Lessons from the Evolution of Blogging Part 1: Journaling

Twitter is called “micro-blogging” because, even though it’s limited to only 140 characters, it’s evolved out of, and is still similar to, blogging.  That’s great, because while Twitter may be new, blogging has developed over time, transforming from early personal journals to where they are now, and every stage has grown it a bit closer to an art form, until it’s now recognised as a fully-fledged profession.

There’s a great post on the early history of web-logs (blogs) by Rebecca Blood here, but it stops around 2000 – just about when blogs started taking off.  This series is going to look at how blogging has developed since then, and show you the lessons to be learnt from each stage it went through – so you can apply these to develop your twitter micro-blogging skills, and avoid the critical newbie mistakes that cost you time and followers.

Back when blogging first went mainstream, blogs were mostly considered a form of online diary.  Bloggers shared the details of their days, so friends and family could catch up with them without actually needing to connect by writing letters, emails or making phone calls.  The internet let these early bloggers create a broadcast of all their exploits that all their friends could read, without having to get in touch with all of them individually and (heaven forbid) spend time offline.  Yes, most early bloggers – myself included – were geeks.

Some blogs died out as their writers lost interest – much like journaling, but others grew as their writing skills expanded to fit this new medium.  The most successful bloggers of this genre were the ones that had the ability to share of themselves, but put it across as a form of storytelling.  Consider the writing of a novel – huge sections of the character’s days and lives are skipped, in favour of condensing the story down to significant points, but with enough detail to keep the reader engaged.

When most of us start using twitter, we use it the same way – as a personal journal.  We struggle to develop the skill to get our thoughts across in only a sentence or two.  It’s only natural to connect the small size of the post with the small details of our lives, and to post as frequently as we think of it.

As you grow in skill, though, you should be working to develop this storyteller’s art.  Narrow your plotline down and edit out anything that would mean your reader could put the book down.  When the novel of your personal life is written, you want it to be full of riveting moments, crucial turning points and momentous decisions or events.

Would your twitter-stream read this way?

Here’s an exercise for you: for the next few days, before you hit that ‘update’ button, take a moment to put on the editor’s hat.  Should this tweet make it into your personal story; can it be given a ‘twist’ to make it more interesting; is there a way to tighten it up further; or is it something better left unsaid?

© 2008 TwiTip Twitter Tips.



Twitter Tips for Beginners: Lessons from the Evolution of Blogging Part 1 – Journaling

For new Twitter users, understanding Twitter and how to use it may change in those first few days after signing up. It could mean working through the learning curve or it could mean too much frustration to continue. Some people stay, others move on, realizing Twitter wasn’t for them. I know of some people, including me, who stopped using Twitter but came back and tried it again to find out they really enjoyed it. The problem is, as with many things in life, there is a learning curve. I want to offer three important steps to surviving the Twitter learning curve.

Locate
If you’re particular about who you want in your friend and follow lists, finding people you want to follow can be a bit tricky. It’s relatively easy to amass followers by following them and hoping most of them will follow you back. But most of these type of followers will probably be people who will never communicate with you. And you probably won’t receive a shout out from anyone in the top 500 rankings, either. See Twitterholic. Here are some basic ways of finding people with whom to network:

• Try Twitter tools like Twubble or Twellow to help find people with interests similar to your own. TweeterTags is a new tool that allows you to tag yourself with your interests and also find people with similar tags.
• My interests are in writing, blogging, and social networking, so I look for people with similar interests. My preferred method to find people is simply using Twitter itself and look up my favorite and respected friends to see who is following them.

Communicate
The obvious principle behind Twitter is communication, but sometimes it’s hard to feel engaged in the medium when you send out a tweet, @Reply, or DM and no one responds. At first Twitter can seem like a black hole and conversations may be more one-sided with people in your network. But it won’t always feel that way, and here are some reasons why:

• You will find friends who have things to say that interest you and provoke a response (It’s hard to become engaged when you don’t care what is being said).
• You will learn how to tweet messages that are interesting and evoke a response.
• People will begin to engage in conversation with you over something you tweeted.
• People will retweet your tweets, and you will think, hey, I really made an impression!
• You will become comfortable with the format and enter into more and more conversations.
• You will find your favorite tools for making Twitter fun and easy to use. My favorites for the communication part of Twitter are TweetDeck and Seesmic. A key function in their design is to help you manage your friends and followers groups, which makes conversations a snap.

Negotiate
Managing our lives requires negotiation. Relationships require negotiation. Using Twitter requires some level of negotiation on how to fit it into your lifestyle and schedule. Here are some ideas to keep in mind when negotiating the Twitterverse.

