TwiTip » Beginner’s Guide

Tweeting to Career Growth

tdomf_2ae17 — Thu, 24 Mar 2011 13:51:02 +0000

It was not too long ago for me that a “Tweet” was a little yellow bird that was frantically chased about by a hungry cat with a very bad lisp. I had no idea what this Twitter and tweet and tweeps and tweeners (or whatever else) was all about. As I started to study and learn about this unique social media, I started to understand how useful it could be.

Here are some thoughts for anyone just starting out on Twitter.

Do not be Overwhelmed
There are acronyms and sayings that people use and it seems like you have missed this particular foreign language in your upbringing. Do not let this intimidate you. Everyone started there, whether they are willing to admit it or not.

A Bunch of Kids in the Park
Look at Twitter like a playground, with you, as an aspiring ok kid, want others to play with. You have a few choices to have them play. You can bring a bunch of really cool toys and share them with others. You can simply play with others really cool toys and just get along. You can do a mix of these things.

The whole point of the playground is to make friends and carry the relationship beyond the play area. Whether you are invited or you invite someone else. You want a relationship that continues beyond the playground.

Choose your Parks Wisely
Playing in the right play area is probably more important than we all know. Sometimes a child will see some others playing and instinctively wants to join in. Sometimes this ends up being a huge waste of time as it is not fun and little is gained.

With Twitter, choose hashtags (those # marked areas) that are relevant to you – not what you want to accomplish. If you want a job, do not follow all the career or job related tags. This is a waste of your time. Instead follow and participate in tags that have to do with what you do for a living, or what you want to do.

Cool Toys
Lots of kids have cool toys. Sometimes you think your GI Joe is awesome until you realize everyone has one.

Make sure to look around your hashtag “playground” to see what people are talking about. Figure out what they find interesting. If it is your profession, that has to be almost second nature for you.

Have Fun
Play with others nicely. If you spend your whole time on a playground asking kids to be your friend, you will go home friendless and labeled as a nutty kid. Instead have fun and interact with others. When you do, friends are made naturally.

Treat Twitter that same. Have fun. Do not try so hard. Try not to be self serving and enjoy the process instead of being stuck on the end goal. Friends will be made and you will build fantastic relationships.

10 Controversial Twitter ‘How To’ Issues

tdomf_2ae17 — Thu, 23 Sep 2010 15:50:04 +0000

I’ve been using Twitter for over two years. I’ve noticed a few things in that time:

There’s no specific, agreed etiquette;
One user’s potion is another user’s poison;
Your tweeting technique WON’T be liked by everyone, no matter what you do.

This causes difficulty, since there’s no standard to work from. Do you send out hundreds of updates every day? Should you schedule your tweets and pump out content even as you sleep? Will it upset someone if you state an opinion? Will it bore someone if you don’t?

For all the difficult questions millions of users pose every day they use Twitter, the twitterverse is a relatively friendly place. If someone doesn’t like the way you tweet, you won’t find much more than an unfollow coming your way. People get followed and unfollowed all the time, so you won’t have time to take it personally. That’s if you notice at all.

There are many opinions on how to tweet effectively. Most sound sensible and work fine if you follow them. That doesn’t stop the opinions from being controversial. Here are 10 tweeting issues that are subject to the biggest arguments:

1. Update frequency

How often should you tweet? Do you wake from the dead only when you have big news or do you try to maintain a regular heart-tweet? Many people suggest regular (but not too regular) tweeting. However, I don’t tweet at specific times and I sometimes skip an entire day. Nobody has complained yet.

2. Linking to your own blog

Personal promotion is frowned upon in one corner and expected in another. Should you broadcast your own links? If so, how often? Is this self-promotion like spam or is it simply a way of letting followers know when you’ve posted something new that should be of interest to them? Not everybody will subscribe to your site via RSS feeds, so I happily link out to my new blog posts. I tend to promote no more than once or twice and have no specific method.

3. Thanking for retweets

Do people expect to be thanked? Would they rather you didn’t bother thanking them? At what point does your following get too much to send out personal thanks each time someone retweets you? I thank those who retweet my own posts and links. I try to thank in other ways too.

