Whilst huffing, puffing, and resembling an over-ripe tomato on the gym treadmill the other day, it got me thinking… If gym users were twitter users, what type would they be? They both come in many forms.

The young slim girl who positions herself in front of every gym mirror, and at the front of every class, constantly admiring her reflection, would be sending celebrity tweets. The look at me, I’m having a sandwich, eating an apple, blinking, sleeping, I’m totally awesome tweets.

The Ironman competitor and marathon athlete following the strictest of training programs and healthy eating plan is the twitter user we so admire. Everyone at the gym knows him, admires his self-discipline and wants to know how he does it. We wonder how they manage to train, eat right and be totally fantastic at what they do. He churns out 100 amazing tweets in a day, has over 5,000 followers, an awesome blog that everyone wants to retweet and fans who are just begging to hear more about their recipe for success.

The shy overweight lady who is spotted January 1st through January 31st at the gym, is the twitter user who “gives tweeting a go” as they know it can work if done correctly. They have the best of intentions but distractions and self confidence stop them from getting their twittering up and running.

Next we have the gossip gals who love to talk talk talk to each other and anyone who will listen. Anybody within 100 yards has to turn their ipods up to drown out their chatter. They are at the gym to exercise their vocal chords and have a cappuccino afterwards. Their tweets chat to each other all day long. They are harmless enough, but it sure can be irritating following them. You often wonder why they don’t just email each other as nobody else is interested.

Last but not least is the gym user who goes to the gym regularly, is in reasonable shape, but has definite wobbly bits. These are the twitter users who generally keep up with tweeting, are shaping up their blogs and other social media accounts but still know they have plenty of room to improve. They are a work in progress.

So….how do you tweet? Are there more types out there? I’d love to hear them!

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Social media is here, there and everywhere. Some people love it, others loathe it, but one thing most are in agreement with, it’s becoming more and more difficult to avoid it.

Social media is so much more than finding out what a celebrity is having for breakfast, drinking or where they are eating. Granted it may be important to you if they’re eating at your restaurant!

Charities are managing to build and mobilize their communities through social media. Whether it is advertising a running event to raise funds for a national charity or raising funds through a local car wash, social media can give small voices the power of a larger voice.

Charities can raise awareness of diseases through social media and put out a Call to Action. The Mesothelioma Applied Research Foundation  uses social media effectively to communicate updates in mesothelioma research and to mobilize and grow their community when a Call to Action is needed. They recently mobilzed the mesothelioma community through Twitter and Facebook asking followers and fans to contact their local Representative to ask that the Mesothelioma Awareness Day resolution (H.Res 771) be brought up for a vote. The Call to Action can be sent directly to your phone via Twitter.

Susan G Komen for the Cure uses social media effectively to promote events, raise funds and inform their over 17,000 followers on Twitter about the latest breast cancer research and updates.

Love it or loathe it, social media is here to stay for the foreseeable future. It’s so much more than where you’re having coffee this morning.