• Don’t feel you are locked in to your game plan for using Twitter. If you want to build a big follower base, change the way you do business. If you realize having thousands of followers is not what you really want out of Twitter, feel free to change your goals and strategy.
• Don’t feel you can’t unfollow someone. Sometimes it just doesn’t work out. For instance, if you don’t like the comments from a particular individual, hit the unfollow button. Poof!
• Don’t feel you have to follow everyone who follows you. Sure, an etiquette about following back has developed, but if it doesn’t apply to how you want to use Twitter, don’t follow back.
• Don’t feel you have to respond immediately, or ever, if someone sends you a message or reply. You only have so much time and you can only do so much in a day. Time, friends, followers, etc. all enter into your negotiation.
• Sometimes followers leave. If they do and you’re no longer interested in following them, you can certainly unfollow. Applications like Tweetlater will even auto unfollow if that’s something you choose to do. No need to take it personally.

As a new user, understanding and using Twitter can seem overwhelming. It can be frustrating, it can even feel depressing. And you may decided it’s not for you. But remember that these are sometimes symptoms of working through a learning curve. Ultimately Twitter becomes how you re-invent it for yourself.

My Twitter Learning Curve graph from TwitterCounter

© 2008 TwiTip Twitter Tips.



Surviving the Twitter Learning Curve

Leo Dirr is a freelance writer. Follow him @UtahNewsGuy.

When I began using Twitter a short time ago, I had no idea how much strategy could be involved in a simple tweet. You only get 140 characters, for crying out loud. How much thought could go into that, honestly?

A lot. And once I started to figure that out, my tweets got a lot more traction. I’d like to tell you about my most successful tweet to date and the strategy behind it.

Let’s begin with the tweet itself:

Will newspapers survive? Interviews with @typeamom, @pgillin, @standardex, @atompkins, @pottsmark http://tinyurl.com/ctxufw #journchat

Pretty sweet, huh? Now, let’s break it down:

Headline: Will newspapers survive?

That’s a decent headline because it conveys the story’s meaning in a small amount of space. It leaves me enough characters to accomplish my other goals.

Retweet bait: Interviews with @typeamom, @pgillin, @standardex, @atompkins, @pottsmark

In this story about the newspaper industry, I interviewed several industry experts. Many of them have Twitter accounts. How convenient! So, I included their Twitter handles in the tweet.

This improves the odds of three things:

1. The people named in the tweet will read the tweet.
2. The people named in the tweet will retweet it to their followers.
3. Their followers will read the tweet and possibly retweet it.

Linkyloo: http://tinyurl.com/ctxufw

The link is essential if you want anybody to read the content on your blog or web site. But it’s also worth noting that I used a tiny url. Tastes great, less filling.

Hashtag: #journchat

I added that hashtag mostly for fun. It accomplishes two things, really.

1. It might help the tweet get found by somebody who does a search specifically for that hashtag.

2. It helps define the Twitter community the tweet belongs to. People interested in journalism-related discussions might be more inclined to pay attention to a tweet marked #journchat.

Or they might not.

But again, this was my most successful tweet yet.

Strategery! That’s just fun to say.

© 2008 TwiTip Twitter Tips.



Anatomy Of A Successful Tweet

For some, it’s hard enough finding your voice in a 500 word blog post. So when it comes to expressing your thoughts and opinions on Twitter in 140 characters or less, you’d think it would be even harder. Right?!

Well actually, finding your voice on Twitter can be a pretty painless process if you employ the right strategies. For those of us with kids, we “get it” right away. Twitter can be a lot like your 2 year old. It screams and whines and will bark orders at you all day (ex: give me….get me….follow me, etc). Parents know that getting your child to communicate with them is truly an art that requires patience and creativity. And Twitter is no different. So when it comes to finding your voice on Twitter, I suggest you start thinking like a toddler or how you would communicate with one!

The following list includes my top 10 tips for developing better communication  with toddlers on Twitter:

1. Toddlers have a limited vocabulary. So make your tweets simple and not too complicated. Do your best to tweet how you speak. Don’t overuse acronyms.

2. Toddlers have the attention span of flies. So you need you to get to the point. Think in titles and summarize. You wouldn’t read a chapter book without pictures word for word to 2 year old.

3. Toddlers like toys. So share helpful resources like links to smart blogs, industry reports, funny YouTube videos, free ebooks, etc.

4. Toddlers have favorite characters… The Wiggles, Backyardigans, Elmo, etc. So find a niche you know and are passionate about. Infuse your tweets with information about it, share your expertise, and foster relationships with others in your niche. Start a fan club or TwitterGroups for your niche interest.