4. Expecting to be followed back

If they don’t follow you, what’s the point in following them? If you value their content, does it matter if they don’t follow you? Are you looking for great content, personal communication, or both? New followers boost the ego, but you have to realize that not everyone will want to follow back. Reasons for not following don’t have to be personal or concerning, but it easily plays on the mind.

5. Using retweets

Where you should put the ‘RT’ in a tweet? Should you edit the retweet? Is it awful to you the official Twitter ReTweet button? Should you use ‘RT’, ‘rt’, ‘r/t’, ‘via’, ‘HT’ or something else? As Twitter has evolved, users have developed their own ways of communicating content. Even the simple retweet doesn’t have a clear right and wrong.

6. Too much of a single thing in your feed

Perhaps you only provide links, only copy quotations, only promote your own content, talk to yourself and not to others, say the same thing over and over again, and so on. Some users enjoy the reliable flow of the single element you bring to the table. Other users would prefer some variation. Do what feels comfortable to you. By all means surprise or change your game occasionally; just don’t surprise too often!

7. Gaps in tweeting

Should you spread out your tweets, or send them all at once when you’re on? Are automated tweets impersonal? Do people get upset if you don’t tweet at the weekend, or you miss out particular days? As with update frequency, nobody is going to complain of inconsistency.

8. Injecting personality

Should you talk about your personal life or should you provide value (unless you’re a celeb and can do both at the same time)? Should your personal life stay personal? For some, Twitter is a mere communication tool, not a lifestyle decision. For others, anything lacking a ‘human’ feel is too distant.

9. Going off topic

Will people unfollow you in droves if you suddenly write about something outside your field? If you mention a cause that you feel strongly about, is it asking for trouble? For some professional users, some care is necessary. For most, a bit of off topic banter is unlikely to shake someone’s confidence in following you.

10. Tweeting at particular times in the day

Is it best to tweet at peak times, all day long, during working hours, or whenever you like? Are you missing out on the best times for your followers? I tweet mainly to students and academics in higher education. I try not to tweet a study tips link at 3am, because most students will either be sleeping or partying. The link is more likely to be missed at that time. For greatest exposure, understand what hours best suit you. 3am may be wasted for me, but it’s perfect for someone tweeting sleep tips to insomniacs.
What next?

The use of Twitter brings up more questions than answers. There is no single way of using the service effectively.

The one piece of advice I’d give is this: Don’t panic about each unfollow you get. For every user who doesn’t appreciate your content, there are loads of users who will be happy with your output. Focus on developing a unique presence, not a concoction of what one or two users demanded. Your job is to listen and respond, not to roll over and obey.

You’ll never know exactly what everyone wants. Enjoy creating tweets that work for you. Eventually, you should enthuse, engage and inform others in the process. Genuine output is not only accepted, but also the most likely way to get you loyal, engaging followers.

The Secret to Conquering Twitter: Remember It’s Just Text!

tdomf_2ae17 — Fri, 17 Sep 2010 12:50:35 +0000

Here’s a simple, one sentence article: There is no secret formula to conquering Twitter beyond writing within the confines of 140 characters.

Okay, that’s too basic, but why get too complicated? Twitter isn’t complicated!

What is Twitter?
Take a step back and consider what Twitter really is. But before I do, please forgive me if none of this is new to you. I’m going back to basics to make the point of how simple Twitter is for such a powerful tool.

What you get is the opportunity to write up to 140 characters of text. Each time you send a tweet out, it’s sent to the users following you. If you’re followed by 10 people, those 10 people get it sent to their feed. This doesn’t guarantee all 10 will see the tweet, because it’s a realtime stream of updates. It’s the best you’re gonna get with Twitter.

Want to get personal? Then mention specific users and your tweets will be highlighted to those users. If a particular user is following you, you can even send them a private Direct Message.

In short, Twitter allows you to send small packets of text out to whatever users are following you. You can also find those packets of text through Twitter’s search function and an increasing number of live web searches.

Given Twitter’s simplicity, it’s amazing the service has grown so successfully. No wonder there’s so much talk on how to use it right.

Find what works for you.
For all the tips and tricks out there, no single method will propel you into Twitter stardom. Think of it as you would with any writing. You wouldn’t be impressed if you were told all novels had to be horror stories in order to be successful. You wouldn’t believe advice that said the secret to getting published is to write solely about golf and provide plenty of hilarious and informative quotes about the sport.

