Fellow Watercooler blogger, Russell Lawson, posted today on his other blog, progressive marketing, about Twitter. He’s imagining the “marketing use by a law firm of Twitter.”

That’s an interesting day dream, isn’t it?

You probably think that Twitter is for individuals, not businesses or brands. I’ve heard individuals report getting business leads or at least decent exposure for their professional interests via following and being followed on Twitter. No surprise, where there is conversation the marketplace will follow. But did you know that more brands (entities) ARE jumping in on the Twitter craze, too. Yet it appears success is a long way off for them. Imagine how far off it is for law firms! For those who are interested in the business case for Twitter, Jeremiah Owyang blogs on Why brands are Unsuccessful in Twitter here, and Rodney Rumford blogs on 33 Brands that Suck on Twitter here.

There still appears to be a big gap between the right way and wrong way for brands to be there. Mask the corporate persona? Be transparent but vulnerable? For a brand, Twitter can turn into a giant customer complaint forum. What if the brand is listening and responding to tweets but can’t follow through on the necessary changes? Nothing like having your flaws aired among masses in real time. Law firms are definitely not ready for this tweeting thing…. A law firm can’t really send out tweets about their health and welfare, or can they?

Check out @comcastcares. It’s pretty funny, but the concept seems to be working for them. Sort of like real time conversations (mostly complaints – surprise). Juggling multiple problems right out in the open marketplace. The poor dude who has that Twitter job….his fingers must be numb at the end of the day. He probably doesn’t even speak anymore. Is there a place on Twitter for professional service firms? Nah!

But wait, maybe?

Looking at a page of recent Tweets to @comcastcares I’m getting a future vibe.

Are tweets a foreboding of how business conversation of the future might “look?” I’m picturing a time when we are standing on the sidewalk, in the hallway, at the ball game, or even while saying our wedding vows typing our conversations into our Dick Tracy watches, 150 characters at a time. Digital tapas. Incomplete thoughts. Random grammar. Spelling? Capitalization? What’s that? Heads bowed to the ground as if our necks are broken. Bumping into walls because we’re not watching where we’re going. Wow. Is that Heather Milligan I see speeding down highway 170 with her head buried into her iPhone? I can’t tell. Everybody looks the same on 3G networks…..Oh my, the future is now.

You can find me @jaynenavarre

Post Script: I follow John Moore (@Brand Autopsy) He recently did an experiment on Twitter … sharing interesting tid-bits from Donald Keough’s 10 COMMANDMENTS FOR BUSINESS FAILURE book. I found it inspiring. And effective. Perhaps there is an idea for a law firm, or am I just day dreaming?