5. Toddlers naturally embody a transparency radar. They can see right through you. So don’t be something you’re not. And especially don’t spam or sell to twits. If you’re a genuine twit you will get the respect you deserve.

6. Toddlers learn best from hands-on experiences. So be sure to share your most interesting daily happenings, life ponderings, and hair raising questions.

7. Toddlers can benefit from the right equipment. For example, a high chair, bib, and sippy cup can make for a cleaner and more efficient lunch. So take advantage of Twitter support tools. Utilize mobile and desktop apps to streamline the tweet process and be a more efficient conversationalist (Tweetdeck, Twittelator, Twitterific, Twitterberry, SnapTweet, Twitpic, etc.).

8. Toddlers like Kung Fu Panda and Tom & Jerry! So share a variety of media and expand your voice to include updates or links from: Flickr, Facebook, YouTube, Blip.fm, your blog posts, etc.

9. Toddlers can learn a lot from their peers. So read other twitter streams to get new ideas, style, etc. Remember to learn new ideas, but update them with your own twist upon implementation.

10. Toddlers rely on consistency. So be the same person online you are offline.

Once you understand that Twitter is not just a broadcasting tool used for barking orders…but a Web of communities with interest-based conversations, you’ll find your voice and a new respect for it in the process. Good luck and be nice…or I’ll put you on a time-out!

© 2008 TwiTip Twitter Tips.



Think like a Toddler and find your Voice on Twitter

How to light a candle under your Twitterings for both Newbies and those that think they are Pros…

How silly! I’m preparing to share some powerfully useful and advanced Twitter tips, yet I start with a warped variant of a well known children’s nursery rhyme. What’s up with that? It’s simple…

At the core of Twitter is a concept so simple, even a child can do it. Yet almost every newbie who arrives at the Twitter site is overwhelmed with a variation of the following thought:

“What the…?”

My interpretation of this flummoxing phenomena suggests that most folks (newbies or not) are really asking:

1. Why should I Twitter?
2. How do I Twitter?
3. What do I Twitter?
4. How do I get followers?
5. Can I make or raise money with Twitter?
6. and… OK, I’m ready to start, what’s next?

If you could nail down these answers (quick), it might strike a match in your brain and get that Twitter candle burning bright. Now granted, I could write a book on each of these questions, but after Twittering for months, my brain often goes blank after 140 characters, so bear with me as my nimble finger pecks away at these Universal Twuestions.

THE SIX UNIVERSAL TWUESTIONS

1) Why should I Twitter?

You’re already doing lots of stuff, right? Business, social, charity, a blog, a site, marketing too… Twitter (if done right) can become the VELCRO or glue that makes all the stuff you currently do “cohesive” – yet, Twitter does not require much extra time.

2) How do I Twitter?

Technically, you just type (or tweet) short sentences from time-to-time, sharing with other folks (your followers) interesting stuff about (fill in the blank) – oh, and you can LINK to anything. At a deeper level and in time, you’ll develop a “Twitter Personality” or style. It’s well worth listening and observing other Twitterers you find interesting to plot out your “personality strategy,” but ultimately your goal is to be 100% YOU – a real person – only notch it up bit; be MORE of whatever you are. Perhaps MORE humorous, MORE edgy, MORE informative, MORE social, MORE sexy, MORE original, MORE controversial, anything except… MORE obnoxious

Take note of this reTweet classic:

I only follow those who meet 2 of 4 criteria: informative, interesting, dialectical, original.

3) What do I Twitter?

Ah, that’s the magical part. Now granted, what you post depends largely on your goals and purpose with Twitter, but in general this is easy… just post interesting stuff, preferably related in some way to what you do, who you are, what you (and your followers) are interested in etc. It pays to be interesting to your followers, but it pays more to be interested in your followers; so communicate and network to your hearts content – but don’t (I repeat, do not) tell me what you or your cat had for breakfast. Twitter is NOT a public cafeteria nor a micro-advertising billboard.

Twitter posts (if done well) can be very valuable and/or interesting tidbits of information. However, rest assured that even the most attentive follower will not read all (if not most of) your posts. Thus repurposing previously tweeted posts is a good idea provided you do it with prudence. On posts you feel are particularly interesting or valuable, repost or reTweet these with honesty while spacing them broadly across time.

