Comments on: 6 Ways to Maximize the Use of Your 140 Characters http://www.twitip.com/6-ways-to-maximize-the-use-of-your-140-characters/ Twitter Tips in 140 Characters or More Sun, 14 Mar 2010 22:42:28 -0400 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 hourly 1 By: Web Design Rob http://www.twitip.com/6-ways-to-maximize-the-use-of-your-140-characters/#comment-60151 Web Design Rob Sun, 22 Nov 2009 00:37:47 +0000 http://www.twitip.com/?p=1320#comment-60151 Have only recently got into the whole Twitter thing, but I like the way it forces you to be extremyl succinct and to the point. Have only recently got into the whole Twitter thing, but I like the way it forces you to be extremyl succinct and to the point.

]]> By: adam cleaner http://www.twitip.com/6-ways-to-maximize-the-use-of-your-140-characters/#comment-57353 adam cleaner Fri, 06 Nov 2009 10:00:15 +0000 http://www.twitip.com/?p=1320#comment-57353 it's funny how you spend so much time in english class and every day life trying to make yourself sound "smarter" and more professional, yet when you use twitter you have to spend time doing the opposite! i'm always stuck when posting on twitter as i don't like the idea of using txt speak with possible customers but with the small limit of 140 characters it's hard not to it’s funny how you spend so much time in english class and every day life trying to make yourself sound “smarter” and more professional, yet when you use twitter you have to spend time doing the opposite! i’m always stuck when posting on twitter as i don’t like the idea of using txt speak with possible customers but with the small limit of 140 characters it’s hard not to

]]> By: Vladimir http://www.twitip.com/6-ways-to-maximize-the-use-of-your-140-characters/#comment-36088 Vladimir Thu, 30 Apr 2009 16:58:28 +0000 http://www.twitip.com/?p=1320#comment-36088 I built one application for this scope it's called <a href="http://www.allapis.com/TwitterCompressor.aspx" rel="nofollow"> Twitter Compressor </a> I built one application for this scope it’s called Twitter Compressor

]]> By: Nancy http://www.twitip.com/6-ways-to-maximize-the-use-of-your-140-characters/#comment-34009 Nancy Fri, 17 Apr 2009 21:12:47 +0000 http://www.twitip.com/?p=1320#comment-34009 Great information. You put alot of thought into this. Good job Great information. You put alot of thought into this. Good job

]]> By: Nicole@Madlab Post http://www.twitip.com/6-ways-to-maximize-the-use-of-your-140-characters/#comment-22608 Nicole@Madlab Post Fri, 06 Mar 2009 17:57:54 +0000 http://www.twitip.com/?p=1320#comment-22608 I just found this post during a web search for information on Twitter's 140 character rule and whether or not that included URLs and must applaud you for writing this post. It has some helpful tips and is very useful. I just found this post during a web search for information on Twitter’s 140 character rule and whether or not that included URLs and must applaud you for writing this post. It has some helpful tips and is very useful.

]]> By: Alex Schleber http://www.twitip.com/6-ways-to-maximize-the-use-of-your-140-characters/#comment-18388 Alex Schleber Mon, 23 Feb 2009 05:32:30 +0000 http://www.twitip.com/?p=1320#comment-18388 While I agree that avoiding too much shorthand is preferable, sometimes it just seems like it cannot be avoided. 140 characters isn't very much, especially if a clickable URL in the text uses up anywhere from 17 (shortest, through is.gd or tr.im) up to 30 characters right of the bat. I've taken to occasionally using ".." both at the end of the 1st as well as at the beginning of the next tweet to signify continuation if necessary. Of course that may not always be received in the intended way. One thing that I have increasingly noticed is that many Twitter users do not fully take into account the longer-term aspects of Twitter as an asynchronous medium (in that tweets stay around to be read/followed in a thread, and mined, kind of like a public form of email). Especially if the "in reply to" link/context is lost, like happens with many of the desktop and other Twitter clients, if you're tweet does not contain some sort of reference information, it often becomes incomprehensible. Note that the common practice of formatting retweets as "RT @username: ..." leads to the "in reply to" link breaking to the original tweet, even through Twitter's Web interface. Same happens with Tweetdeck's Retweet button/function as far as I can tell. I've been experimenting with using a "@username RT: ..." format instead which preserves the link in the Web interface. Not sure if it confuses people already used to the other format, thoug hit does have the benefit of alerting the RT'd tweets author to the RT, because it will show up as an @reply for them, while "RT @..." will only be caught by a Twitter Search or in clients such as Tweetdeck. Without the conversation thread (and why can Search.twitter.com assemble convos but Twitter itself hasn't integrated this?), Tweets become a sort of orphan, so breaking the "in reply to" links should be avoided at all cost (assuming of course that there was a conversation). Which brings me to one more point: If you're not engaging in (at least some) conversation, it doesn't much matter what/how you write, you are not taking advantage of Twitter to the fullest. Because without people REPLYING to you, your @username is not even being seen by anyone other than your existing followers, of whom only a fraction is ever in a position to catch your tweets at any one time. So there will be almost no network effects. I'd say that even for the less chatty/more introverted/etc. 25% @replies and conversations should be the minimum. More is better, just ask @unmarketing, @daivrawks, etc. Roll your own Tinyurl-like URL shortener using Wordress in < 45 minutes: http://3on.us/your-own-tinyurl While I agree that avoiding too much shorthand is preferable, sometimes it just seems like it cannot be avoided. 140 characters isn’t very much, especially if a clickable URL in the text uses up anywhere from 17 (shortest, through is.gd or tr.im) up to 30 characters right of the bat.

