You know about Twitter, right?  We’ll just assume the answer is yes; otherwise, start Googling immediately.  Know it, love it, and take complete advantage of it, because aside from being the cutting edge of technology, it’s also one of the most useful and versatile tools in your portfolio.

1. Micro is Better. We want it all, we want it instantly, and we want in easily digestible portions.  Blog posts take time to read; Twitter’s distinctive “micro-blogging” gives us up to the minute updates in 140 characters or less.
2. Instant Networking. You can tell 2000 of your nearest and dearest the second you write an article, blog post, or eat a delicious lunch, and even better, you can interact and make networking a reciprocal verb.
3. Ironclad Promotion. Getting your links out there is massively awesome promotion, and every friend you have is a potential person who will click your links.  Don’t, however, use Twitter strictly as a promotional tool; if you’re not sharing a real personality, people won’t bother with your links.
4. Busting Down Barriers. Yes, the internet is informal, but it’s also distant and sometimes (conversely!) lacking in connectivity.  Twitter lets you know what Meg Cabot is watching on TV, what Greg Grunberg does on his downtime, and why your old friend in London doesn’t want to get off the couch.  It connects you in very unexpected ways to people you never knew you never knew.
5. Get Personal. Blogging serves to show one side of your personality, your work shows another.  Twitter is just one more way to show people your personality and define your internet presence.
6. Be in the Know. I cannot believe how much I didn’t know about publishing before I got involved in Twitter.  What ever industry is your livelihood, passion, or both, follow the industry big wigs and you will learn more.
7. Tweetdeck Rocks. Yes, this is personal opinion, but the reason I can truly love Twitter is because of Tweetdeck.  It allows you to separate contacts into self-designed groups so that you can follow a lot of people without losing track of the ones you really care about.
8. You Know What; It’s Fun. It can be totally silly (we all have at least one Twitter friend that posts dumb videos daily…guilty…), cleverly mocking (#queryfail was the publishing industry’s commiseration regarding problematic query letters), or just engaging.
9. Productive Procrastination. You can waste a lot of time on Twitter, but if it’s creating a larger and more intimate network of friends and peers, really, it’s ok, isn’t it?
10. It’s Still Developing. That means this can only get hotter from here, and it is the definition of current technology.  As a freelancer that always has to be on top of your game, getting in on the newest technology is essential to keep up!

If you’re not on Twitter yet, I hope this has convinced you that Twitter is more than worth your time, effort, personality and enthusiasm.  And if you are already rocking the Twitosphere, look me up. Also, don’t forget to follow WTF on Twitter!