For example, you might say things like:

• In case you missed it…
• Last weeks retweet…
• Popular Retweet-
• Last weeks favorite…
• Did you see this?
• Retweet Rewind:
• Rehashed Twit:
• Recycled Twit:

For any naysayer who just read this tip and you’re now experiencing raised hairs on the back of your neck as you think “Twitter Spam!” – think again. Is your TV spamming you when a station runs repeats, or are they providing a service whereby you can catch something you’re interested in but you missed it earlier? Unlike a blog which journals posts in archives by month, some have suggested that Twitter is like a text version of Reality TV; it’s an interesting thought and I they do both flow in a timeline.

At the end of the day, quality content should have a lifetime value beyond a single Tweet. Think about that great advice you shared with your followers 2 months ago. If you don’t recycle some things occasionally, how will it benefit your newest followers that just tuned-in to your Twitter channel? If you set your quality standards high and space your Tweets broadly, everyone will be happy.

4) How do I get followers?

Re-read tip #2 first. Potential followers seek out interesting personalities to follow. The MORE interesting you are, the more followers you’ll get. But beware: having more followers is not necessarily a worthy goal. To rain tweets upon a million non-attentive followers is like circle irrigating barren soil where no growth is possible.

KEY RECOMMENDATIONS:

• Be interesting (as in VERY)
• Be YOU (only notch it up)
• Be social (that does not mean putting a lampshade on your head)
• Be helpful and informative
• Engage existing followers regularly in interesting things.
• Tweet as often as you can, but maintain quality.
• Look sharp (Photo/wallpaper etc)
• Seek out targeted followers, who may be predisposed towards your “Twitter Personality” and subject matter.

While there are systems and strategies to pro-actively increase your followers, you will find that quality followers (people that listen) will often find YOU once you’ve established an interesting “Twitter Personality.”

OK OK, it’s the old “you attract more flies with honey than vinegar” strategy… but what other “get more follower” tips might there be?

Here’s the straight scoop. You don’t want to seek more FOLLOWERS you want to seek more LISTENERS. There are many proactive strategies, here are a few:

• Make Twitter the “CENTER” of your online universe. All profiles across the social media universe should list and link to your Twitter page as your primary page. If you are doing Twitter seriously, this will be very effective. With the exception of specific campaigns, you should drive all ancillary traffic to Twitter as the primary destination. Twitter is a soft close, in other words, people can get to know you without giving you a name and email straight way. It’s far easier to move a Twitter follower along your path (or funnel) to more engagement later, than to go from cold contact to full close in one fell swoop.
• Determine the primary keywords and phrases that your ideal follower might use in their daily lexicon. With that in mind, do searches of Twitter timelines (Twitter Search) and/or Twitter bios (Twellow) and/or Twitterers in your local area (TwitterLocal or Twellowhood) to find targeted people you might follow. An ongoing strategy of finding targeted people to follow will build your followers because often 30% or more will follow you back. Don’t go twitty, just add a reasonable number of new follows each week – meet and greet as many new followers as you can.
• There are many resources such as Mr. Tweet, TwitterGrader and TwitterPacks which all offer different angles on finding the best listener/followers. And with care, automated services (such as Twollo) can help.
• Don’t be shy about visiting the Twitter follower or following pages of other users who already have the type followers you like. Yes, we’re talking comrades and competitors; you can follow folks from their ranks. I can hear it already, a few readers are getting heart palpitations about it now, as if I’ve just recommended robbing the local five and dime. You’re following people, not stealing people; if these folks later decide you’re worthy of following, cool. There is nothing sinister about any of this and for sure, there are no monopolies on followers.
• Add “Follow Me on Twitter” messages in prime spots like: email footers, newsletters, thank you pages (after a sale or opt-in). Don’t trap your mindset in just the online world; think SMS text messaging, sending real cards and letters, mentioning your Twitterings in speeches and even within your own voice mail recordings.
• Socially bookmark your better Twitter postings (I’m talking static pages). Yes they have SEO value. Services such as Twitchboard and Fleck Lite automate social bookmarking in different ways. You can of course go heavy-duty with services like Onlywire or SocialPoster.
• I could easily list 100 more ideas on how to get followers, but I’ll close with TWO of my favorites…
  • Simply increase your engagement with existing followers, and your followers will reTweet and recommend you to new followers. As a famous Twitterer once read… It’s not how many followers you have, it’s how many times you get reTweeted.
  • Whenever you get a new follower, a direct message, or someone reTweets or mentions your name… pour on the hot social buttered rum sauce with a smile.

Believe it or not, before you can say Twittercalifragilisticexpialidocious, you’ll likely have more followers than you can manage and dumping a few can be a good thing. If only I had these tools back in my college dorm days! Lessfriends, FriendorFollow, or TwitTangle

To sum up this Twitter tip:

Followers are fiction whereas listeners are fact. In Twitter, you want more fact than fiction.

