Simply connecting with others is easy, building a lasting relationship is another story. The point and click method of connecting, particularly on Twitter, is fast and effortless. Want to unfollow someone? Then just click again.

People use Twitter for a variety of reasons: to grow a brand, a business, or to sell a service or product. Others may be using it to follow their favorite celebrity or the latest news. An interesting aspect of Twitter is that one is able to follow events happening in real time.

I have had great luck using it as a kind of living database or encyclopedia. I insert a filter (using a # and a search term) into the information stream and the relevant results show up. It may take some time to find what I’m looking for, but it is at least a way to start understanding what is trending.

Twitter can be a challenge for people if you don’t have a disciplined approach. If you are not careful, one could spend in inordinate amount of time scrolling through Twitter’s stream of information, following people, retweeting articles, liking this or that post, or adding people to lists. The more you work with Twitter, the more you become tied to it. It’s addictive.

I have been able to make incredible connections with people that I wouldn’t normally be able to connect. A few of these have turned into meaningful professional relationships. This part of using Twitter requires work in the form of follow-up and sorting through people that just want to sell you something.

To use Twitter effectively you have to know why you are there in the first place. Otherwise, you’ll get lost in an ocean of information making meaningless connections.