Speaking at the company's headquarters today, Twitter's Director of Online Sales, Dan Greene, had this to say about Twitter:

"Engagement is the real value of Twitter. This takes time, effort and resources." @Dangreene93 speaking @Twitter #leadthemoment

— Nena Caviness (@nenacaviness) October 13, 2014

In reality, his words might be said about all social media. People look to social media as a way to connect with others and to help them curate the overwhelming amount of information that is available online. Companies that jump into social media looking for it to be an easy way to get free advertising do so at the risk of alienating the very potential customers they seek.

The most successful companies, instead, use social media as a way to build realtionships with other businesses and with existing and potential customers. It is from these relationships, built and maintained over time, that he business results sought are realized.