Many have joined the Twitter bandwagon and for various reasons. We earlier highlighted a few things we can do with Twitter to make it a useful application. Now, we'd like to be more straightforward in answering questions like "what can I gain from using Twitter?". Get Promoted Online Without establishing a blog that takes time to do, signing up with Twitter and making your first update takes just a few minutes. Sensible updates and reasonable connections should establish you as an approachable and well-connected social persona. Of course, it's better to use your name as handle rather than Spymaster2009. Get Research Information In case you're not sure how Google got its name or what's the capital city of Guyana, you can throw in your question via Twitter. Strangers or friends alike, they'll try to find answers for you. Get to Find and Hire People If you are looking for freelance copywriters or web designers, Twitter can be a tool to find prospects to hire. Get Answers for Questions If you are not sure what Seinfeld episode where George applies to be the latex salesman and fails, Twitter users might be able to find you an answer than elsewhere. Photo credit: Creature Comforts Get Informed Twitter users love sharing links to interesting news and articles. So expect a steady stream of information you can easily sift through. Ability to Broadcast Updates You can promote your newly published blog entry or new service offerings via Twitter. Regular followers will follow these links (or retweet them to their own followers) and you have a new segment of web traffic source. Make New Friends By responding to certain questions and participate in ongoing discussions, you're in a position to gain followers and eventually gain new friends online. Connect With New Acquaintances Twitter can be a good place to maintain relationship with people you meet offline. You get to know a bit of them without meeting them in person. Find Customers You can use Twitter's search function to look for people asking about services you offer or products you sell. You can instantly connect with them. Get Opinions on Certain Topics Get people's casual opinion on many things. "Should Hong Kong reclaim Victoria Harbour to decongest traffic or preserve its natural beauty?" Connect with Customers If you are a company with heavy interaction with customers, Twitter is a convenient way of relaying information. It's less tedious than answering individual emails, takes less time than updating a company blog or updating website content. I am sure there are other useful reasons to get hooked with Twitter. But hopefully, the list above is good enough to get you going.