I’ve been preaching the word of Twitter for about three months.

(Here’s my Twitter page, btw… http://www.twitter.com/samharrelson)

In that time, we’ve tried a successful/unsuccessful experiment at Affiliate Summit in Las Vegas (depending on your metrics) and I’ve continued to preach to the unconverted and unconvinced masses of affiliate marketing professionals who scoff at “just another vanity platform.” I covered the ShareASale experiment in depth in an upcoming article in the next issue of Revenue magazine, so grab that if you’d like to get an overall glimpse of Twitter at the Summit.

Affiliate marketing professionals are slowly (painfully so) beginning to pick up on the benefits of using a platform such as Twitter. BUMPzee’s Scott Jangro is Twittering again. Online marketing bloggers such as Janet Meiners and Andy Beard are actively twitter’n as well. Even affiliate marketing legend, Microsoft Security MVP and Google VIP Wayne Porter has joined Twitter, so it must be a safe platform.

However, perhaps this week’s SXSW show in Austin, TX has been the biggest instigator of Twitter talk. Influencers such as Robert Scoble, Steve Rubel, Jason Calacanis and Veronica Belmont are evidently in love with the service based on their frequent use. SXSW attendees are on Twitter fire and using the platform for communication, direction, time sensitive information and fun. Keeping tabs on the Twitter traffic from Austin provides a unique glimpse for those of us not fortunate enough to make it down for the always inspiring SXSW.

So… to answer the questions from the non-experimentive armchair pundits who seem to proliferate this industry because of their dogmatic belief that the world or at least online marketing hasn’t changed since 1999…

1. What’s the point? Who cares? Don’t we have enough of these types of “micro-blog” platforms out there? Should you really care if my taxi ride was smooth or if my flight was on time?

These same questions were asked about bulletin boards.

Then they were asked about email.

Then they were asked about blogging.

And now they’re being asked about micro-blogging/Twitter.

Twitter isn’t for everyone. Neither is blogging. And we all know that some individuals should be banned from email (or at least the forward and reply-all functions).

However, if you are seeking to establish a community in either a geographically remote or geographically close proximity, Twitter is a tool that you need to take seriously.

2. I don’t want to have all of those SMS alerts hitting my cell phone. Twitter is stupid because it relies on SMS.

Wrong. I don’t use the SMS feature. I have Twitter hooked into my GTalk account within GMail. I do check that with my BlackBerry when I’m on the road, but it doesn’t require the use of your cell or SMS. You can use AOL IM or GTalk at the moment.

3. Twitter is just IM on crack. I’m more than happy with my AIM account, so why would I want to use Twitter?

Because it’s not an instant messaging platform. Try it. You’ll see.

4. Twitter is just a passing fad like torn Levi’s or $1.00 email/zip CPA offers.

We can’t predict the future, but based on quick adoption, long term sustainability and the real impact that Twitter is already having on the way certain online communities interact and communicate, I would put my money on this platform being around for a very long time. Our children will laugh at the way we “IM’d” and communicated instantly via chat in 2004.

5. Twitter has nothing to do with affiliate marketing. Why did I read this long post? Where is the payoff, or at least connection, to online or affiliate marketing?

Here’s the payoff… Twitter has the potential to change the way your internal staff communicates. It has the potential to improve the way your affiliate managers communicate with affiliates and publishers. It has the potential to even transform, and advance, the way your program communicates with customers and users. It’s up to you to realize that potential. Every merchant program is different, so every answer there is necessarily individual. However, I’d love to help you figure it out.

Convinced yet? Still skeptical? At least attempt to experiment with the service. It’s not for everyone… but neither is blogging and email.

Here are a few helpful links to get you going…

The Several Habits of Wildly Successful Twitter Users

Twittering the Technorati Monster

Technorati and Twitter

Six Twitter Power Tips

Anil Dash: Consider Twitter

Twapper (Using Twitter on Mobile w/o SMS)

Feel free to disagree, post more questions or resources…

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