5) Can I make or raise money with Twitter?

Answer: Send me $1 via Twitter and I’ll tell you (just kidding).

All kidding aside, the answer is YES! In fact…

“Dell (NASDAQ: DELL) says Twitter has produced $1 million in revenue over the past year and a half through sale alerts”

Read How to make a million dollars on Twitter (just like Dell) and my wacky response.

OK, you’re not Dell, but rest assured the fact that Twitter can help make or raise money is no longer theory. If you VELCRO everything you do with Twitter, the cohesion of your strategy will increase your prospect, customer, or audience stickiness factor and the money will follow.

The secret is NOT to think Twitter drives revenue as a stand-alone vehicle. Instead, think of Twitter as one more wheel or perhaps the driveshaft on your internet dune buggy. Once it’s up and running, you’ll likely find yourself compelled to put your Twitter pedal to the metal. You’ll find ample fuel to power your Twitter vehicle at the many Twitter Tip sites from TwiTip to my own Twittin’ Secrets series which provides 100 Twitter Tips 100% free.

6) FINALLY, “I’m ready to start, what’s next?”

If you haven’t signed up for Twitter, DON’T. That’s right, do not. Not yet.

Step back and become a sponge for a few days. The first few decisions you make about Twitter can be important and deserve forethought as you contemplate your Twitter purpose and Twitter strategy. Twitter is this tiny little thing that “with a good strategy” becomes a BIG thing.

Even if you’ve already started Twittering, the following Twitter Tips should provide invigorating insight regardless of where you are in the Twitter timeline of life.

You are ready to start Twittering when…

• You’ve skimmed through Twitter’s official FAQs and HELP. (I’m not kidding. Invest 15 minutes upfront and save hours down the road)
• You’ve decided on your “Topical Twitter Focus” (what you plan to Tweet about – mostly).
• You’ve thought of a memorable (and perhaps descriptive) 15 character username that you can carry across all the social networks (Here’s a tool to let you check username availability)
• You have a really good photo of yourself for your Twitter profile (Occasionally an avatar, cartoon, image, or logo can be appropriate – but be careful – when is the last time you wanted to follow or chat with a logo? )
• You have a punchy, compelling, and interesting 160 character BIO ready for your Twitter page.
• You have a FIRST TWITTER POST (Tweet) ready. 140 characters. No link required. Here’s where many go brain dead or embarrass themselves. Your first tweet is like your first baby steps and it should begin your “Twitter Flow.” You’ll find a lot of “What NOT to post” ideas here: MyFirstTweet
• Your Twitter background image or wallpaper can wait (if necessary), but it is very important to really do a bang-up wallpaper job within your first month. So many Twitter pages look like the work of a one-armed paperhanger.
• Finally… and this might be the hardest part (but don’t skip it)…You need a low key “Twitter Convincer” web page to LINK TO as part of your Twitter Bio. Most likely your website or blog home page is NOT the best choice. And for sure, your “get rich quick for only $19.95 page” can be saved for relatives, your “ex”, or former jail mates. Here’s why: people visiting your Twitter page want to know WHY they should follow you. If your Twitter posts look interesting, your wallpaper catches their eye, your photo looks good, and your bio packs a punch, all that’s left to convince a visitor to follow, is a quick click to see what you’ve linked to. At that point, you either convince them to follow or they’re gone. A good “Twitter Convincer” page can be an “About Me” or any page that gives the visitor two things:
  • The answer to his or her primary question… “Why Should I Follow?”
  • A convenient way to get back to your FOLLOW BUTTON on your Twitter page.

NEWBIE EXAMPLE

“The Beginning of Happiness!”

Andrew Matthew is a cartoonist and author of books about Happiness.

His first Twitter post establishes his “Twitter Focus”

Andrew’s wallpaper makes it clear he’s a cartoonist (to follow)  

His “Happy Bio” plays off the title of one of his books and he links to his “About Me” page:

http://twitter.com/followandrew  

Oh, and let’s not overlook, Andrew snared a great Twitter username @followandrew

ADVANCED EXAMPLE:

http://twitter.com/dhollings (Click my website/bio link / upper right)

Or BIO link: http://go2468.com/followdan

On my own Twitter page, I’ve used a creative frameset, whereby I display a humorous static page Tweet (to the left) and in a frame (to the right), I give reasons and simple steps to follow me on both Twitter and Google’s FriendConnect. I also take all the mystery out of WHY you might follow me:

Why Follow?

