I went to a Gilda’s Club luncheon yesterday with about 150 other women, only three of whom I knew. We were all there to help Gilda’s Club raise money to support people living with cancer.

It was a lot fun for a good cause but I was mildly distracted by an odd thought that kept recurring throughout the afternoon: This is a lot like Twitter. It hit me just after we got there. Some people had bought whole tables so, of course, we couldn’t sit at them. I joined a table with mostly strangers. It was like Twitter only with Twitter, my computer is the table.

I like to meet lots of people.

Just as with Twitter, I talked to some people I know but mostly I looked forward to meeting the people I’d never met before. On Twitter, I follow new people all the time as long as they aren’t spammers, bots or think frequent cussing is cool. A friend tells me you’re cool on Twitter only if you follow few and have thousands who follow you. With me, it’s the more the merrier. Recently I had a party in my apartment with about 60 people for dinner.

You never know when you’re meeting a prospect.

Occasionally one of those all-business types will ask “Why do you waste your time with all these people if your objective is to build your business?” They’d never understand my real reason so I usually tell them some version of a true story I blogged about a while back – selling a fully loaded Ford Explorer to a blind man: Who would think you could sell a car to a blind man?

The idea of course is that you never really know. It’s why I follow and enjoy people like @aviationartlife. If you build a network of friends, good things just happen. Or not.

Reciprocating and “giving first” works.

I get a kick out of retweeting interesting or useful information so that people can enjoy it or use it, too. And I always thank the people who Retweet my comments. It’s Twitter courtesy.

Marketing is my passion.

Many of my tweets are about my business: marketing, branding, getting measurable results for programs. So when I read a great article in a marketing magazine, I find it online and then provide a link to it. Last week I mentioned a Harvard Business Review article and one of my followers said I was stretching him out of his “comfort zone”. Made me laugh.

People come from Twitter into my “real” world.

I get to know some of my Twitter friends so well that they begin to mail me information about themselves or their companies. Then they call to make an appointment to visit. Joe Blumenfeld of @JoeBees vitamins, and a few weeks ago @theflaggagency ‘s Chuck Flagg dropped by on the way to a cruise.

(Chuck Flagg pictured on the left, Joe Blumenstein on the right.)

So like Gilda’s Club, Twitter can help people do great things. Sometimes it’s that huge protest in Egypt, sometimes it’s as ephemeral as reading celebrity Tweets. Most of all it is a place to begin relationships with lots of people who just might someday become friends for no reason at all, except that they like you! ?

What is your Twitter philosophy?

About Lois Geller

Lois Geller is President and Owner of Lois Geller Marketing Group and headed agencies in New York and Toronto. Lois taught Direct Marketing at NYU. She’s the author of five marketing books, including Response: The Complete Guide to Profitable Direct Marketing. Follow @loisgeller on Twitter.