Writing has a number of uses and there are multiple methods of writing successfully. The same can be said for Twitter.

For every rule you see on how to Tweet, be prepared to break that rule and don’t be scared to experiment. Success won’t come from avidly following someone else’s set of rules. Success will come from regular writing and experimenting with your own methods.

In time, you’ll find what works for you. Unless you are a celebrity or big brand (or heavily endorsed by one of them), you’ll have to work from scratch and give users a reason to engage with you.

What reason will you give?

The #1 Secret to Follow Friday Success

tdomf_2ae17 — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 13:16:28 +0000

Have you ever been the lucky recipient of a #followfriday or #ff from a friend on Twitter?

It’s a great feeling when someone goes out of their way to recognize you as a resource for great insight and connection on Twitter. Recognition for being someone worth following is great for those trying to figure out the point of Twitter.

However, the common practice for a typical #followfriday tweet is to pack as many of your favorite followers into 140 as possible. While this strategy is great for pinging people in your network to let them know you’re thinking of them, it also can appear cheap and potentially a little off putting if the group of folks you include don’t have much in common.

Now, it’s rare that folks are actually offended by being included in a #followfriday. Most do in fact love to be included and recognized in some way by their followers. Some may even get a few new followers because of the referral.

As with most situations in life, however, #followfriday offers people the opportunity to cut through the noise with valuable tweets that create signal and meaning for folks.

The #1 Secret to Follow Friday Success
Something folks love even more than simply having their Twitter handle included in a mass #ff tweet is when someone devotes an entire tweet to something they specifically peg as a reason to follow somebody.

By taking an extra five minutes to break apart your #ff tweets and doing individual #ff tweets instead, you’re showing your followers that you value something specific about what they’re doing. It’s another level of respect you’re paying forward to the folks you value in your Twitter stream.

Rules
1) Use the entire 120 or so characters (How to Get Retweeted – The Formula) to describe something specific and amazing about the people whose tweets you value the most. For my handle (@dayneshuda) I can get away with leaving 15 characters available.

2) Include #ff

3) Include a Website (preferably the actual URL vs. a shortened version…for branding)

4) Give a specific reason for people to follow

Examples

Benefits of Going the Extra Mile
I’ve been trying to do this each Friday (although I do miss some) for some of my favorite folks on Twitter and the response has been wonderful and more than I could have imagined.

The folks that I highlight in detailed #followfridays are generally very thankful to be highlighted in a specific way. They seem to appreciate that someone takes the time to recognize their hard work in a field or for being a great friend and someone worth following because of their personality.

Sometimes in response (but never expected) folks have responded with similar, detailed tweets about me. It’s a nice little bonus for making the gesture.

What about your #ff experiences?

Do you leave detailed #ff tweets or the more popular styled #ff tweets?

What are some pros and cons of each?

Related articles on Twitip

#followfriday Revolution

Did @PhilBaumann Just Save Follow Friday?

Follow Friday; Too Much of a Good Thing?

One Name or Two? Let’s Find Out

Nathan Hangen — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 13:32:45 +0000

I was asked recently about the task of managing multiple Twitter accounts and if it’s better to use your own name or an “imaginary name.”

It’s not the first time I’ve had the question asked, so I thought what better way to answer it than by sharing it with everyone here on Twitip.

Absolutes Don’t Exist

I’ll first be honest in saying that there isn’t a black and white answer, and this isn’t something that can be solved without testing. Too many people treat Twitter with black and white answers… with absolutes.

But there aren’t any absolutes.

Instead of looking for a perfect answer, why not claim every name that interests you and play around with them?

The task of playing around with multiple usernames on TweetDeck might be enough to convince you that you can’t manage more than one.

Or…

In playing with one for each niche, you find that it’s perfect for what you’re trying to do.

My Questions

But you still need help getting there, so let’s start with a few basic questions…

Do you plan on selling the associated domain at any time?

If so, then I recommend creating a new account for your domain/niche. Many companies will want the associated Twitter account when it comes time to sell, and at worst, it creates an additional asset that you can use to beef up the valuation of your web property.