• Free Twitter Tips
• Marketing Ideas
• Wacky humor
• Lots of laughs
• Even more laughs

I’m not recommending my set-up necessarily, but it demonstrates a creative approach that works well for me. For the adventurous, here is how to build a frameset, step by step.

A SIMPLIFIED VARIATION:

A variation of what I’ve done could be as simple as linking to a very well worded static Tweet. In other words, I could have made my Twitter website/Bio link simply this:

   http://twitter.com/dhollings/status/1054232633

   (note: my wallpaper is designed to encourage followers)

By the way… I can hear you asking already… How do you create (or find) a “Twitter Static page?”

Step 1: Make a Tweet.

Step 2: Click the timestamp link directly below that tweet.

Step 3: The link to that page is in the browser address bar.

Before finishing up, let’s return for a moment to where we started with our Jack Be Nimble nursery rhyme. According to Wikipedia, it has been suggested that “jumping over a candlestick” is a way of foretelling the future. If the candle stays lit, good luck should follow. With that in mind, I’ll leave you with one final Twitter tip: Twitter be Nimble, Twitter be Quick, if you don’t know Jack, follow & listen and he’ll follow you back.

—

About Dan Hollings

Follow Dan on Twitter @dhollings

The author & creator of “Twittin’ Secrets – 100 World’s Greatest Twitter Tips & Secrets” and the free “MyTwitter Toolbar.” In pre-Twitter days, he was the internet strategist behind the mega hit movie phenomena, “The Secret.” Dan is also the co-founder (along with Joe Polish @jpolish) of “BridgeGAP Marketing” – bridging the gap between Online, Offline and Mobile marketing.

© 2008 TwiTip Twitter Tips.



Twitter be Nimble, Twitter be Quick, if you don’t know Jack, try these Twitter Tricks

Like anything in life, if you don’t use it, you lose it. The same holds true for your newly found Twitter muscles.

Now that you’ve got your Jack Johnson and your Tom O’Leary working in sweet, subtle harmony and the follower numbers to prove it — don’t pull a Jake LaMotta and let your fab turn to flab.

If you want your blog, your website, your business, your following to bust out in the days and weeks to come, you are in the driver’s seat, mi amigo — keep moving, learning, developing and growing. Put on your Richard Simmons shorty-shorts and start sweatin ‘ — there’s a million plus twitter users that might need what you have to sell — be it a product, a service, or just good old-fashioned camaraderie. All you have to do is do it — but do it right.

There are no redux’s in a twitterstream — more than a few lifeless bodies float along in the debris of what used to be. The ultimate price for not paying attention to relationships.

Image by Crocidillicus

Here are a few easy ways to bulk up your Twitter presence that don’t require much, if any, heavy lifting.   

• Send a Direct Message to one follower each day, be it just to say “good morning” or comment on a recent tweet or blog post. It will only take a minute of your time, but those little words of kindness will speak volumes about you and your appreciation of their loyalty as a follower.
• Send a short tweet in another language. I have a few bi-lingual followers who think it’s awesome to share a few words in their native vocabulary. Of course, I use a web-based translator and preface my tweets as such, but I am actually learning some new words in Spanish and in French in the meantime. On the flip side, my fellow tweeple are getting a few lessons in English profanity, umm, American lingo. Es todo bueno.
• Break out of your comfort zone and follow a few interesting people who do not seem to share any commonalities with you. It’s a small world and more often than not, you will each benefit in some way from the relationship.
• Offer advice pro bono in your area of expertise to someone in need. The concept of pay-it- forward is contagious. That’s the beauty and essence of Twitter.
• Play the game, but always play by your rules. Don’t compromise or doubt your own integrity or knowledge. Every one of us has something valuable to share.
• Above all — enjoy yourself, be yourself, show no disrespect and accept none in return. Do these things and you won’t ever have to apologize for who you are or what you have to say.

© 2008 TwiTip Twitter Tips.



Developing Your Twitter Muscles

This video has been around for a while but I wanted to include it for those new to Twitter who might need an introduction.

Thanks to the team at Common Craft for putting it together.

© 2008 TwiTip Twitter Tips.



Introduction to Twitter [VIDEO]

I’ve written numerous times about the benefits of Twitter to me – what I get out of it – but perhaps a more pertinent question for Twitter users to be asking is not what THEY get OUT of Twitter – but what THEY put INTO Twitter.

