What's the Big Deal about Twitter?
If you're a Twitter addict, have you ever watched someone's eyes glaze over as you launch into the benefits and positive attributes of Twitter and tried to explain how you have friends all over the country that you've never met...and probably never will?
If you're new to Twitter or you've never even been on the site, have you ever been thoroughly confused about what the heck someone is talking about with references to @this and @that, #s (hashtags), 140 characters, DMs, shortened words and acronyms thrown in for good measure? And you probably think it's all mundane useless chatter and "who cares that @soandso is having baked chicken and green beans for dinner or that @suchandsuch is watching Glee and doesn't like what Lea Michele is wearing."
My Experience with Twitter
Long, long ago in 2010, I was just starting to learn about social media. I had read I should definitely get a Twitter account if I was going to blog. So, I did; one more thing checked off the list. How Twitter worked remained a mystery. I also figured out how to have my posts automatically go to Twitter. Great, no need to even go over to Twitter, I thought to myself.
So, I launched Motherly Law in March and kept feeding my post titles to Twitter. Then, in mid-April I met with the only blogger I knew in real life and she sat me down and pointed me in the right direction, which led me directly smack in the middle of a slow and trickling Twitter stream.
All of a sudden, the sun was shining, angels were singing, Twitter made sense! Haaaalllllleeelllllluuujjjaahhh! I spent several whole afternoons following people, engaging in conversations and tinkering around on my page. After time, I had regular conversations with the same people; little by little I increased the number of people I follow and follow me; and I actually met local bloggers and tweeters and started to talk to them on Twitter too.
Not a Big Deal on Twitter
Since I'm now an experienced Twitter user, I have started to get frustrated about how so many people and business entities miss the point of Twitter, just as I did when I first started out in the Twitterverse. Additionally, I see a lot of new users struggling to figure it all out and truly engage with Twitter. So, I decided to give you my two-cents on the subject.
I want to be clear that I'm certainly not claiming to be a Twitter expert. If that's what you're looking for, the person closest to that description is @Unmarketing, Scott Stratten. I'm just a girl who uses Twitter on a daily basis and has finally figured it out and made some awesome friends across the country through tweeting.
My Twitter stats:
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5042 Tweets
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1418 Following
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1601 Followers
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On 115 Lists
And changing everyday... What do these numbers mean? Absolutely nothing. I could follow 5 people and have great conversations with only those 5 people or I could be followed by 150, 000 with every one of the 150,000 people hanging on my every tweet {OK, that would be fun}, but the point is that Twitter is what you make it. You get out of it what you put into it, which is the case for most things in life.
Twitter 101
I have most certainly committed these egregious Twitter sins, but I have seen the light, repented and made better choices:
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The Point of Twitter
Many new users, nonusers and business entities miss the point of Twitter. Twitter is about finding folks with similar interests and exchanging news, information and tips; supporting and encouraging those people through words during difficult times; having someone to chat with anytime of day or night; and building friendships where distance, schedules and locations don't matter.
Twitter is not a place to simply repeat your message over and over and over. No one will listen to you and you will think Twitter "doesn't work."
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Spend Time on Twitter
In order to really "get it" and understand how the site works and where these new relationships will come from, you must spend time on Twitter in the beginning finding people to follow, sending tweets, tinkering with your profile and generally getting comfortable with the platform.
In the beginning of really participating in the Twitter stream, I would spend 4 or 5 hours at a time a day or two a week in order to find people and start having some meaningful conversations.
Don't feel compelled to follow back every person who follows you. It's OK to block and report for spam. I do it every day. There's a lot of junk out there too; so, beware that not everyone is who they say they are. After a bit of time on Twitter, it will be easy to spot a spammer though.
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Engage
Engaging means having actual conversations with people; I saw a wise tweet the other day telling a Twitter Newbie to remember Twitter should be a dialogue. This is so true. It's not a matter of simply pushing your message over and over; it's about building relationships with people and businesses, as I've mentioned.
Engaging means replying to people's random tweets for which you have a response; it's about responding to those who retweet (RT) your tweets, @ you or # something about which you are interested in, promoting, etc.; it's about spreading other's relevant, touching, funny, interesting information with a retweet; it's about sharing what's going on in your life; it's asking a question and getting an answer from people who have been there and done that. It's like having a lifeline to tow all day and all night, every day of the year.
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Don't Send Auto DMs
This one annoys the heck out of me. Please don't send a Direct Message to thank me for following you and directing me to check out your site and "Like" you on Facebook. I see that as junk mail. Feel free to send me a tweet @MotherlyLaw saying hi, but please don't clog my DMs with junk mail. I'm apt to unfollow you just as quickly as I followed you.
I was guilty of doing this when I first started using Twitter because I noticed people doing that to me. I was learning by watching others and I thought that was proper protocol. And I did it. My only blogging/Twitter-using friend at the time told me in no uncertain terms to stop immediately; and I did.
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Use Your Manners
You should also remember that hundreds of thousands of people could potentially see your tweet, far beyond your own followers streams. It could be RTed over and over; or be picked up by one of the many bots that seeks out Twitter streams. So, be careful what you say! Don't be rude; don't defame; don't use profanity. Before you hit Tweet, be sure the 140 characters speak the truth and do not harm another.
This is not to say that Twitter doesn't have a sarcastic side; sarcasm is prevalent, but be sure you aren't tweeting something that could potentially be construed as libelous and lead to a lawsuit as it did for the AP Sports Reporter regarding a tweet about an NBA Ref during a MN Timberwolves game in January.
Twitter Apps
There are systems that can help you manage your Twitter account by scheduling tweets, automatically following back those who follow you, delete spammers, etc. I think it's fine to use these applications as long as you also truly engage with the people you are following. I would discourage you from auto-following though. You mustn't feel that you have to follow anyone. You should follow who you want to based on interests, professions, locations, etc.
The Scoop
Are you participating in Twitter and reaping the benefits of engaging? Are you new to Twitter and confused by it all? Or are you a business entity that never follows anyone and neither responds nor engages in a dialogue?
If you don't engage you risk your message, whatever it is, being lost and ignored as static quickly disappearing in the ever moving stream. Don't let that happen. If you're on Twitter, please drop me a line @MotherlyLaw and say hey.
Tomorrow I'll have a guest post from Attorney Kara Jensen Zitnick regarding the importance of trademark registration in regards to online endeavors. Over and out...
Anna
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Thank you Anna, I found this very helpful! A great first splash in understanding Twitter!
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