My efforts to live tweet last night’s Grammy Awards were thwarted by my simultaneous inability to endure more than two hours of live television (even when I had TiVo pause during the commercials) and retire later than 10 p.m. on a Sunday night. However, that didn’t take away from the fun that my husband and I had watching the beginning of the show with millions of “friends” on Twitter.

Live tweeting is essentially delivering commentary in Twitter’s 140-character bursts as an event is taking place. You organize your thoughts about that particular event by providing a specific hashtag, also known as “#” or the number symbol. That way, people can follow tweets about the event by searching for the hashtag in Twitter or one of the many other Twitter applications. I used the HootSuite dashboard on my iPhone last night to tweet my thoughts using hashtag #grammys (hashtags are not case-sensitive). The dashboard also allowed me to create a column (or stream, as it’s called in HootSuite) with nothing but search results for #grammys. I was able to view others’ comments about the dresses, the performances, the award speeches, etc.

The same phenomenon occurred last Sunday night when millions were tweeting about the Super Bowl. Many people tweeted about the famous football showdown’s multi-million dollar commercials using the hashtag #brandbowl. And before that, the NFL relaxed its social media rules to encourage players to tweet during the Pro Bowl using sideline computers the league provided.

As with any use of social media, think before you tweet. Your tweets show up a long time after that thought bubble has burst. Just ask Roland Martin. CNN suspended Martin after he live tweeted comments during the Super Bowl that were deemed offensive to the gay community. Snarky comments can be entertaining, and if they’re part of the personality and brand you wish to convey on Twitter, go for it. Offensive or hurtful is never OK as far as I’m concerned.

Why should you live tweet? Live tweeting is helpful when you’re interested in building a following of like-minded people. It’s just another way to create meaningful content for your followers and offer insights into your point of view and brand personality.

Why should you search or follow others’ live tweets via hashtag? If you’re unable to attend a conference or workshop, you can land a front row seat courtesy of attendees or presenters live tweeting what they’re learning and experiencing from anywhere in the world. This often includes photos or links to presentations or other content.

Are you a live tweeter? Why and what have you live tweeted? I’d love to read more in the comments.

Jennifer, Jody and Alison on Set

If I had to name one thing that I am proudest of in my career – and really, in my life – it’s my relationships. In the 18 years that I’ve been in marketing and communications, I’ve worked alongside some of the smartest, kindest and funnest people. I’ve made a point of staying in touch with many of them, not because I thought it would benefit me down the road, but because I like having them in my world, even if our only mode of communication is the occasional Facebook comment.

Which leads me to the above photo. I spent last week on set at a corporate video shoot in my hometown of Chattanooga, Tenn. My friend, Jody, is part of an in-house video production department. He and I worked together at a television station when we were both in our early 20s and have plenty of old stories to prove it. Jennifer was the first reporter that I worked with when I moved to the weekend assignment desk at that same television station. Together we learned how to gather stories for the Saturday and Sunday newscasts.

Although it’s been at least 15 years since the three of us worked together at Channel 3, we’ve managed to stay in touch through the occasional video project. I’ve hired Jody to shoot and edit videos for me. And on last week’s video project, he hired Jennifer as on-camera talent and me as script writer. It was a blast.

The simplest and most rewarding way to build your business originates in a place that has nothing to do with sales or revenue, and everything to do with finding and supporting kindred spirits. When you cross paths with someone you admire and respect, make sure you stay in touch. You may just be in the fortunate position of working with them again some day.

Do you work for a company that uses corporate videos or e-learning? Let’s be friends! Sorry, I couldn’t resist.