Don’t get me wrong – Twitter is a medium which can significantly benefit YOU and enhance your life in many ways – however when you talk to most successful Twitter users you find that they’ve discovered one thing:

I’ve seen this to be true many times in my own 1 year journey with Twitter. The more you put in, the more helpful you are, the more value you bring, the more effort you put in to enhancing the lives of others – the more comes back to you.

On the flip side – the more you ‘use’ your followers, the more you take, the more selfish your tweets are and the more pointless your tweets become – the less comes back to you.

So lets come back to my original question above:

• How are you enhancing your followers lives?
• What are you ‘giving’ them?
• What do they value you for?

Get a handle on some of these questions and deliver on them and I suspect your use of Twitter will become more and more successful.

How to be a Useful Twitter User

OK – so we have to be useful, helpful and add value for those that follow us. What does that look like?

The reality is that useful Twittering will look quite different for each of us depending upon our own situation – but here are a couple of simple questions that will help you to get to the heart of it.

Another similar question.

If you are solving a problem or fulfilling a need that someone has – you’re being useful.

That’s probably one of the most obvious statements I’ve ever made – yet so many people fail to apply it to their lives – and so many are failing to apply it to their use of Twitter. Most Power users of Twitter (and all forms of social media) ‘get’ this and are successful because of it.

Addressing Needs and Problems need not look the same for all of us – in fact it can look incredibly diverse once you begin to think about and tap into the the lives of those that follow us.

What do people need? What problems do they have?

The answers to these questions are diverse.

• Some people have a need for information.
• Others have a need for entertainment.
• Some have the problem of loneliness.
• Others have problems with getting their heads around certain technologies.
• Others have a desire to connect with a community learning about an interest that they have.
• Some want to find the latest news in a niche
• Others want advice on buying or doing certain things
• Some just want to laugh
• Some want to have a vigorous discussion or debate on a deep issue

The list could go on and on and become very specific from topic to topic that we might cover.

Once you’ve ascertained a need or problem that you’re addressing with your use of Twitter (or more than one) you’ll then find other questions begin to answer themselves. Question like ‘what should I tweet?’ and ‘who should I connect with?’

But it all comes down to knowing why you’re using Twitter and committing yourself to keep your use of the medium relatively on topic. This doesn’t mean every Tweet you do has to be fulfilling a need (Twitter is a playful and forgiving medium) but you should keep coming back to fulfilling those needs and problems and adding value over time.

If you do this your become and more and more important part of your followers lives and ultimately will benefit more and more from the medium yourself.

© 2008 TwiTip Twitter Tips.



What’s in it for Your Followers? How to be Useful on Twitter

What is Twitter?

“Are you in to bird watching or something?” asked one of my Facebook friends once as I made a Twitter post about my 1,000th “tweet”.

Twitter is a free social messaging utility for staying connected in real-time.

Wikipedia describes it this way:

Twitter is a free social networking and micro-blogging service, that allows its users to send and read other users’ updates (otherwise known as tweets), which are text-based posts of up to 140 characters in length.

Before I get in to too much detail on why twitter is such a great part of online marketing, I want to teach you how to set up a twitter account.

Step 1: Go to http://twitter.com.

When you get to Twitter.com, you’ll see this page:

Step 2: Click the Join the conversation! Green Box

This page will appear:

Step 3: Create a Username.

If you are using this twitter account for brand management for your business, I’d recommend using your domain name minus the dot com/net/etc. (ie. http://twitter.com/mollermarketing) If it’s just for fun or personal use, use whatever you want as the username.

Add your email address, personal or business.

Type in the security code then click “I accept, Create my Account” (if you want, you can read the Terms of Service too).

Step 4: Start connecting!

As you can see by the picture below, Twitter asks for your email information. They state very clearly that they don’t use or share your information anywhere:

We don’t store your login, your password is submitted securely, and we don’t email without your permission.

I get plenty of spam in my email inbox, but I’ve never tracked it back to Twitter so don’t worry about giving up “personal info” (this is just my advice, not legal mumbo-jumbo so don’t blame me if you get your identity stolen or something ) If you’re really concerned, set up a new Gmail email account that’s just for your twitter account (I feel like you’d be waisting lots of time doing this).

Here’s what the next page will look like:

What’s cool is that Twitter goes through all your email addresses to see who is already registered with a Twitter account. You can hand pick which of your new “Twitter Friends” you want to add.

There’s also an option where you can invite non-Twitter users to set up Twitter accounts – it looks like this:

If you plan to use Twitter for business and you already have a pretty big database of names and emails, this could be a great opportunity to show your clients you care by connecting with them in a new way. Twitter can be a great way to communicate and deal with Customer Care issues too!

