Most folks use Twitter to keep up with friends or rant about whatever’s currently rubbing them the wrong way. But, there are so many other ways to utilize the social media platform outside of microblogging. These nine creative uses for Twitter aren’t just for those in online marketing, but for anyone who is looking for a little assistance in their daily lives.
Contests
Hopefully, some of you out there have run a contest via Twitter. If not, give it a try. Contests are always a solid method to attract and engage customers and Twitter makes it pretty easy. There are many simple contests that you can create on Twitter including photo contests, question and answer, retweet to win, or a follower milestone.
Find a Job
While most of us may lean towards LinkedIn for job searching, Twitter can also be a job seeking assistant. Keep your Twitter account professional with an appropriate avatar, provide a link to your resume, and try to follow key people in your field. You can also receive targeted job tweets on your feed or find opportunities at TweetMyJobs.
Avoid Traffic Jams
No one likes getting caught in a traffic jam, and Twitter can help! Many local news stations, such as WTOPtraffic, provide constant traffic reports on Twitter so you know when to avoid certain roadways. Check with your local news channels to see if they offer a similar feature.
Get Healthy
We can all use a little extra motivation to get healthy, whether it’s eating better or getting in shape. There are several health related features you can take advantage of on Twitter. For example, there’s Tweetwhatyoueat, which (as the name the implies), is where you make public what you just ate. The idea is that sharing what you eat will make you more mindful at each meal. You can also follow any number of health and fitness feeds, such as @FITNESSpics and @FITNESS for recipes, tips, and motivation to get you into shape.
Take a Poll
Offering a poll or survey on your Twitter feed is not only engaging for your visitors, but also beneficial if you’re looking to find out how users feel about your main site. For non-marketing folks, a poll can help settle good natured disputes on where to go for dinner or drinks after work. Check out Twoll, Zoomph or Pollowers to create your own poll.
Set Alarms/Reminders
We’re all busy people, and Twitter makes it easy to stay organized. Remember The Milk is a great addition to Twitter if you want something to remind you of all your tasks. There’s also @Timer, which can be used for everything from remembering a dentist appointment to adding change into a parking meter.
Perfect Your Culinary Skills
If you’re looking to impress with your culinary skills, then follow Maureen Evans (@cookbook). Somehow, she’s able to tweet gourmet recipes in 140 characters or less.
Read, Write, and Discuss
Show how talented and astute you are by participating in literary projects. For example, authors have been attempting to publish novels one tweet at time, and there are several interactive feeds if you’re feeling creative, or have some time to kill. For example, check out @VeryShortStory, where nouns are submitted and then converted into entertaining, and often times, hilarious Twitter-sized works of art. You can also join insightful conversations @Lit_Review.
Play Games
What’s the point of all this technology if we can’t play games, right? Twitter offers some entertaining, and even educational, games that will keep your attention. There’s the word-of-the-day competition @artwiculate, chess, Mad Libs and even a Choose Your Own Twitter Adventure game.
So there you have it. Nine unique ways to use your Twitter account. If there was a creative way that we didn’t mention, drop us a comment and share it with the world. Or, maybe you’ll just tweet it instead.
Image credit: Flickr