Are we comparing apples or oranges?

If you’re trying to decide if you should have a different Twitter name for two different websites in the same niche, then I saw why not create an umbrella that owns them both and then start Tweeting from there?

If you’re trying to decide whether you should use one name for your personal blog and another for your basketweaving website, then I’ll ask you this… do you talk about basket weaving on your blog?

If not, then go with 2… at least try them. If you do, then you’re good with your own name.

Are you cross-linking your websites?

Look, if you plan on linking them all together anyway, then I don’t see any sense in creating one for each website. You’ve got enough on your plate as it is, and I’m guessing that the content will cross over between the two…so save yourself some effort and keep it under a single umbrella.

If you aren’t associating the websites with each other, then you either need to use your name as a global brand, or create one for each niche.

That being said… how effective is it to create a Twitter name for fencing swords? I’m not sure…why not play around and find out?

Common Sense Prevails

I’d like to sit here and pretend that I hold the keys to Twitter salvation, but the truth is that there aren’t any keys.

The best way to figure out what works, not only for you, but for your business, is to get out and try it. Only you know what works for you…and unless you spend time seeing if Virginia Bed and Breakfasts can attract a Twitter following, then how will you know?

Regardless of what these “social media experts” tell you, there isn’t a right answer. We’re still early on in the game, and things are changing rapidly. What worked yesterday might not work tomorrow… so keep that in mind. Be flexible, be fluid, and be patient.

Do that, and you’ll be just fine.

Why Should I Be On Twitter?

tdomf_2ae17 — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 14:33:11 +0000

Believe or not, over the last week talking with clients I have been asked this question 4 times now by prospective clients wanting to get into the Social Media/Social Recruiting space. It wasn’t necessarily the question that shocked me (well it did but) it was more the fact that these companies had not as yet done there research and identified what benefit Twitter can bring to their business as well as to their own knowledge in the market place.

As with any new tool or fancy gadget it is imperative that you undertake all of the necessary research first to find out if it is right for you, but also what benefit you can expect from your investment in time and money. You won’t just go buy any 52″ LCD TV now will you? Social Media is no different. I myself was totally against joining Twitter when I was first introduced to it, however my skepticism of it “being a waste of time” was quickly shot down.

Here is a list of why I now value Twitter so highly:

1. Build a network of contacts within your industry that you never had access to or knew about before, not just locally, but globally.
2. Share your knowledge and expertise on a global basis.
3. Discover new opinions and thoughts from like minded people in your industry, locally and globally.
4. Great way to engage with future clients, the Twitter community are a very approachable bunch.
5. Great way to engage with current clients.
6. Build your company reputation through constant engagement and quality content.
7. Build your personal reputation as a thought leader and industry specialist.
8. When it’s organized, great way to meet your network through Tweet-ups and like minded events, building your personal contacts and forging friendships.
9. Your Network will bend over backwards to help you with things that you never would have expected. Trust me, it’s true.
10. Listen, watch and learn. You don’t have to contribute 24/7, there is great learning to be had just by watching your feed sometimes.
11. It’s FUN!

If that is not enough reasons then maybe Twitter isn’t for you. But if it is, what are you waiting for?

9 Ways To Get The Most From Twitter

tdomf_2ae17 — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 15:15:42 +0000

There have been lots of negative comments in the press recently about Twitter and that’s a shame. What they don’t realise is Twitter is a not always a natural, instant thing; to get Twitter you need to hang around a little longer, pick up new followers and find people to follow. There are no set rules for how to use Twitter. If you want to Tweet about your every day tasks, then as far as I’m concerned, that’s fine. But if you really want to get the full benefit, then below are the things that work for me:

1. Tweet, often and honestly.

That doesn’t necessary mean you tell the truth it just means tweet things from the heart, things that you care about, things that amuse or entertain you or, if you must, things that will get a re-action.

2. Follow

Find people you like and follow them. It doesn’t have to be famous people, just ones that say things you can connect with. They might follow you back!

3. Don’t Tweet because you want more followers!

There are millions of Twitterers, they will follow you because they like what you say in 140 characters, not because you’re trying to sell yourself or other stuff.