Step 5: You’re now an official Twitter User!

Important questions to ask at this point: Do you need a Tweet Plan? What about setting goals for Twitter?

Darren Rowse from TwiTip.com has this to say:

Being successful at something is very hard if you don’t know what you want to achieve. It’s much easier to hit your target…. if you know what it is.

I really do think the sooner you have a purpose for Twitter, the better, but since this is a “Getting Started on Twitter” tutorial, just add some friends!

The easiest way to get started with Twitter is by interacting with people you already know – aka: use your email list and see who’s already using Twitter.

The best thing about this is, if you have friends that have a lot of experience “tweeting”, they can give you tips, tricks, and even connections that will help you grow your reputation on Twitter.

I’ve been using Twitter since April of 2007 and it’s been a fun ride so far. I’ve found that, the more direction and focus I have, the better use I get out of Twitter for business networking.

© 2008 TwiTip Twitter Tips.



How to Set Up a Twitter Account

So you just signed up for Twitter. You make your first tweet and you realize you don’t have any followers. “What a dumb idea!” You say. “Who the hell would be interested in what I’m doing anyway?”

Don’t worry. You’re normal. That is a sign that you are a Twitter beginner. A lot of us Twitter users (or addicts) went through the same questioning routine. And look at us now. We’re geeks who are on Twitter all day and night and we can’t stop tweeting.

So you want to be like us? It’s not that hard really. Just follow these simple steps.

1. Set up your profile

The first thing you need to do is to set up that profile. See that bar on top of your twitter page? Click Settings and start filling up your profile. The notable areas in here are URL, bio, picture and design. Put up a link to your site or blog in here along with a brief description. Upload a picture to differentiate yourself from the others and then tweak your Twitter design. Like any other social networking site, it is important to completely express what you are or what you stand for in your profile.

2. Follow people with similar interests

Now that you have a profile, start following people. You can find these people in Twitter directories. I use Twellow and JustTweetIt. These sites can introduce you to Twitter users that have the same interest as yours. Follow these people and observe their tweets. You may also try following who these people follow but read up their descriptions and visit their blogs to make sure you’re still on the right niche. Being on the right niche will make it easy for you to build a community with a similar interest.

3. Get into the conversation

So now that you are following people, you will now see some tweets on your board. Read up on what the people your following are up to and reply if it interests you. For example, a person narrates how he is going to conduct a meeting. You may then reply with ideas. When someone asks a question, don’t hesitate to answer if you know it. Don’t be afraid to interact.

4. Don’t spam

Spam is the cause of many unfollows on Twitter. There is a character limit for a reason. Do not send repeated messages to people. Do not constantly direct message (DM) them with links.

5. Update daily

Alright so you’re blending in the community. Now update daily if possible. I know some Twitter users who unfollow because of inactivity. Reply to people and update people with what’s going on with your life. Soon you’ll be recognized and you’ll get some follows.

6. Find the latest buzz and contribute

Now it’s your time to contribute. Find a topic that will interest your niche and tweet it. Since you have established relationships with your followers (through replies), you will get more attention. It’s a nice strategy to always append “please retweet” at the end of your tweet. There will be some people who will be so interested that they will retweet. There are others who will reply to you about the link you tweeted. But you are not a “nobody” anymore. You are not just talking to yourself. People are now responding to your tweets.

7. Help other people out

The famous saying “Do unto others what you want others to do unto you” holds here. Before you can receive retweets, you must help others first by retweeting their messages. Help the people in your niche. One day you’ll be surprised on how eager they are to help you back.

8. Create relationships

Now it’s time to create constant connections. Soon you will find that some users are more active than others. You will get to talk with the same group of people at the same time every night. But don’t get bored. Interact with these people and create relationships. Ask how they are doing and try to touch on their interests.

9. Integrate Twitter with other social networks

Have a blog? Then post to Twitter when you have a post that will interest your niche. Have a Facebook profile? Then ask people to add you. Twitter is really a vital part of web 2.0. It can serve as the core. It can let you build relationships that can branch out to other social networks.

10. Establish relationships even outside Twitter

Have a lot of friends on Twitter? Then take it to another level. Ask for their messenger and talk to these people on a more intimate level. Call them through Skype or even arrange a meet-up. Twitter can create real relationships.

Congratulations! You are now an official member of the Twitter community. You talk, act, think and breathe like us. Perhaps you find yourself spending every five minutes updating Twitter on what you are doing. But I guess I’ll save Twitter addiction for next time.

© 2008 TwiTip Twitter Tips.



10 Easy Steps for Twitter Beginners