Heck, the biggest story to break on Twitter lately was a not-all-that-hot picture of Demi Moore’s backside, shared by Ashton Kutcher. Ashton Kutcher. For a lot of people, that’s reason enough to think of Twitter as a joke.

It isn’t, though. Here are three good reasons to stop laughing about Twitter.

1. It provides a dead easy way to make connections and to network with people in your industry or niche.

2. It all happens in real-time, giving you instant access to conversations about you, your business, products that matter to you and other topics of interest.

3. It allows you to tap into a constant stream of potentially valuable links, resources and ideas in a way that you can’t accomplish otherwise.

Sure, Twitter can seem silly. The way some people use it IS silly. But if you look under the surface, you can see why it’s no laughing matter.

You’ve heard the criticisms.  It’s narcissistic volunteer voyeurism at its worse.  It’s nothing more than gobs of self-important people sharing the mundane details of their not-so-exciting lives.  How can Twitter be the next big thing?  Are there really that many people who care what everyone else is making for supper?

Hey, there’s a lot of truth to the criticisms.  There’s a part of the Twitter community that is droning on and on about the minutiae of every day existence.  It would be a mistake, however, to think that’s what the whole thing is really all about.
We’re talking about millions of users and millions more to come.  People with defined interests creating social networks with one another and communicating together.

If you’re a marketer and you’re laughing at Twitter with the critics, the joke is on you.  Beyond the silliness lies a great deal of potential.  There are few ways to reach as many people so easily with a well-targeted marketing message.

When you’re done laughing, start making some money!