I recently read a poll about why people use twitter. It was very interesting seeing the reasons people gave and I’d like to share my thoughts on why you should, too.
You might be laughing to yourself if you already do tweet, but you’d be surprised at how many don’t.
Network with other programmers
Networking is one of the best things you can do for your career. Not only can networking help you find a job, but I’ve found that programmers are generally very helpful and accessible on twitter. Programmers love it when you ask about a project they are involved with. Call it an ego thing.
One other really cool networking use for twitter: having something to talk about when you meet at JUGs or conferences. A follow request is an instant icebreaker and gets the networking process started for you.
Keep up on trends
You already know that software engineering is a constantly changing field. Twitter is a great way to learn how and when to branch out from your areas of focus. Even better, if you have a question about a new technology you can ask your posse without fear.
Be careful, though, there are a TON of cool things out there. Pursuing all of them is idiotic, you’ll just end up burning yourself out. Trust me ;)
Promote yourself
Networking in today’s world seems to be just as much about building your personal brand as meeting others. Hiring managers love to find passionate and honest programmers. There is little better proof than tweets that show you’re thinking in the programming world (the best proof, though, is open-source code IMO).
Why do you use twitter? Share with a comment or a tweet!
WARNING! Shameless plug: Don’t forget to follow me on twitter. If you show passion for programming, it’s likely I’ll follow you back :)