Not a week goes by without someone asking me why I have a Twitter account, why I tweet, why I read other people’s tweets, and so on. And the question is usually asked with an air of disdain. So here are ten reasons why I think Twitter is a good idea.

1 My job is enhanced by using networks on Twitter to get key links, blogs, recommendations, reviews – if I wasn’t on Twitter I’d be less effective at my job.

2 Once I’ve worked out who to follow, I get to read a huge amount of positive things.

3 I now know just how much expertise there is out there, and how happy people are to share it.

4 It’s fun.

5 It can be a real force for good. The Arab Spring is just one of many examples.

6 It doesn’t respect hierarchies – a good idea is a good idea, the job title is irrelevant.

7 Used properly, it mixes the personal and the professional without worrying too much about it.

8 Having worked out who to follow, I get to see and hear a lot of news before many of the newspapers and TV channels report it.

9 I can just read other people’s tweets without tweeting myself if I don’t feel like it, the online equivalent of listening rather than talking for the sake of it.

10 Twitter and other social networks are a must for anyone who has communications as part of their job. And they soon will be, if not already, for everyone else too.