The power of Twitter as a social medium lies not so much in the new connections it helps you make (that's what Facebook is for), but in the existing connections it helps you develop and cement. I started paying attention to Twitter when Mitch Joel noticed that Google was indexing Twitter posts. I didn't, however, fully appreciate just how Twitter fit into the future of the internet as a social operating system until Mitch characterized Twitter as permission based stalking. Well, if Mitch's (and my own) rambling haven't evangelized you, Rohit Bhargava has listed 8 reasons why Twitter matters. Briefly summed up, those reasons are:

1. Broadcast Yourself For Real.
2. Replace Invasive Instant Messaging.
3. Build An Entourage Quickly.
4. Get Satisfaction by Venting.
5. Always Find Out What's New.
6. Fills A Gap Left By Blogging.
7. Highly Useful for Live Blogging.
8. Facilitate Meetups.

Basically, Rohit has put into words what my personal experience with Twitter has taught me about the service and its potential as a business tool. Twitter won't necessarily open any new doors for you. What it will do, however, is help get more traffic moving through the doors that you have already opened.

When you Twitter, you update those that you don't know all that well on your daily life. This makes them feel closer to you because it makes them feel like they're part of your daily routine. When it does come down to doing business, then, the gears will be that much more well oiled. These people will already be able to identify with you, your style of doing business, and your personal brand. I guess that John McCain should've been a twit after all. In any case, here's a on vlog post of mine from when Mitch first converted me over to the Twitterati.