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So many of you are sitting in your office or at home wondering what Twitter is all about. Yesterday, Oprah opened her twitter account and will probably have over a million followers very shortly. She will probably get to one million followers faster than any Twitter user out there. If Oprah is doing it it must be right.

Seriously, is this hype about Twitter worth it? What is the business case for Twitter or and other social media tools? Is it worth the time and effort for business, large or small to have a presence in the world of social media? If you know me or work with me in any way, you will know that I have embraced this world of social media, because I think I see something compelling and interesting coming down the track. Are you convinced yet?

I am convinced. I am convinced that social media and the many forms of interactive communication we have yet to see or conceive is one way, perhaps the dominant way people will get information in the future. There are many trends and cultural reasons why this will occur. Many of them are outlined in the book I recently read, Grown Up Digital, by Donald Tapscott (and is reviewed here). The NetGeneration is different. If you have teenage and young adult children like I do, I don’t have to tell you that your children are different, and every generation is, however the way our children have grown up is different than the way Baby Boomers or even GenXers have been impacted by technology or media. The world is different and changing fast… very fast.

It would be easy to dismiss it with a hmph, and say, “this isn’t for me”, but if you are in business, and you expect to grow and attract new customers, assuming your new customers are under the age of 40, then you need to wake up to the changing landscape. Throw away the assumptions of marketing, communication and how to reach your customer. Yes, some of the old ways will still work and reach customers, but I am going to place my bets on a younger generation that will hopefully “buy” my authenticity and willingness to embrace their generation and their ideas. Maybe this is my way of avoiding growing old.

Over my next few blog posts, I will spend time looking at Tapscott’s eight norms of the net generation and see how they impact business. I hope you learn from my research and curiosity. For a preview, here they are:

1. NetGeners want freedom in everything they do, from freedom of choice to freedom of expression.

2. NetGeners love to customize and personalize: NetGeners want to be able to customize all their “stuff.” After all, that is what NetGeners have grown up with.

3. NetGeners are the new scrutinizers: NetGeners are, perhaps, the most skeptical generation ever. When they can look up anything on the Internet, they will. There is little you can put past them. NetGeners are only harnessed by their desire.

4. NetGeners look for corporate integrity and openness when deciding what to buy and where to work.

5. NetGeners want entertainment and play in their work, education and social life: NetGen wants their lives to be entertaining and fun, not only when they are home, but also in the workplace and everywhere else they go.

6. NetGeners are a collaboration and relationship generation: The NetGeners want to collaborate on everything. Think of their participation in texting, communicating, gaming and all things Internet. Social sites are all about generating cooperation and teaming up.

7. NetGeners have a need for speed, in everything: Again, re-telling stories about dial-up service and other inconveniences of the early net age are not interesting to the NetGen group.

8. NetGeners are innovators: NetGeners want the latest and greatest innovations. NetGeners want to work for companies that are interested in innovation and can deliver.

Watch for my analysis of each of these norms over the next few months. If any of you have an opinion about this topic, please provide a comment or get a hold of me directly.

Social Media marketing is a new phenomena for me. My daughter has been doing it for her store for quite some time and when she first told me what she was doing, frankly, I was skeptical. Now of course, I am a recent convert, having recently started working with Twitter, Facebook and this blog. I believe that younger generations, the people that will be our future are guiding our media consumption. I feel it is the way to go. In addition, the book I recently read, Grown up Digital, by Don Tapscott makes me think in different ways.

Another interesting piece I found (via a tweet, thanks @mashable) is the report “Social Media Marketing Industry Report” by Michael Stelzner. Give it a read, and listen.

Don’t forget the blog Mashable. They provide all types of information on people interested in learning more about Twitter, Facebook and other social media sites.

Are you using Social Networking Media for your business? Should you? Respond to me here.