Many of my followers would agree, Twitter is a tremendous social media resource to listen and interact with others in your industry, etc. With just a few 140 character tweets, a dialog can be started, and learning and growing (personally or professionally) can begin.

Sadly, I’ve noticed lately that many @ mentions I’ve sent out on Twitter have gone unnoticed. Now you may be thinking I’m just looking for acknowledgment and to stroke my ego. Not so. Why? At some point, when my Twitter account broke a certain threshold, the replies, comments and dialog started automatically without the need for a RT plea or otherwise. Good content and added value got me noticed.

So what’s happening lately? Honestly, I don’t know. What I do know is that maybe too many people or businesses are just not paying attention. Push tweets and promoted tweets do not build a community or a solid following. Twitter is a conversation zone, not just a billboard advertisement for your product or service.

Do you manage your social media community? If so, be sure to engage with your followers and get out there and start talking! Your followers, customers, friends and business partners will appreciate it.

Duane Drzadinski is a project manager, father and social media enthusiast. Connect with him and continue the conversation on Twitter and LinkedIn.