I’ll admit: I have historically had a love-hate relationship with Twitter.

I signed up in 2008, and I occasionally enjoyed perusing my feed for interesting things to read in my free time. But for a long time, it just seemed like a waste of time. 

I could get the news I wanted to read from Apple News or 100 other sources. 

I could get personal updates from my friends on Facebook. 

I could see photos of people who interest me on Instagram. 

And no one was reading the few tweets I posted, anyway.*

* Right off the bat, know that you must tweet regularly if you expect to have a Twitter following and impact. Keep that in mind as you begin thinking about using Twitter as an effective communications tool.

What, then, was the point of Twitter?

Your communications pro — in-house, agency or freelance — is right: You need a blog.

We’ll get into the reasons why a little farther down the page, but for now, do me a favor: Take whatever vision you have of a blog and bury it for a moment. Scratch the slate clean, and allow me to paint a picture that might be quite different than the one that comes to your mind when you hear the term.

Yesterday, I met with a small group of retired executives who volunteered their expertise and advice, wanting nothing more than to help a small-business owner succeed. (Learn more about SCORE.) 

On Sundays, volunteers greet me at my church door, hand out bulletins, teach my family Sunday-school lessons, purchase and prepare snacks for all in attendance and so much more. (Learn more about Calvary Chapel of Danville.)

On Mondays and Tuesdays this past school year, I met with about 100 other women who were volunteering a significant portion of our weeks to helping other women study the Bible. (Learn more about Bible Study Fellowship.)

Chances are, you've crossed paths with a volunteer or two in your past week, too.

[ This article is part 2 of our Content Marketing Basics Class series. Learn what content marketing is and how it works in part 1 of the series: Content Marketing 101: Understanding this modern marketing tactic ]

Sometimes trying to break through an extremely noisy digital world and get noticed by the people who matter can feel like walking through Disney World on spring break, desperately searching for your lost child with a common name. 

“Michael! Michael! Can you hear me? Where are you?”

She hops on her tricycle as a toddler, gets the hang of it and enjoys herself for a little while.

When riding the tricycle becomes second nature — maybe even a little boring — she eagerly seeks something more challenging. It’s time for a “real” bike. She leans on training wheels at first, so she won’t fall flat as she struggles to learn the delicate balance she needs in order to keep moving. She’s not ready for hills and curves, but she’s enjoying the wind in her hair and the fresh air in her face. She enjoys herself for a little while more.