As more and more friends enter the twitterverse, I get asked tips for getting started. The best tip is to jump in and do it. There are many great sources of information/tools for using twitter, and I’ll include those links too.
Here are links to some short videos (less 3 minutes) I made on how to use twitter.
- Managing the setting in your twitter account
- What are twitter @replies?
- What is a twitter direct message or dm?
- What is a rt or retweet in twitter?
- What do those # things mean in twitter, such as #Happy09
Remember, add followers, courtesy to follow back those who follow you. Two rules of thought on that subject:
Follow everyone who follows you, it is the polite thing to do. Invite 2 way conversation with many new friends and clients.
or
Limit your followers to those you know best, to those whose tweets you value. Building closer relationships with those you follow. Your time is limited, but you still read all @ replies.
Last but not least, don’t spam! I saw one guy on twitter whose messages were nothing but something to the effect of look at this cool thing I’m sellling, buy from me. 0 followers and he followed 0. Twitter wasn’t working for him.
As you get the basics down, there are many tools and applications that are built to make twitter a more productive and enjoyable experience.
Great Twitter Resources
Related Posts
Heidi,
You’re right! You just have to jump right in and get a conversation started. I was signed up on Twitter several weeks before i actually became “hooked” because I wasn’t sure how to do anything but now I can’t stop myself 🙂
As far as following everyone who follows you, I’m still working on that. I’m still trying to figure out why some people want to follow me.
Beverly, not set rule you have to follow everyone. I don’t follow those who only have links to their stuff, no conversations with others. Do whatever works best for your style.
I think some follow everyone to get their numbers up, but if there is no interaction, common ground, it is just taking up space, inflated numbers.
Heidi – I cannot figure out those people who just follow people to get more followers added to their list. What’s the point?
I do not follow everyone who follows me – I look at their profile, read some of their tweets and if they interest me I follow them.
If I don’t follow them and they drop off my list I figure it’s because they just wanted to inflate their followers.
I use Twitter as a way to promote my art, my blogs, my businesses online but I make a point to be personal and pop in to tweet something about what I’m doing or working on every day – either directly on Twitter or from Ping.fm.
This last few weeks I’ve been telling followers about my Easy Greeting Cards service and posting my designs – I find it an effective way to “get the word out” on new products and services.
BTW, do you use Twitterfeed?
Heidi, thanks for these tips. I’ll be visiting the links on this post to learn more as a relative Twitter newbie! I’m with PopArt Terri’s approach. I follow those who have the most in common with me. We live in information overload, and keeping the stream of information and interactions manageable is an ongoing challenge for me. (I have a tendency toward overwhelm.) I’m sure I’m not alone! I, too, have noticed that there’s a definite addictive factor to both Twitter and Facebook! 🙂
I always learn something from you Heidi…be it small or great, it’s always useful.
Thanks for all you do.
Bea Kunz
Hey Heidi – how did you make that Tweet This Post button/code? I looked for it on Twitter and can’t find it. I’d like to put it on my blogs.
Heidi,
Great info about Twitter. I am getting my twitter groove on and this is very helpful.
Thank you.
It is spring time and I feel Twitterpatted! from the movie Bambi!
Enthusiastically,
BarBara
Your Spotted Zebra Coach