While I haven’t implemented these features in any practical organization, I felt that Twitter, that wonderful waste of space we love to use, could be applied to business use as well.

Twitter allows you to post via AIM, email, or their website status updates of what you are currently doing. When you set up an account for business, separate it from your personal Twitter, and MAKE SURE YOUR TWITTER IS NOT IN THE PUBLIC TIMELINE. We wouldn’t want any private business issues to get out to the world TOO early now, would we?

Now, the best way to use Twitter with these tips is to subscribe to the RSS feed, so make sure everyone knows what an RSS feed is. I’ve only met two people outside the internets that knew what an RSS feed was. Sad that not everybody is a geek, huh?

Some ways Twitter can not waste your time and instead make it productive:

1. Project updates

Big corporations have big projects, and so do small corportations. It’s important to be able to keep track on how all those projects are coming. Using Twitter to show what you currently are working on will easily point out for the boss man what it is you’re doing. You can even break down into specifics, like “Creating code for Hyper-RSS parser” or “Writing 1st chapter of Anti-GTD organization,” or anything of the sorts. Tell the powers that be about Google Reader, or any RSS reader you feel would be easy for them, (Be nice) and you’ve got yourself the ultimate way to provide updates.

2. Use Twitter to determine the current activity of a technician or other employee

Going back to the company in the previous posts, the technicians would never update us on their current position. With Twitter, all one needs to do is send a text message via any capable cell phone to Twitter, and the status is updated, so technicians don’t have to waste time calling, when they can text, or post on the web. This way, more phone lines get saved for customers, and a near-constant look at what’s going on keeps the business flow going, and doesn’t anger customers.

3. General updates

If your boss is the type of person who wants you out of a meeting even though it’s mandatory, because they didn’t know you needed to be at the meeting, Twitter comes through again.   All the boss has to do is check your Twitter feed, and they’ll see you’re in a meeting, and will have to wait until the meeting is over to deal with whatever it is they want you to.

Got any tips to use Twitter? What are some you use?