4. Show people cool stuff.

Stupid photos, interesting links, things that make you smile or angry, music tracks (see blip.fm) and other peoples blogs!

5. Re-tweet.

Seen a Tweet you like? Make sure others know about it. That’s what makes the Twittersphere go round.

6. Respond

You don’t have to re-tweet everything, but letting people know you’re there and like what they say is always good, so hit reply. Don’t worry if they don’t answer back – it’s not about how they interact with you, but how you interact with them.

7. Block and move on

Don’t get sucked into a flame war. While it’s good to have people with different opinions on your follow list, there’s no need to put up with those you find offensive or annoying. That’s what blocks for.

8. Use hashtags (when necessary)

Hashtags are excellent for grouping comments together. Why is this important? It makes it easier to find items on similar themes; it also helps identify what are the most important issues on twitter (Trending topics).

And finally and most importantly:

9. Its not just about your blog.

When people follow me, I like to follow them back if, and only if, I like what they are tweeting. The number of times I’ve been to individual twitter pages to just find no other interaction, no re-tweets, no hashtags just a Tweets of “Hey, new post today!” Why would I want to read that?

I do, because of Twitter, read other people’s blogs when they post. Why? Because they interact, they communicate, they re-tweet, they hashtag; basically they get out there and are part of the community and I find what they have to say interesting.

In conclusion, Twitter is all about interaction. I only started to blog because of Twitter, I found I had more to say and 140 characters is not enough sometimes. I hope people read it, hey that’s surely the point of blogging, but that’s not why I Tweet. Yes it’s handy for letting people know I’ve blogged a new post (and it’s worth retweeting several times, such is the transitory nature of Twitter) but if that’s all it becomes about, then maybe Twitter isn’t for you.

Note: Have I missed anything? Let me know and follow me at @fatmanslimming

How to Turn Your Twitter Profile Page into an SEO Masterpiece

tdomf_2ae17 — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 14:23:25 +0000

If you have spent any time around social marketing you probably know that SEO and social media go hand and hand. (Well you have at least heard about it, right?) So, how do you turn your Twitter account into a search-able masterpiece? Why is this important? Ladies and gentlemen, hold on to your hats, press on and don’t worry, I will keep this in 5 year old terms (because that is how I think).

Let’s start off as if you are starting with a fresh profile. What is the first thing that you do when starting a twitter account? That is right, pick a name…

Picking a user name and actual name: Your twitter user name should include the keyword that you wish to rank high in. For example, if you want people to find your Twitter profile when they search for cupcakes, make sure that ‘cupcakes’ is in your name. @XYZcupcakes would be an appropriate example. It is usually a good idea not to use any dashes, make it short and easy to remember.

Next, with your actual name you can use your actual name, or take a step further and include the keyword again if it is appropriate (this doesn’t help with personalizing your account to you though). If you already have an account, you can fix this by logging into your Twitter account and clicking “Settings”. From there, change your ‘Name’. Do not change your ‘Username’.

What to do with your website URL…

Make sure not to use a link that has been shortened by using a shortner like bit.ly. Do however, get rid of the “www” because Twitter will only show the first 20 characters, it will help in allowing people to see the link before they click on it. If you need to change this, go into your Twitter account and click “settings”. From there go to the “Account” page and scroll halfway down the page.

Next is your bio…

This should be easy to include your keywords again. Make sure that your personality can shine through, but be short simple and to the point. You only have 160 characters and don’t waste them on words that have no search value. Consider this a to-the-point snapshot of who you are and how you want to be perceived and also is what a lot of people use to determine if they are going to follow you or not (but, only if they are interested in a real give and take twitter relationship). Keep in mind that Google will sometimes include your location in this. Make sure that you give a good location.You can fix this by logging into your Twitter account and clicking “Settings”. From there, change your “One Line Bio”.

You can even SEO your Twitter pic (avatar)…

Yes, you can even SEO your profile picture! You can’t add tags but, you can rename the photo before you upload it that way when it shows up in the URL it will have the keywords that you named. Be careful not to add spaces. Doing that will not translate the link very well. I don’t recommend changing your profile picture but, I would recommend changing the name of the profile picture and re-uploading it. You can do this by clicking on “Settings” and then “Picture”.

