Always wanted to start one of these.... I'm interested in people's opinions about colleagues/competitors having twitter accounts. I know you don't have to follow them, but I've noticed that even if you don't, information from them seems to invade your life anyway - often with inane detail that no-one was really interested in. If so, why are people doing it - is it a bandwagon, is it fashionable or does it really have merit? Looking forward to comments that will make me smile on yet another grey day! Lucy

I had a twitter account a few years ago when I was developing a part time business. To be honest, I never really 'got' it. It did work to a limited extent, but I suppose at the time Twitter was in it's relative infancy. Now, it can apparently be a good marketing tool if used correctly. That said, I haven't used my account for around 2 years now - I simply got bored with it. However, I still get emails on an almost daily basis stating that completely random people are now 'following me'. Probably to build up their quota...

PS. I don't do those facespace or mybook things either Andy

I use it and find it's a useful tool if you set it up properly. My Twitter account is for business only so I don't follow people who tweet about what they had for breakfast and what they bought on EBay today! You can choose who to follow and then you can choose which of those people's tweets come direct to your mobile if you want to. I have stopped having quite a few people's tweets sent to my phone because they were tweeting every 5 minutes about inane rubbish or retweeting other people's stuff all the time. For me it's useful as I follow a number of clients, training agencies and colleagues who I have either worked for or may work for. It's useful to me to get a tweet from a training company saying they've just got a new contract and will be looking for freelance trainers. Tells me it's time to e-mail them and see if I can help! However it's definitely a case of horses for courses and it's not likely to be useful to everyone. If I wasn't self-employed and constantly on the look out for the next contract then I don't expect I would have bothered either. P.S I do Facebook too...

I have facebook, twitter, myspace, linked in, youtube account. The only one I use for my professional H&S stuff is Linked-in - although I do plan to work on a youtube account for H&S podcasts. I have to admit, I don't get it with twitter. i have had it for a couple of years now and view it as an app on my phone. I follow about 10 famous people that I admire. For something that is supposed to be brief - a micro blog in 140 characters or whatever it is - it seems to achieve the opposite. It just seems to be an endless stream of out-of-context bitty ramblings and links to other pages that I have not got time to look at. I do wonder if Twitter is simply about bragging about how many followers you have - whereas the real question should be 'are people really reading the posts? - i doubt it. My Suggestions: Twitter - personally would not bother Linked-in - was rather dead and stuffy for a while but seems to be flourishing more lately. Great for making sure you have an online presence - and good for setting up online special intersest groups Facebook - more a social friends/family thing. MySpace - still going but dead! Tumbler - this is for blogging and putting all sorts of things on line. My 16 year old son loves it but probably not popular enough with 'old people' yet to be of use in a H&S context Coming back to twitter; re followers, I don't have any. I am a Health and Safety Manager so therefore have no friends!

Those Who Inanely Talk Totally Excluding Reason?? On the other hand there were those who predicted that the telephone would lead to the fall of society :-) I don't subscribe to the view that you need to know everything immediately. Indeed sometimes it is best not to know at all. However if you feel the need then twitter and other forms of social media are a really useful tool to stay engaged, p48

pete48's opening phrase above seems very apt. Also, the name 'Twitter' speaks for itself. Though I've never actually seen 'Twitter', from what I've read and heard about it from various sources, it's for twits who have nothing better to do than, well, twitter or chatter about inconsequential matters. Also, I get the same impressions about 'Facebook'. Those of you who have received the latest SHP magazine will have seen the front cover comment that "Google, Facebook, Twitter, iEverything - this is the language young people understand, so practitioners must be fluent in it if they are to get through to the emerging generation." Is this really true? Also, isn't 'Google' just the name of an internet search facility rather than a language? Furthermore, isn't there a need for all users of the internet to think and assess what they see on the internet. It's frightening to consider how many people appear to blindly accept what they see as being true or accurate. The same applies to what's imparted by TV programmes, films, books and newspapers.

Bunch of grumpy old men! ;-) (bah humbug, things were better in our day, etc, etc) Like any resource, Twitter is as useful as you want it to be. Same with Facebook and yes Ron is right that it has a sinister side, but only for the foolish and unwary. Graham - if you think Google is just a search engine then you haven't looked recently. Android is Google. GMail is Google. Googledocs for file sharing anyone? I'm not sure why there seems to be an assumption here that anyone who uses social media is some sort of wannabe media junkie incapable of rational independent thought. It's just another business tool for many of us. Try it, you might like it!

Or on the end of the phone if they live too far away to visit. You aren't Jim Royle, are you?? Andy

I looked at Twitface once just to see what all the fuss was about. I got depressed because I had no friends and no followers twitting me. I don't understand why a phone call or a chat with your mate down the pub is considered old fashioned. Stay old-school my friends, this is the only online forum I use.

It isn't. Social media is just one of many tools for networking. Jobe has a point about mocking things you know nothing about. It'[s not compulsory to follow Victoria Beckham or anyone remotely like her. Luddites. ;-) <--- this by the way is a smiley. It indicates that I'm not 100% serious with the luddites comment. Just in case it's a bit too "cutting edge" for some of you old fashioned types!

Good response Heather - made me laugh! Maybe people know enough about some things to know to avoid them. For example: I haven't bought my children a wee machine cos they'd want to spend hours playing tennis etc on it, rather than actually 'playing tennis'. The same philosophy goes for twitter. I see youngsters texting all the way home on the train. When they finally get to meet up with their friends, I bet they either can't find anything to talk about, or have somewhat lost the skill in direct communication. IMO

Shouting at the TV eh Graham? Oh dear, First step on the slippery slope to madness. I agree about the Minister being a wazzock though and I also agree that face to face discussion is usually better - not always possible though. SP. It's "Wii", not "Wee", though the thought of a "wee machine" did make me giggle.

:-D There does seem to be a common theme that people who don't use (for example) twitter assume it is a load of rubbish with no valid purpose. Personally I use these and find them to be a very valuable source of information. Following IOSH, IIRSM, RoSPA, CIEH on twitter has been very interesting and often helpful. There is a risk of finding out what someone had for breakfast, lunch and dinner but you can 'unfollow' them and that's the last you'll hear of them. My final comment - why use a forum? we could all meet in a seminar room somewhere, couldn't we? ;-)

To quote meatloaf , you took the words right out of my mouth