Twitip

With so many websites, blogs and books available on how to use twitter effectively, I’ve yet to see anyone dedicate an article, post or page on “How to Fight on Twitter“.  And there’s a perfectly good explanation for that–you just don’t do it. When you have a huge social media platform like twitter at your disposal, why would you want to use your 140 characters to spread verbal garbage in a viral way? Shouldn’t we use this tool in a positive manner? But twitter fights are happening daily, in fact I’ve experienced two twitter fights in my twittering career and so this a tale of “Why NOT to fight on Twitter” and the three reasons why. (more…)

Well if you don’t track twitter then you would not have heard this story of Conan O’Brien following a random girl from the twitter neighborhood named Sarah Killen. Sarah Killen had just 3 followers before Conan started following her.

To announce the event of following someone randomly Conan tweeted “I’ve decided to follow someone at random. She likes peanut butter and gummy dinosaurs. Sarah Killen, your life is about to change.” That was the best part of the story and after that Sarah has been rubbing her status next to celebrities with lots of tv interviews and MTV appearances.

From just 3 followers to over 20000 followers (at the time of writing this post) she is growing and she is growing fast. At the personal level, she and her fiancé had been announcing the amount of gifts they have been receiving after Conan made them famous.

After the famous out cry even Sarah’s Mom has come on the twitter and named her account promptly as Sarahkmom. Who knows Conan may even follow her.

Kinda cool, eh? She’s been on all sorts of news programs now, and getting tons of attention. On Good Morning America this morning, Sarah’s fiancé announced a request that Conan be the best man at his wedding!

If you plan a Tweetup – whether its small or a larger weekend workshop – Twitter can help.

You can use Twitter to find speakers, locations, equipment, get discounts and drive the attention you need.

Tweetups are a great way to provide a great Social Media Experience in your local area, and at the same time share this experience with the Twitter community.

For every Social Media Experience I provide, I create what I call a Social Media Toolbox. One great tool I use now to manage my tasks is Remember The Milk.

Here is my Tweetup Social Media Toolbox: (more…)

On December 31, 2008 I was diagnosed with Stage 2 B-cell non-Hodgkins lymphoma. I asked my oncologist what I could do to up my chances for survival. He told me, “Get off the couch as much as possible. Keep active. Keep positive.”

I’m perpetually positive by nature, but getting off the couch proved tricky. Chemo really took it out of me. And thanks to the grapefruit-sized tumor pressing on a nerve in my chest, I was also wonked out on morphine to control the agonizing pain.

But I was determined to be a survivor. I knew eventually I’d start feeling better again. I looked for a goal and project to motivate me to get off the couch when that day came.

The project turned out to be Haunt Jaunts, my travel blog for restless spirits. It allowed me to indulge my passion for paranormal tourism, even if only virtually.

My first post went live March 30, 2009. I’d of course heard about Twitter back then, but I was still undergoing chemo and my energy was limited. It wasn’t until September 2009, when I was done with treatments, in remission, and had regained my strength that I incorporated Twitter into my blog promo regimen. (more…)

I never joined Twitter to Tweet with celebrities and even now, two years after joining, it’s a small part of why I love Twitter so much. However, after Justin Timberlake (@jtimberlake) sent several Tweets to me and even created a hashtag topic dedicated to me (he also followed me as one of the 32 people on his following list for a couple of days but sadly, that ended), there was an unintended side effect: people I know suddenly were interested in joining Twitter to Tweet with their favorite celebrities.

In addition to Justin, I’ve Tweeted with many celebrities including Samantha Ronson (@samantharonson), Jewel (@jeweljk), Virginia Madsen (@MadlyV) and Internet celebrities Penelope Trunk (@penelopetrunk), Chris Guillebeau (@chrisguillebeau), Gary V. (@garyvee, though, let’s be honest, anybody can Tweet with Gary V.), YouTube celeb Mr. Chi City (@MrChiCity33) and many others including people that I am a huge fan of but aren’t so well known. If Tweeting with your favorite celebrities is your goal – and hopefully it’s not your only goal for being on Twitter – here are my tips for you. (more…)

If you’ve always dreamed of being published, but just didn’t have the time to finish a novel/novella/short story, Twitter may be your big chance at fame, fortune, and a spot on Oprah. Okay, okay, only fame. And only a little.

