How to Drive Traffic from Twitter using @Anywhere
How to Drive Traffic from Twitter using @Anywhere
@Anywhere is a new set of widgets (or plugins) from Twitter that allows you to add Twitter Features to your Blog or Website. @Anywhere is great because it lets your users do the most common activities relating to Twitter (tweeting, following) without leaving your site. Not only that, there are a couple of ways you can use @Anywhere to drive traffic to your site.
Hovercards
This plugin automatically converts every Twitter username (in @problogger format) on your web pages to Twitter links, complete with hover cards (think tooltips on crack) that have the all important “follow” button in them.
Tweet Box
The Tweet box option simply puts a tweet box on your site that users can post tweets with without leaving your site. The benefit of the Tweetbox is anything your user posts to their account includes your website name (even if they didn’t type it).
Adding @Anywhere To Your Site
1. Sign Up
You’ve got to let Twitter know that you’re hosting @anywhere and this is the part where you can set the text that will appear in tweets user make from your site (See above screenshot). Go to this URL on Twitter and fill out the form: Sign Up for @Anywhere
On the form, make sure you set the following correctly:
- Application Name: This text is what will appear on your user’s tweets
- Callback URL: Just set this to your home page address
- Default Access Type: Has to be Read & Write – make sure you set it!
Don’t close the next screen when you’ve submitted the form!
2. Copy API Key
Once you’ve submitted the form, Twitter will provide you with an API key – this is the bit of information Twitter will look for to tell that users are Tweeting from your site. Copy this, and save it some place you can refer to it.
3a. Add @anywhere to your site manually
I’ve created a really small HTML sample page showing both hovercards and the tweetbox in action. You’ll need to edit this and put your API in it to get it working. Once you can see it in action, you should be able to integrate the same features into your site. Download Here (zip, 1kb, right click & save)
One thing I’ve done in this sample is to get the Tweet box pre-populated with the title of page your user is reading. If you *really* know what you’re doing, you’ll want to add a shortened URL to the text box via server side code (not for the faint of heart).
3b. Add @anywhere to your site as a WordPress Plugin
If you can’t edit the code for your blog / site, there is a WordPress plugin you can try, you’ll need the API keys for this as well: http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/add-twitter-anywhere/
Summing Up – @Anywhere is a great start to Twitter breaking out of it’s own walls, in a similar way to Facebook’s Connect platform. As you’ve seen there are useful options for integrating it with your website,
You can find out more (including documentation) about @Anywhere at Twitter’s dedicated site:
@catepol
Thank you very much for this post. I’ve made a kind of translation in Italian for my readers here on my blog http://www.catepol.net/2010/05/07/twitter-anywhere-sul-tuo-blog/#axzz0nGbwpZay
@nataliav
I was looking for a website using @Anywhere to see it in action, so thanks, your post was useful
@mikestenger
Very cool! I looked at @Anywhere when it first came out and looks very nice but didn’t sign up because I thought you had to be approved first. Also thought it was only for larger sites but I guess not.
@lateaserikard
Awesome thank you for the WP plugin extension!! I’ve been debating whether to include @Anywhere, now I understand its functionality.
@freewebapps
It’s completely free. I don’t run wordpress and it was a breeze to setup. Check out Facebook’s Social Plugins as well!
@BostonMarketer
I’ve installed the plugin. Is there something I need to do to get it to recognize Twitter names? Hovering over Twitter ID’s doesn’t seem to be bringing up the follow box. thx
@dcanoli
Okay, question…I can do some html editing; however, that twitter page was over my head. I’ve signed up for the account, but I need a BASIC way of integrating it into my blogger account. Is there an easy way or site showing the step-by-step of how and where to put the code into blogger’s body?
@2009Taxes
Looks pretty nice. As long as there aren’t too many new links added to my web site’s home page. Trying to keep the number down for SEO link juice purposes.
@AnnieInfinite
Thanks for this post I have installed @Anywhere using the plugin by @TheFrosty and it is working well
@freewebapps
@BostonMarketer – Did you set your API Key? If you can’t get the hover cards working, try and add a tweetbox just to confirm you’re wired up to twitter correctly (copy the tweetbox code from my zip file).
@dcanoli – assume you’re referring to Twitter’s page? try downloading my zip file (above) which is much simpler, and works immediately ONCE you add your API key (sign up on Twitter – link above)
@http://www.reallyusefulwebapps.com
@2009Taxes – there won’t be any links – they are all generated by Twitter’s javascript code in your visitor’s browser, which means when Google/etc index your pages, the links haven’t loaded – there will be zero impact to your SEO status
This article Rocks! Good thing that people get to share this type of information. Driving traffic to your site is hard but if you would get to find such articles as this, you will have the upper hand in getting traffic. Twitter has been around the internet for quite some time now, and this innovation will give more opportunities for website owners to gain more traffic. I have been using twitter for a long time and it is just now that I have known about this type of widget or plugins. I hope a lot of website owners will have the chance to read this and know more about whats new with twitter.
Thank you very much!
Alex
@aliciapierre
Hey there,
Thank you soooo much for such a useful and informative article. I just followed your instructions and now have that application on my site.
Thanx again
-Alicia
@intersphere
Great post! Thanks for the tip!
@web20empire
Fabulous! You know, I just re-started 31 Days, after buying it, having to have some surgery and all the while I was in, I was reading and re-reading through (I’m sorry trees, but I HAD to do it!) my printed copy of the workbook.
Why?
Too many tweets, too little blogging!!!
Careful! It’s so great for sparking ideas from questions (LOVE the search columns section in Tweet Deck! But, the deck had to be in time out while w/ Problogger now) BUT, you can get really sucked in and engaged (not a bad thing, but…) and realize you’ve gotten way off your groove.
Wish me luck!
Sheree
@fullfilth
Why not you implement it here?
@adnan_chowdhury
Wow thanks! Its a lot more easier than i ever expected!
Yay! I implemented @anywhere on my blog!
@idiary1
Thanks for the valuable tip. I have incarporated @Anywhere to my site, let us see how this experiment goes.
First thing is to get your tweeter account known. this can be done through:
1- emailing to your friends asking them to follow you.
2- follow other people and hopefully they will follow you back
3- promote your site and put your twitter logo there for people to follow you.
One day you will reach 100000 followers.
=======================
williamsjohn333
@deepakkumard
Very Informative. I will give a try to this fo rsure
Great info, certainly a treasure for a newbie..thanks for sharing this