Burn Baby Burn…

Burn Your Twitter feed: Why would you want to use an RSS feed for Twitter? Well, by using RSS, people can subscribe to your posts (and in this case Tweets) and get instant feeds sent to them. Just like a blogger would use RSS feeds to increase their popularity with search engines and help draw traffic to their blogs, you can use RSS feeds to do the same for your Twitter account. So, how do you go about doing this you say? I will show you how to set this up in Google FeedBurner.

First you go to FeedBurner. If you have a gmail account you can sign in with this. Otherwise, sign up for a new account.

Next, in a different window open up your Twitter account and scroll down to the middle of your Twitter page and click on the RSS feed icon. Next go to the top of the page and copy the URL. (It should look similar to this: http://twitter.com/statuses/friends_timeline/104933666)

Next, paste it into FeedBurner. Then make sure that you add your user name and password so that it won’t be locked when people try and look at the feeds (Use the same format as the highlighted text: http://username:password@twitter.com/statuses/user_timeline/15473972.rss). Click next and you have just RSS’d your twitter profile!

Last, go through the dashboard and choose important options for your chosen use of your feed. You can share widgets, add pictures, set up a title for the feed and make sure that it pings (connects) with search engines.

Tweet This…

Make sure that your tweets contains keywords and phrases that you want search engines to pick up. Also, make sure to occasionally use #hashtags. Search engines are already ranking these and this will also help tweeps find you in Twitter search.

You’re My Favorite…

Twitter Favorites with Keywords: Make sure that some of your favorite tweets contain keywords, key phrases and relevant links.

Tiny?

Tinyurl.com your links. By Using a shortener like Tinyurl, search engines will recognize the link and rank them.

Build it and They will Come…

By actively following other and having others follow you, you increase awareness with search engines.

The Missing Link…

This is probably the most important part of your Twitter SEO. Make sure that you are submitting your Twitter profile and RSS feeds to directories. Also, be sure to add your twitter user name in blog posts and forums. This will allow you to get noticed by more people, more often, resulting in a larger and diverse following and higher page ranks.

Congratulations – You now have one of the most searchable profiles on Twitter!

5 Naming Tips For Your New Twitter Account

tdomf_2ae17 — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 13:43:15 +0000

The web is full of “naming gurus” selling names to big companies for thousands of dollars. They claim they’ve got the solution to every naming issue. The truth is that the only one who can really make up your name is… you. You can save time and money by simply understanding what is important in order to make your username effective. If you’re new in social media and want to create a Twitter account, a Facebook fan page or whatever, you can consider these very basic tips in order to create a good name, be you a personal user or a new brand. Your name should reflect your identity and your “tone”.

How To Get Ideas
Good names don’t just appear magically! You have to evaluate different candidates and to do this you can combine different words and/or expressions which are related to either you or your product. If you need some help to explore naming possibilities, go and try Visual Thesaurus, an interactive tool that allows you to discover the connections between words and concepts you’re thinking about. You can get inspiration by adding something to an already established keyword (you can add other roots, affixes or find rhymes with this tool) or by “looking” at your words with a visual dictionary.

Be Unique
You must distinguish yourself somehow, and a unique name is one of the things that can help you. Would Starbucks have been so successful if its name was “Coffee Lovers”? Go and take a zero Google match, one or two words nobody has ever thought about. It would be great to have the same name across different social platforms: a good way to ensure that your dream name is available in major websites is Namechk, which allows you check the availability of your desired username in a few seconds.

To Understand or not to Understand?
Many people think that a good name should be a plain description of what you or your product are: fashiongeek, elearninguru, learnkanji, sellmore etc. Others think your priority must be a catchy name with exotic orthography and strange spelling, like Zymbraa, Goyoyix, Japnya or something like that. I think there is no rigid rule: probably if you are an independent user it is better to be unique, but one should seek a balance between catchiness and understandability according to the aim of your online activity. Your name should be appealing to your intended audience, so don’t call your dental plate firm “Teeth”.

