Wired Women: What the heck is Twitter, and what do I do with it?
September 2, 2009 by admin
Filed under A & E, Wired Women
Twitter is a popular way to develop — and interact with — a network of folks who you’re interested in.
You can use it for dating, making friends, communicating or as a valuable networking tool for professionals and business-owners who are seeking to gain a following or introduce their product or service to a select audience.
In its practical form, it serves as a mass instant messaging platform that allows you to message from your phone via text or from the Web site to friends and family who can be constantly updated on your whereabouts and doings.
Twitter is used in a professional capacity as a way of networking directly with company executives and other businesses or vendors. It is free, easy to use and rewarding for those who wisely make use of its great potential.
Sign up at www.twitter.com. Consider carefully what you wish to use Twitter for, however, before choosing a profile name and setting up your account. Is it for business or pleasure? Your Twitter profile should jive with your intentions.
People often make big mistakes using Twitter. For example, don’t use a fake picture as the avatar. Post a photo of yourself so people know whom they’re talking to. On the other hand, don’t include too much personal information. Posting overly personal or emotional tweets about politics, religion or other hot topics can turn other tweeters off.
Ten ways to be a good tweeter
1. Find out who is “tweeting” about you or your products at www.search.twitter.com. Search for your keywords. If you want others to tweet about you, post interesting messages that you think others would like to share.
2. Direct-message other Twitter users privately. This is like sending an e-mail. You might want to direct message someone to arrange a meeting or let them know about your product.
3. You can also “retweet” (or repost on your page) other people’s posts that you find engaging. Sharing other twitter followers’ information will please them, and they will be more apt to retweet one of your posts in return.
Photo by Flickr user Ed Yourdon
4. Use Tweetdeck.com. Here, you can find your retweets, as well as direct messages sent to you. You can also search for tweets about you. I use Tweetdeck to follow trends and monitor competitors.
5. How often you tweet depends on the topic. If you’re using it for work, make timely tweets about positive corporate news, such as new products. Announce events and what happens at the event to draw attention to it. Aim for at least 10 tweets per day, mixed in with re-tweets to ensure you’re interacting with your followers.
6. Tweet topics define you or your company. People like funny, reflective or educational tweets the best — not bad news. Keep it light and fun. Use Twitter as a marketing tool to shine a positive light on your company.
7. Be respectful of other tweeters. Don’t make fun of other people’s topics or engage in a word battle. If you don’t like what someone is saying, simply stop following them.
9. Include source links. If you talk about news or a blog, include the link. Use www.tinyurl.com to shorten your link so it fits in the allotted post space. Tweetdeck.com automatically comes with this feature.
10. Using “# hashtags” is an effective way to group events or respond to tweets about events or group postings. A hashtag is like a keyword. Put the pound sign in front of a keyword, and when people search for that keyword, your tweet will pop up.
For example, if your company is going to a convention in New York, you can tell your team members to mention “#convNY09” in their tweets. You can keep in the loop by going to www.search.twitter.com and typing in “#convNY090.” You will get a list of all tweets using that hashtag, such as “Hey team, I made it to #convNY09. I’ll be at the bar!”
Have fun with Twitter, and feel free to follow me once you have signed up: Twitter.com/heatherpaulsons.
Catch Women’s Magazine on Twitter: www.twitter.com/womensmag. Be our Myspace friend: www.myspace.com/boulderwomensmag.
— By Heather Paulson
Paulson is the president of Boulder-based PaulsonManagementGroup.com, an eCommerce agency specializing in affiliate program management, search engine management and eCommerce consulting. She has more than 13 years of experience helping businesses online. Contact her at 800-384-7760, heather@paulsonmanagementgroup.com or www.paulsonmanagementgroup.com.
As usual, heather instinctively "gets it" and can explain online media in practical terms.
We work with Heather and her Team at PMG every day and it's always a joy.
Good summary and advice, Heather. As always.