Over the last several months if there is one thing I have found twitter to be great for it is research and development. It is really amazing how you can ask a question on twitter and within a matter of only a few minutes you will have a wide range of answers and input. I can not think of another tool we use that gets such results and for the most part it is free.

Just last week, we did a survey on this blog about blogging. Of course the post was sent to twitter and I re-tweeted it a few times too, as did others on my behalf. We were able to get a large number of answers on our survey which we can use to help use in designing a new product we are working on. It was really effortless to do this and the results are priceless too.

As a blogger, business owner or professional service firm, don’t overlook the power of twitter as your own personal R&D department. Try it in the next few days. Ask a question on twitter and see what happens.