Russell Tripp is a Managing Partner at AVF Creations - You can follow him on Twitter at twitter.com/avfguy.

OK, I'll admit Twitter can be a huge time-waster, if you want it to be. It can be a great entertainment, if you want it to be. It can be an effective part of your marketing efforts, if you want it to be.

First, maybe we should go back and address what Twitter is, for those of you not yet "in-the-know". Twitter is a free micro-blogging service where you can post "tweets" of 140 characters or less. Sound simple? It is - and that's a huge part of its beauty. (And if you're not up-to-date on the latest social networking trends for marketing - get up-to-date quickly or get left behind).

So why waste your time with Twitter? Um... why waste your time listening to what people have to say about your industry? Why waste your time connecting with people who may be interested in your services? Why waste your time listening to what your competition is saying to their audience? Why waste your time developing relationships with potential partners?

And if you can't tell I'm being facetious in my questioning, why waste your time running a business?