While I’ll admit that I didn’t a clear strategy before starting to Twitter myself back in early 2007 (I just, you know, got on an started chatting), I don’t think that having a strategy is a bad thing.

It’s possible to use Twitter and get nothing out of it. It’s also possible to get plenty from it — business, new relationships, news tips, etc. I believe that thinking carefully about how you’ll use the tool goes a long way toward ensuring the latter.

Brands in particular, I’d argue, have plenty at stake when they establish a presence on a social network or other digital channel. It’s important they spend some time thinking about how they’ll use a tool before just launching into it.