Today marks the one-week aniversary of Imperia going Twitter. I was surprised when I realized this- the week had gone by surprisingly quickly.

What has this short time using a new service taught me? Well, that I still have ALOT to learn! I (at the moment) am following 36 people, and have 24 following me. What does this mean? It means that I am directly keyed into the lives of 36 other Twitterers.. (still not completely in tune with the lingo). A few of them have deemed me worthy of adding to their own “Follow” list.

I have met a great deal of people in various industries. As an example, I’m working on a new Social Network for a niche industry. I was interested in learning more about Kickapps, a service that allows you to quickly and easily build your own Facebook-like social network. I posted a question about the service on Twitter, and within an hour, had one of the KickApps developers (@KickDeveloper) provide me with their contact information.

On the Fashion front, I met Nicole (@theSaleRack), that blogs about the best deals for designer clothing and accessories. She was able to help me connect with other entrepreneurs and fashion-related ventures. Brian Linton (@BrianLinton) is a Twetter(er?) that owns SandShack, an environmentally-friendly line of beach-themed clothing/accessories.

Sanjay Parekh (@Sanjay) is a startup consultant and owner/partner in a number of startup-oriented ventures. I have been backtracking some of his blog posts, and am impressed by the amount of help he and his partners/teamates have been able to give struggling entrepreneurs in the Atlanta area. Douglas Paul (@DouglasPaul) has a dynamic presence, and his tales of the infamous Xerxes (his dog) have kept me plenty entertained! I have not yet had the pleasure of learning (@Journik)’s name, but his ability to find all sorts of insightful (and often hilarious) sites, articles, and videos is astounding.

There are plenty more people that I will gladly write about in the near future, but these few candidates alone show the value of Twitter for business. How else would I be able to quickly, conveniently, and easily meet, learn about, and converse with such diverse individuals?

This week, I have taken a step back, and was able to look at my ventures and my concept of business in an entirely new light. Much of what I do depends on “who I know”. Those who know me know that, if they have a question or business-related dilemma, I can usually help point them in the right direction (or tell them someone that may know someone that can help). It surprises me, as an entrepreneur and a self-proclaimed business consultant that I had missed this fundamental truth with regard to business. In reality, the entire foundation of the business world is changing under our feet. It is no longer evolution, or gradual mutation, or even growth of the business world.

It’s almost like someone took a gigantic Transmogrifying Ray Gun from a vintage comic and zapped the very core of the business world (and no, that core is not Chuck Norris, Bill Gates, or myself, as much as you might believe). Concepts that were one heralded as being rock-solid have been torn out of the textbooks. This latest “Crisis” in the economy has helped shake things up, but the changes began well before the Big Macs started the ‘new wave’ lending trends.. As far as I can trace it, the dotCom bubble bursting sent shockwaves through the business world that are still being felt in almost any industry. Twenty years ago, you would have been heralded as a loony bird if you brought up the concept of paying Billions of dollars for a web site. (Truth be told, most people wouldn’t know what a web site was). Now, people with the tiniest literary ability are getting hundred-thousand dollar grants and million-dollar advertising deal just for writing or talking about their feelings and emotions. The paradigm has shifted, and it is up to us to make the most of it.

I appologize about the lengthy narrative you just had to read or skim over. If I could express the epiphany I have experienced in words, I would try. Then I would pay someone to translate it into words that those outside of my mind could understand. (Those still stuck in my mind would just have to wait). Other than that, I appreciate you reading this blog post, and I appreciate any and all comments about my writing, thoughts, opinions, feelings… you get the point.

Also, if you’re interested in getting a taste of my thoughts, opinions (so on and so forth..) on an hourly basis, feel free to Follow me to my Tweetdom (@Imperia). If you do, and I enjoy chatting with you, I may just end up writing about you and putting links up all over the web about how amazingly “you” you really are. Well, you are now warned!