Do you maintain a professional Twitter account?

Sgt Michael Kieloch — Mon, 13 Jan 2014 15:30:32 -0500

As professionals, both military and civilian, are looking for additional ways to network, share ideas and resources, build their reputation as a thought-leader, and demonstrate their savviness with emerging technology, I see more and more individuals taking to forms of social media like Twitter and G+ to establish professional accounts. I think this is especially a way to delineate oneself in the thought-leader and influencer department as sites like LinkedIn and RallyPoint become more "baseline" for all professionals. In other words, people practically expect everybody to, for example, have a LinkedIn profile these days so having additional channels of professional presence is a way to differentiate from the crowd.

Do you maintain a non-personal Twitter account? If so, share the link to your profile for fellow RallyPoint users to follow you.

Additional thought points for Twitter users: What was your motivation in setting up a Twitter profile? Do you find yourself mostly sharing other people's content, discussing with other users, or syndicating your own content from other sites?

I'll get the sharing started with my own Twitter profile: http://www.twitter.com/ihelpnonprofits

Michael Kieloch (ihelpnonprofits) on Twitter

The latest from Michael Kieloch (@ihelpnonprofits). Director of Marketing & Communications @CHSBoston | Foundation Board Member | U.S. Marine | Siena & BU alumnus | Roman Catholic. Boston, Massachuset...

Response by CW2 Joseph Evans made Jan 13 at 2014 3:43 PM

CW2 Joseph Evans — Mon, 13 Jan 2014 15:43:39 -0500

The point of Twitter is lost unless you have successfully Branded your product. Stuff gets lost in the feed so quickly, which means it is time consuming to maintain an adequate presence there to support your product.

Now, if you are hashtagging the hell out of your product to drive up SEO numbers, might as well use a bot. That being said, I have seen some success for some businesses using an hour a week to convene a twitter town hall. Of course, you need a big enough reach to generate the content you need.

Response by CPT Private RallyPoint Member made Jan 13 at 2014 3:59 PM

CPT Private RallyPoint Member — Mon, 13 Jan 2014 15:59:06 -0500

Nope, I maintain a strictly unprofessional Twitter account.<br>

Response by SGT Donald Croswhite made Mar 31 at 2014 9:17 AM

SGT Donald Croswhite — Mon, 31 Mar 2014 09:17:57 -0400

My philosophy is, if I don't want people talking about it I wont say it. Always pause to think. This has also stopped me from getting a lot of stupid tatoos.

Response by 1SG Private RallyPoint Member made May 15 at 2014 11:20 AM

1SG Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 15 May 2014 11:20:41 -0400

I have no twitter account.

Response by MSG Private RallyPoint Member made May 15 at 2014 11:43 AM

MSG Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 15 May 2014 11:43:46 -0400

No tweeting here....I really don't get twitter

Response by Capt Private RallyPoint Member made May 15 at 2014 1:52 PM

Capt Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 15 May 2014 13:52:41 -0400

Tweeting is a lot of effort that I couldn't manage to keep up on. I think if I had a lucrative e-job like some of those folks, it may be more manageable.

Response by MAJ Dallas D. made May 15 at 2014 2:34 PM

MAJ Dallas D. — Thu, 15 May 2014 14:34:54 -0400

I have tried it and still don't get it, everything get's lost in the feed. I tweet during UFC Fights as a way of enjoying the fights with friends who are in different locations. More of like a chat which is not what it is meant for but oh well.

Response by CW5 Sam R. Baker made Oct 28 at 2014 2:58 PM

CW5 Sam R. Baker — Tue, 28 Oct 2014 14:58:01 -0400

What is Twitter? Networking and task overload are becoming one and the same, with LinkedIn, Facebook, AKO, MilSuite, Yahoo, SiPR and everything else one has to remember and do, throw in Pinterest and Instagram and you are clearly overloaded! I have recommended RP to folks, have had very FEW takers cause everyone already has so much social media on their plate.

Response by SSG Tim Everett made Nov 12 at 2014 9:42 AM

SSG Tim Everett — Wed, 12 Nov 2014 09:42:46 -0500

I have my personal (aka "unprofessional" haha) Twitter, and I am the administrator for several Twitter accounts that are connected to non-"professional" ventures, and by that I mainly mean they aren't a paying job.

I avoid giving out my private Twitter to anyone that could be my employer. In this day and age despite the fact that it's largely illegal for a civilian employer to try and log in or monitor my off-duty social media habits, I'd rather not have to get into a situation. So I keep my privacy settings locked down, and am fully prepared for those assets to go dark if I feel the need.

Response by Sgt Terry Hall made Aug 4 at 2017 8:41 PM

Sgt Terry Hall — Fri, 04 Aug 2017 20:41:54 -0400

Yes I do. Twitter.com/TerryJobs

Response by SFC Chuck Martinez made Jan 19 at 2021 6:59 PM

SFC Chuck Martinez — Tue, 19 Jan 2021 18:59:04 -0500

I refuse to deal with twitter until they stop their double standards methods!

Response by SSG Robert Perrotto made Jan 20 at 2021 4:07 AM

SSG Robert Perrotto — Wed, 20 Jan 2021 04:07:06 -0500

Nope - I refuse to be held hostage about something I may have said years ago being taken out of context and utilized to socially ostracize me. So - no twitter, no what's app, no snap chat, I do have a FB account, mostly to keep in touch with my old Army buddies.

Response by SSgt Private RallyPoint Member made Jan 20 at 2021 1:08 PM

SSgt Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 20 Jan 2021 13:08:08 -0500

Is there such a thing as Business Ethics? The short answer is no, there is only ethics. You either have them or you don't. The same is true with online presences. Are you trying to create a false façade of a business person that is - in the long run - contrary to who you are? Since the inception of social media, including pure texting apps like ICQ, UseNet, etc, I've only ever had one account per site. Named the same as the other sites.

Some sites allowed me to create groups (FB) or pages (Google+) and I used those as a focus for different areas of my life but the account was the same. That was before I deleted my FB & Twitter accounts.

Response by SFC Terry Wilcox made Jan 20 at 2021 4:37 PM

SFC Terry Wilcox — Wed, 20 Jan 2021 16:37:24 -0500

Canceled my account, right after they canceled so many Conservatives accounts.

Response by SSG Robert Webster made Jan 21 at 2021 12:10 AM

SSG Robert Webster — Thu, 21 Jan 2021 00:10:40 -0500

Got a Personal Twitter account but rarely if ever use it.

I have met some of the most ignorant and ill-informed people on that platform. A lot of the people that exist there do not know the difference between a child under the age of majority and a young female adult in college that lives with their boyfriend.