Do you need Twitter?

Having joined Facebook years ago at the urging of my students, I am now wondering whether I need to take the “next step” and use Twitter.  Personally, I sometimes wonder why I even care what I’m doing at the moment, much less whether the entire world cares.

So, is Twitter just a “voluntary” Big Brother or does it have real value?

For a very interesting discussion of the value of Twitter in the legal community, see Robert Ambrogi, Tweet 16: 16 Ways Lawyers Can Use Twitter, Legaline.com, March 20, 2009.  His article describes the following 16 potential benefits:

1. Expand your network
2. Discover new blogs
3. Mold your image
4. Distribute your news
5. Drive traffic
6. Simulate the water cooler
7. Message your colleagues
8. Monitor the buzz
9. Get noticed by news media
10. Keep up with your local court
11. Track activity at a conference
12. Follow the government
13. Promote an event or seminar
14. Get more mileage
15. Find clients
16. Locate experts

Note:  Just to experiment, I did sign up under the user name Gerry_Beyer.