Let's face it - many of us have been caught by the boss while social networking at work. Fortunately, the great thing about Twitter is that you can make some pretty convincing excuses for using Twitter at work. Check out these five excuses for using Twitter at work:

1. I was using Twitter to monitor sentiment about our brand!

This one is great. Just keep a Twitter search for your brand or company running in the background and when your boss catches you Tweeting, just show him all the good things that people are saying about it on Twitter. Provided that people are actually saying good things about your company.

2. I was using Twitter to keep an eye on our competitors!

Almost as good as the last excuse, this one works almost the same way. Use your Twitter client to run a real-time search for your biggest competitor and just leave it open in the background - it's money in the bank for the next time you get caught tweeting. Bonus points if the general sentiment about your competitors is negative.
3. I was using Twitter to handle customer service!

Customer service on Twitter is becoming a hotter and hotter thing; we've discussed in the past about how companies like Comcast are using Twitter to overcome a reputation of bad customer service. If your company has a large volume of customer service, this excuse is perfect for explaining to your boss why you're on Twitter all day. Be careful, though - if you make this excuse too often, your boss will probably expect to see some results before too long!
4. I was using Twitter to network with other people in the industry!

Just try and prove otherwise. This excuse is great because a lot of the time, it's true without you even intending for it to be true. If your Twittering has anything whatsoever to do with your company, this is the excuse for you. Whether you work in engineering, IT or, well, whatever, you'll probably end up with a few other folks from your industry on your followers list. If your boss catches you Tweeting, just tell him you were networking with other industry folks to solve a tricky problem! Or something.
5. I was using Twitter to promote our product/service!

Remember, most bosses don't really understand how Twitter works or how a company would go about using it to build their brand. With that in mind, you can go ahead and tell yours that you're building the company's brand and promoting their services, without ever actually needing to do so. Note: if your boss is Twitter-savvy this one probably isn't going to turn out well for you.

So there you have it - five bulletproof excuses for using Twitter from your work desk. Just make sure you don't get caught reading this article, though, 'cause that'll kind of defeat the whole purpose.