisis and bringing prosperity back to the free world?  Even if I twit on my spare time, are my twits conveying the right image?  The image that's going to catapult me through the glass ceiling? 

So, twutter away if you have really have something to say--something that will either push your corporate brand or personal brand forward.  Other than that, stick to work and leave your witty chirpie comments to the break-room, your improv class, or to the parking lot attendant.