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Discover the Real Meaning of TWITTER
When people are new to Twitter, there are two elements that they have to understand before they can get the most from this amazing opportunity. They have to understand the basics of how the Twitter network operates. But beyond that, they have to understand why they should use Twitter and the powerful long-term benefits that it can provide. In short, they have to "get" it.
So for the purposes of this post, we spent time thinking about what Twitter really stands for. What is the right way to use it, and what are the underlying principles that are essential for Twitter success? Here goes...
1) Tweeting
T is for Tweeting. This is the basis of using Twitter.
The network allows you to post updates (or tweets) of up to 140 characters in length.
You can post tweets in several ways, using the main Twitter Web site, other Web site services, social networking platforms, desktop software, cell phones, etc.
These messages will show up on the main timeline page of all the Twitter users who have chosen to follow your profile.
2) What Are You Doing?
The Tweets that you post are meant to answer the one simple question that Twitter is based upon, "What are you doing?"
Initially, most Twitter users answered this question literally, so you got millions of responses such as:
- "Eating lunch. A sesame bun with lettuce and tomato. Yum yum."
- "Just found my cat sleeping in the laundry basket."
- "Oh, it's snowing outside. Who would have guessed it? Snow in Colorado in December."
However, it didn't take people long to realize that domestic trivia of that level is just boring. Inventive Twitter users quickly found other things to Tweet about, including:
- Providing information about an area of expertise
- Asking questions
- Providing opinions
- Conducting surveys
- Issuing minute by minute updates of relevant news items
- Posting regular tips on a certain niche
- Motivational quotes
- Company news
- Customer service information
Overnight, Twitter changed from being a novelty service to a powerful source of information and rapid communication. If you want to be successful, just make sure that every tweet adds value to your profile and your followers.
3) Interacting
Twitter is based upon people with similar interests and experiences building micro communities – Birds of a feather flock together.
To achieve this, you have to follow other Twitter users who have relevant experience in your areas of interest. This allows you to receive all their tweets direct to the timeline on your main twitter homepage. This timeline is constantly updated to show the most recent messages posted by the people that you follow.
When someone follows you, Twitter will send you an email notification so that you can take a look at their profile and choose whether to follow them.
The next stage of interaction is to send them a personal message.
Twitter allows you to send a Direct Message (DM) to anyone who follows you. These messages are kept private with only you and the other person allowed to read them.
This allows you to thank them for following you and get to know more about them. For example, you may be working on similar projects, have the same interests, live in the same part of the world, have mutual Twitter acquaintances, etc.
The alternative form of personal communication is the @ reply. Initially, this can be confusing, so it's best to think of it as a public direct message.
You send an @ reply by starting your message with @ followed by the person's Twitter username. For example, if you want to send an @ reply to the Twitter Power System Team, just begin your message with @powersystem.
Your @ reply message will appear on the timeline of everyone that follows you, just like a normal tweet. More importantly, it will also appear on the @ replies page of the intended recipient.
So in effect, it's like a public conversation that everyone else can follow. Through a combination of following relevant people and using public/private messages, it's possible to build a network of valuable contacts that you can communicate with away from the 140 character limit imposed by Twitter.
4) Tools
The great power of the Twitter platform is its simplicity. Unfortunately, that's also part of its weakness. As things stand, the tools provided to manage your Twitter account are rather limited.
However, hundreds of free Twitter tools and services have been developed, allowing you to manage your account more effectively. Three essential tools that we recommend are:
Twitter Tool 1: Social Too
Social Too provides a range of powerful Twitter automation functions. First, it allows you to set up an auto welcome function that automatically sends a personalized direct message to everyone who follows you. Asking people a question is a great way to encourage your new followers to start interacting.
For example, "Hi [NAME], thanks for the follow. What projects are you working on at present?"
Some Twitter users like this idea, others hate it. From our perspective, it saves time, helps to build rapport and allows you to send a personal reply to anyone who answers your welcome question. Whatever happens, make sure you don't use the message for the purposes of promotion. That really annoys most people.
Twitter Tool 2: Twhirl
This piece of software allows you to control your Twitter account from your desktop without having to use the main Web site interface. It's based on the Adobe Air Platform so it's reliable and looks great. Beyond that, it makes it much easier to read your incoming messages, @ replies and direct messages. Creating tweets is also much easier and faster thanks to the integrated link shortening services, which allow you to make the best use of your 140 characters.
Twitter Tool 3: MyTweeple
This powerful account management tool allows you to see who you are following, who follows you and the people with whom you have a mutual relationship (you follow each other).
It's a good idea to use this tool once a week to tidy up your account. It allows you to search through the people who follow you and reciprocate with the people who interest you. Likewise, it allows you to stop following the people you followed who haven't followed you. It's important to keep your friends and followers well balanced as once you follow more than 2000 people, Twitter limits the number of people that you can follow to 10% more than the number of people who follow you.
For example, if you have 1900 followers, you will be limited to following a maximum of 1900 x 1.1 = 2090. This is to stop users following thousands of people at one time, in the hope of attracting new followers that they can bombard with promotions.
5) Techniques
Success on Twitter stems from following people. Spend time every day or couple of days looking for relevant people to follow.
There are several way to do this, but one of the best is to look at the leading Twitter users in your areas of interest. Who do they follow? Who follows them? Move through the profiles of their friends and followers checking out their bios and recent tweets. Follow people with similar interests/experiences who have a track record of providing value and interacting with other users (lots of @ replies in their recent tweets is a good sign of this).
If your profile is in good shape and you follow 100 people with relevant interests or experiences, perhaps 50 people will follow you back within 2-3 days. This gives you 50 opportunities to start a conversation. Thank people for following you, comment on their profile, Web site, tweets. Ask them a question or ask their opinion, etc.
The more people you connect with, the more likely you are to find the people that will really bring added value into your life, whether for business or pleasure.
6) Engaging
As with most things in life, your Twitter experience will be more enjoyable and productive if you adopt a proactive attitude instead of just waiting for things to happen.
So get into the Twittersphere and engage people in conversation. Provide insights, give your opinion, ask questions, answer questions, and most importantly, provide value.
One of the best ways to build rapport and promote your username is to find the leading Twitter users in your area of interest, then study their recent tweets. Answer any questions that they've asked, look for ways to ask relevant questions etc. Some people won't respond but those who do may engage in a mutually beneficial conversation that will lead to further communication either on Twitter or elsewhere.
7) ReTweeting
And finally, R is for Retweeting.
This happens when someone takes one of your messages and sends it to their own network of followers.
As a matter of courtesy, most people precede the message with RT or Retweet followed by the username of the person who originally posted the message.
For example, if @powersystem posted the following message:
Limiting your tweets to 120 characters will make it easier for people to retweet your message directly without having to edit.
In order to retweet it, you would post the send the following tweet to your followers:
RT @powersystem Limiting your tweets to 120 characters will make it easier for people to retweet your message directly without having to edit.
If you do all the things mentioned above and keep adding value, people will re-broadcast your Twitter messages, which will promote your username to a wider audience. In turn, this will help you to attract more relevant followers and build a larger network of contacts.
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James Rivers, Peter Francis and Stuart Laing are the creative team behind www.twitterpowersystem.com. Discover How to Harness the Power of Twitter to Grow Your Business. For Twitter Tips and Techniques, visit www.twitterpowersystem.com/blog/
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