Today Phoebe King (follow her at @bizlady08), a Web entrepreneur who provides small business and social networking solutions for baby boomers at GratefulGrebe.com, takes a look at a new Twitter tool that will help you grow your Twitter network by leaps and bounds.
Twitter Groups is an exciting new application that was launched by a small U.S.-based technology company November 27. With it, I have almost doubled the number of people following my smallish organic gardening niche and have added more than a dozen new resources to my blog! In the span of 18 days, more than 1,700 groups have signed up on Twitter Groups, from the Albuquerque (New Mexico) group to the Zut Society. I predict big things for this innocuous little app.
Don’t Judge a Book by Its Cover
At first glance, Twitter Groups doesn’t look very special. Go to http://twittgroups.com and you’ll find a plain-looking page with a Twitter Groups header, some text about Google Friend Connect, a bunch of ads and networking links in the right column. It looks deceptively simple. If you give it a try, however, I think you’ll discover that this tool will help you not only find the people you are marketing to but also give them an easy way to find you!
The big news is that on Monday TwittGroups.com joined forces with Google Friend Connect. Now you can connect with peeps all over the social networking universe. My Twitter group now has a Facebook-like wall that comments—even videos—can be posted to. I suspect Twitter Groups pages will not be “plain-looking” much longer.
Signing Up Is Ridiculously Easy
Before starting your own Twitter group, I suggest you explore some others to see how they are set up. Maybe even join a few. Many Twitter groups have very little activity. Based on what I’ve observed, and depending on your purpose, a broad framework will generate more activity than a tightly specialized niche. Unless, of course, you have brand recognition like ProBlogger, in which case your name alone will generate activity.
Once you have a feel for the application and are ready to start your own group, it’s a simple process. Click on Create Group located in the right column, fill in a few boxes and you’re on your way! Tip: Choose a short, catchy name for your hash tag (the shortened name that you will use in your tweets and that will show up in the Twitter Search application). For example, the formal name of the gardening group I started is Green Thumb Gardening Group, which is much too long for a 140-character microblogging platform like Twitter. So, in the hash tag box I call it #greenthumbs. Makes sense, right?
When you click on Submit, Twitter Groups propels you back to your timeline with an automatically generated, totally customizable tweet that goes something like this: “I just made a Twitter Group at http://twittgroups.com/[GroupName] for our [Group Name] group. Please Retweet.”
In less than a week, #greenthumbs has grown to 55 members—who are all into gardening! And when they joined the group, they also got to send out an automated tweet to everyone who follows them, thereby inviting their friends to join. Are you beginning to see the potential?
But That’s Not All
Each member of your group gets his or her Twitter name, Web site URL, and Twitter Group profile link publicly listed. Group members can also post links to their favorite articles, blogs, forums, photos, videos and wikis, as well as to events, with the option to send out a tweet that includes a link to the group! Now that Google Friend Connect has been added, your potential to connect with other peeps is even greater.
Just in case you can’t tell, I am enamored with this new Twitter tool. My only hope is that as it improves functionality (a Follow link was added over the weekend, which enables you to automatically follow group members without having to go to their profile), it also becomes more visually appealing. Regardless of how it looks, though, I am convinced this new application can help you expand your network beyond your expectations.
@tumblemoose
I’m conflicted. Tho excited at a Twitter ap that may be very useful, I’m a little trepidatious about yet another group to track and or migrating everything to one area.
It does sound great based on this thorough review. Hmmm. I’ll check it out and let ya know!
Cheers
George
@hectorhenry17
Interesthing have to try it out.
@LegoAssassin
Fantastic, am going to give this is a go now. Thanks for sharing!
@pannellswimshop
google friend connect is certainly the wave of the future!
@cheth
I know I did start a new group but sadly not many people are aware of twitter gropus
@tikitoons
this is great news. Used search.twitter.com keywords and squidoo.com LENS with a FACEBOOK-sister group searching for folk online that post Zazzle.com tweets. Get the FACEBOOK group link at http://www.squidoo.com/zazzletwits and visit my website. It is Zazzle.com.
Awesome tool. I will definitely use this to expand my network.
@WendyMerritt
You have made me curious. I will be visiting that site next. Thanks for the information.
I am also excited to see another use for my Google Friend Connect. I have added that to my blog but I really haven’t had much response to it. It is still new and I am sure it will catch on…eventually
blessings,
Wendy
@childrenshealth
I’ve been invited to join a few groups — like @hospitalgroup. If I follow that group, do the individual members know I’m following them? Do I get all their individual messages?
@CoolGardenThing
Looks “Cool“!
We’ll give it a try and see you there;)
@storyboardlife
Joining groups is a great way to get people to your site and follow you b/c you are talking to people with the same mind about things. I like the fact that you can auto follow b/c why wouldn’t you follow someone in your group. The key then is to become the expert there and create a tribe.
@bizlady08
Hi Mark,
Good question! I asked the TwitterGroups creator @1datarecovery a similar question. He said that anything posted to the group will be seen by anyone who actually goes to the group and that anything posted by group members in their own timelines/streams (not sure what the official word is for that) can be read only by the peeps who follow that person.
What I do (twice now) is go to the group, check out each new member’s profile & blog and if they seem like they add value to my stream – or vice versa – I follow them. If and when they follow me, I follow up with a personal Thanks for Following DM. (I tried the automated TweetLater.com messages and decided I’d rather do it manually rather than have to go back an Unfollow spammers.)
It adds maybe 1-2 hours to my week, but I am assured of making quality connections by starting a personal conversation. And to me, building those kinds of relationships is what social media are all about. Hope that helps!
Phoebe
(aka @bizlady08)
@bizlady08
Hey @chetstudios,
Good for you for starting your own group. Have you done much to promote it? When I first started #greenthumbs I tweeted about it in the public stream, then sent a DM about it to everyone who was already following me, blogged about it – here and on my own blog – and made a point of connecting with everyone who took the time to join the group, whether I decided to follow them or not.
I also posted links to group members’ blogs and articles relevant to the group, using the Share Links feature, which would automatically generate a tweet that would include a link back to the group! In other words, you get out of it what you put into it.
To me, the power of Twitter Groups is that you can connect with people in your niche much more easily than by using Twitter Search. In fact, really cool peeps are joining my gardening group who never even showed up when I did a search for other gardeners to follow. The other great feature is that when new peeps join the group Twitter Groups automatically generates a tweet that they can send out to everyone who follows them, which expands the group’s reach even further.
Get it? Cool. Feel free to DM me if you have any other questions. Thanks!
Phoebe
(aka @bizlady08)
@prosperemag
Twitter Groups confuse me. How exactly do I access it? I’d like to know before I link it to my site.
Thanks!
C
@ginawarner
Phoebe,
Is there any way to send a tweet to the entire group even if they are not following me?
If I click on Tweet from the specific group page, does it send my tweet just to my followers or everyone in the entire group, or just those who visit the group page? Thanks for the help!
@bizlady08
Great question, Gina. I asked the creator, @1datarecovery, the same thing. This is what he said verbatim: the link that you add on your group page gets seen by everyone that visits your group. And, Google. The tweet only goes to your followers.
No matter, though. You can post to the group’s wall, which gets picked up by Google FriendFeed and you can follow new members. It would be nice, though, if group members could get the tweet when new members join at least. What I do is visit the group every week or two and follow the new members. I’ve met some really cool people through the #greenthumbs group.
Cheers!
@isaacyassar
I will try to join the groups. By the way, is twitter group has the same function as hashtags?
@amazingtweet
This is an awesome App. thanks.