Question #1: “It seems that the only people who follow me are competitors… Again, not sure I see the point of this. From what I can tell from the posts and posters, this is a portal for procrastination and trading free advice. Please find me some evidence that twitter actually is revenue producing.”
I’d like to first address the topic of competition vs cooperation.
Here’s a bit from http://www.huppi.com/kangaroo/L-spectrumfive.htm
Hostile cooperation, on the other hand, is what exists between competitors. This may seem paradoxical, yet there is a good reason why competitors often cooperate with each other: the rewards are greater. For example, if everyone fights for a piece of the pie, then the fight may become so costly that the pie will be nearly gone when it comes time to divide it. It’s much better to forget the fight and come to an agreement from the very beginning.
As with competition, a moderated desire to cooperate is natural and healthy. Those with non-cooperative natures would have very low survival rates, as would those who cooperated so much that they did not look out after their own self-interests in a competitive world. It is for this reason that people take a healthy enjoyment in belonging to a group, practicing teamwork, helping others, etc.
What I have found through the years (got a few under my belt mind you) is you have to let other people know who you are and how you differ from others in the same field – and let people go with the person that feels like the best fit.
There’s no reason to try to compete. There is plenty for everyone. If someone feels there is not enough to go around, then they might try harder and wear themselves out with that type of competitive spirit.
Don’t get me wrong, competition is a good thing – it provides the fuel to be better, but to not join the game (Twitter) because it is competitive would have you miss out on all the fun of finding new people who relate to YOU. They can’t be your new client if they don’t know about you.
To quote a bit from my son’s book, The Sharp Knife of Forced Simplicity Vol. 1: the Numinous Rebellion
“If there were one bad habit I could liberate the world of, it would be scarcity thinking. I believe this outlook has caused more damage (and caused more scarcity!) than any other factor known to humanity.”
~Ron Khare
People are making money through Twitter – the stories are there – just be open to seeing it. A good source of information is @mashable especially this post: http://mashable.com/2009/04/10/extraordinary-twitter-updates/
I talk to people almost everyday who are making new connections on Twitter and many of those are turning into new customers. I don’t think the question is can you make money on Twitter – now it’s – how much money can you make on Twitter.
I would love to hear your stories.
As you find more and more people who resonate with you – your sales will grow as long as you stay current and available (and have something to sell!).