People Must Remember
Many web names are great, but they are not successful. Why? You have to make sure your name will be remembered, otherwise the girl you met at the airport won’t find you on Twitter, and you will not sell a copy of your new ebook! According to my personal experience as a web user, these are good name patterns for a web name:

1. [NOUN] [NOUN] – where there is a unusual combination of terms; example: Rocket Ranch.
2. BLEND – again, the combination must be unusual and unattested! example: Listorious
3. [NOUN or clipped noun]+[verbal suffix] – These names are excellent “calls to action”; example: Domize

Think About Other Languages
One common mistake in naming is not considering how your candidate name sounds in other languages. The name of a famous medicinal tea company means “(s)he uses drugs” in Italian: needless to say, no market in Italy! Especially if you are going international, take the time to ask around some non-English speaker what they think about your name. Sometimes, the finest word in one language can be the worst swearword in another.

Happy Naming!

7 Deadly Sins of Twitter

Guest Poster — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 13:01:41 +0000

By Zoey Dowling. Follow her @zoeyspeak.

Twitter is a bright, shiny universe of new friends, new ideas, hilarious little snippets and occasionally even a spot of news. It’s a great way to promote your blog or your business. But if your primary purpose on twitter is promotion and not to connect with other people – abandon ship. Twitter is not for you. Ulterior motives don’t do well. They result in one action: UNFOLLOW. Mistakes are easy when you start out. After all, no-one is updating their status – they’re engaging with one another! And that’s confusing – is it private or can you join in? How do you make the most of it and have fun? Well for starters you could avoid the most irritating twitter behaviours. And before you start trawling through my twitter stream – yes I have committed most of them.

1. Gluttony (Over-Sharing)
Do not, I repeat do not over-share. Do you really want to know about someone else’s digestive problems? I didn’t think so. When you went into graphic detail about your gastric flu did you consider all the people reading your tweets while they were eating? Your followers should be wanting to know more about you, not less.

2. Pride (Over-Promotion)
People get pretty sick of you if all they here are continual, duplicated plugs for whatever it is that you’re promoting. The argument that some of your followers may have missed it because of the timing doesn’t hold water. It’s extremely irritating to see exactly the same tweet repeated. Get creative and find a way to send the same link in a different way. For example “my loyal follower has just commented at my blog, what do you think?” And yes over-promotion includes blathering about blog stats, follower numbers or fans.

3. Sloth (Automatic Anything)
Anything that is automated means that you don’t care enough to make it personal. This includes automated DM messages for new followers, an automatic tweet in response to keywords or an auto-follow in response to keywords. This puts you squarely into the spambot category. If you don’t want to spend the time on twitter to be personal, don’t bother at all.

4. Greed (Not Engaging)
Things get pretty boring pretty fast if all you do is update your status, post links, post pictures and promote your blog. In order for people to care about any of that, you need to engage with them. This involves replying when something sparks your interest, or you think you can be of help; re-tweeting where you can add value; and getting involved in the discussion.

5. Envy (Crashing the Party)
Work out the difference between joining the discussion and crashing someone’s private conversation. If a tweet starts with @user it generally means it’s not for public debate because if the author wanted everyone they follow to see it there would be another character in front of the @user to make it visible to everyone. But if you really want to participate in the discussion at the very least acknowledge that you’re crashing. It’s less douchey that way.

6. Wrath (Blasting)
I don’t care how passionate you are about your topic, there is no excuse for blasting. There is nothing wrong with how passionate you are and that passion will probably lead you to find many like-minded people on twitter. But (and it’s a big but), ramming your opinion down someone else’s throat when they don’t agree with you is no way to promote your cause or yourself – particularly if you haven’t taken the time to get to know the person at the end of your rant. I’m sorry activists but twitter isn’t really designed for you because you end up unleashing the bulk of your argument about a theory on one person. Not really fair is it?

7. Lust (Celebrity Stalking)
Everyone loves to follow a celebrity or two. Nothing wrong with that. Although fair warning if you follow @mrskutcher and @aplusk you will have to witness some pretty treacly interchanges. It’s not the celebrity part that is the problem it’s all of their followers. If you say anything at all that could be vaguely interpreted as negative, be prepared for all of their followers to be all over you like a rash. In part because celebrities are so idolised but mostly because deep down their followers are thinking that by attacking you, ‘the hater’, the celebrity will acknowledge them, and might actually follow them back. So avoid the lemmings, they’re not worth it.