I’ve taken to occasionally using “..” both at the end of the 1st as well as at the beginning of the next tweet to signify continuation if necessary. Of course that may not always be received in the intended way.

One thing that I have increasingly noticed is that many Twitter users do not fully take into account the longer-term aspects of Twitter as an asynchronous medium (in that tweets stay around to be read/followed in a thread, and mined, kind of like a public form of email). Especially if the “in reply to” link/context is lost, like happens with many of the desktop and other Twitter clients, if you’re tweet does not contain some sort of reference information, it often becomes incomprehensible.

Note that the common practice of formatting retweets as “RT @username: …” leads to the “in reply to” link breaking to the original tweet, even through Twitter’s Web interface. Same happens with Tweetdeck’s Retweet button/function as far as I can tell.

I’ve been experimenting with using a “@username RT: …” format instead which preserves the link in the Web interface. Not sure if it confuses people already used to the other format, thoug hit does have the benefit of alerting the RT’d tweets author to the RT, because it will show up as an @reply for them, while “RT @…” will only be caught by a Twitter Search or in clients such as Tweetdeck.

Without the conversation thread (and why can Search.twitter.com assemble convos but Twitter itself hasn’t integrated this?), Tweets become a sort of orphan, so breaking the “in reply to” links should be avoided at all cost (assuming of course that there was a conversation).

Which brings me to one more point: If you’re not engaging in (at least some) conversation, it doesn’t much matter what/how you write, you are not taking advantage of Twitter to the fullest. Because without people REPLYING to you, your @username is not even being seen by anyone other than your existing followers, of whom only a fraction is ever in a position to catch your tweets at any one time. So there will be almost no network effects.

I’d say that even for the less chatty/more introverted/etc. 25% @replies and conversations should be the minimum. More is better, just ask @unmarketing, @daivrawks, etc.

Roll your own Tinyurl-like URL shortener using Wordress in < 45 minutes:
http://3on.us/your-own-tinyurl

]]> By: Sondra Carpenter http://www.twitip.com/6-ways-to-maximize-the-use-of-your-140-characters/#comment-17471 Sondra Carpenter Fri, 20 Feb 2009 22:18:05 +0000 http://www.twitip.com/?p=1320#comment-17471 Great tips and can never have too many lists of providers for URL shortening! I also use cjb.net for custom redirects. Thanks! Great tips and can never have too many lists of providers for URL shortening! I also use cjb.net for custom redirects. Thanks!

]]> By: mark http://www.twitip.com/6-ways-to-maximize-the-use-of-your-140-characters/#comment-17112 mark Fri, 20 Feb 2009 01:09:38 +0000 http://www.twitip.com/?p=1320#comment-17112 LOL lots of luck, lots of love,loss of life,laughing out loud,little old lady,list of links, should I go on which one do you mean? Man WWJD! God bless LOL lots of luck, lots of love,loss of life,laughing out loud,little old lady,list of links, should I go on which one do you mean?
Man WWJD! God bless

]]> By: Mr. Biggs http://www.twitip.com/6-ways-to-maximize-the-use-of-your-140-characters/#comment-17034 Mr. Biggs Thu, 19 Feb 2009 20:41:38 +0000 http://www.twitip.com/?p=1320#comment-17034 Schweeet.... I was wondering what some of these things meant! Chris Schweeet…. I was wondering what some of these things meant!

Chris

]]> By: Lee, Blogger's Workshop http://www.twitip.com/6-ways-to-maximize-the-use-of-your-140-characters/#comment-16649 Lee, Blogger's Workshop Wed, 18 Feb 2009 21:47:08 +0000 http://www.twitip.com/?p=1320#comment-16649 Tip #6 is my absolute favorite - largely because it can be applied to any type of writing, not just Tweets. It's pretty hard to get your point across effectively on Twitter (or your blog or anywhere else, for that matter) when you're trying to show off your vocabulary. Tip #6 is my absolute favorite – largely because it can be applied to any type of writing, not just Tweets. It’s pretty hard to get your point across effectively on Twitter (or your blog or anywhere else, for that matter) when you’re trying to show off your vocabulary.

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