For writers who like a challenge, there are a number of Twitter-based ezines that publish short (and I do mean short) stories. Some call them “Twisters,” others micro- or nano-fiction, and others simply “one heck of a challenge.” You’ve only got 140 characters to tell a complete story that leaves your readers nodding their heads with a sense of fulfillment.

If this sounds like your cup of java, there are several venues where you can submit your tales for consideration. Some even pay big bucks (up to $1.50), so what are you waiting for? (more…)

Twitter may have began as a simple communication platform for friends and family, but it quickly evolved into an amazingly powerful marketing tool. Arguably, becoming one of the most effective resources for marketing and business professionals alike.

One of the really great aspects of Twitter for any professional is the ability to target large amounts of people based on their interests and location. It is this niche/geo targeting that enables “web savvy” real estate agents to reach much larger amounts of prospective clients than ever before.

** Traditional marketing serves as no challenge to a successful Twitter campaign. (more…)

As our lives become increasingly busy we are condensing everything we do into shorter periods of time and cooking is no different. Most people lead crazily busy lives where time for cooking is at a premium but luckily help is at hand and twitter offers a variety of great ways to learn how to cook. Here are our 5 resources for cooking better food using Twitter…

Rouxbe Online Cooking School @rouxbe
One of the slickest online cooking school in the world has daily video tips for you as well as handy little tips on how you can improve in the kitchen. Their blog is full of some great tips and their team of professional chefs are on hand to answer your questions when you get stuck in the kitchen.

@jamie_oliver
One of the most famous chefs in the world has over a quarter of a million followers and he is constantly dispensing cooking information and will fill you full of creative ideas from his numerous Twitpics. Shares what he is eating and is a real inspiration to foodies all over the world.

Twecipe
This is one of the handiest tools you will ever come across on Twitter. Simply send three ingredients to @twecipe and the cute little onion will send you back a DM with a link to a recipe that matches your ingredients perfectly. You can also use the website if you want and the little onion behind the twitter account has been known to share food tips and funny food stories from around the world.

@Tastespotting
One of the most stunning food websites on the planet has a vibrant and engaging twitter account that never fails to deliver equal parts inspiration and quality recipes from the world’s top food bloggers.

@simplyrecipes
Elise Bauer is well known as one of the top food bloggers in the world and her recipes have fed thousand of hungry mouths around the world. Not only does her website contain an abundance of recipes but she is nearly always available on Twitter answering questions and discussing her cooking. A real angel of the cooking world who seems to be out to help everybody on the planet to cook better food!

There’s no question that social media has reshaped the way we do business online. I’ve posted a couple of times about using Facebook with clients; however, the real power of social media lies within Twitter.

Used correctly, Twitter can become an integral part of your projects from client screening to web site integration to ongoing client education and interaction. In this post I will step through some ideas on integrating Twitter with your projects and clients before, during and after the project process. (more…)

By Matt Wilson. Follow him @MattWilsonTV.

We all have them—”social media friends”—people who we talk to online but most likely have never met in person. We connected with them because of a common interest via Twitter, engaged in interesting conversation with them and shared a bond, but we don’t really consider them a true friend.

Truly using Twitter to its fullest potential means networking not just for casual online interaction but actually creating long lasting relationships. Real friends will shout from the rooftops to promote your brand, real friends collaborate, work together and would do anything for each other. Let’s start making these Twitter friends into your own global network of people who have a vested interest in each other’s success. Besides, what good are your friends if you don’t really know them?

But don’t be a creep! (more…)