Communications is all about surrogates

Communications is completely about surrogates, or the best available substitute when the better alternative is unavailable. For example, the telephone is a good surrogate for an in-person conversation when it would be impractical or impossible to be with the person to whom you're speaking. Email is a good surrogate for communicating with someone when they are a) not physically available and/or b) when it doesn't matter if they are available in real time. Web conferencing is a good substitute for in-person meetings when it is not possible or practical to meet.

Which leads to communication tools like Twitter used in a business context. While people who don't really get Twitter think of it as little more than a way to tell people what you're having for lunch or when you're waiting for a flight, it really can be much more than that. If you use Twitter correctly, it's really a surrogate for the people you think are likely to pass along useful information to you. For example, using Twitter is a surrogate for asking an industry veteran what he thinks of cloud-based computing. It's a surrogate for overhearing an elevator conversation about an article on color theory in marketing materials. It's a surrogate for asking a trusted contact what he or she thinks of a competitor's recent announcement.

Twitter, like any surrogate technology, is not perfect. Deep insights normally can't be conveyed in 140 characters. But it's a good way to keep tabs on who and what you think might be important in your job and in your personal life.