There is no such thing as a dumb Twitter question.
When you’re learning to drive, are you dumb because you don’t know how much pressure to apply to the gas pedal? No.
When you’re learning to dance, are you dumb because you step on your partner’s toes? Clumsy maybe, but not dumb. Just learning.
It’s the same with Twitter. If you just signed up – and lots of people have only recently discovered Twitter – and are still getting the hang of it you’re not going to know everything there is to know about using it.
And that’s OK. Think of how long it took to get used to Facebook, or blogging or using Microsoft Word for that matter – a lot of people still don’t use all the features of Word and it’s been around forever.
So don’t apologize because you haven’t figured out everything there is to know about Twitter. You’ll get there eventually.
There are a few things I’ve learned since starting to use it that I’m happy to share:
* Introduce yourself. Once you sign up, the most important thing you can do is tell people who you are – fill out your profile, add a picture, link to your blog or Website. People decide who to follow or who to accept follows from based on what they see in a profile, so give them plenty of information to work with.
* Write tight and bright. Twitter limits messages to 140 characters. That forces you to be concise without being cryptic. You can accomplish that by using abbreviations and emoticons, or just limiting what you’re writing to one well constructed sentence or idea. If you want to add a link, use one of the services that shrinks links, like Tiny URL.
* Learn the lingo. A DM is a direct message that only the person you’re sending it to can see. An @replies is a message you send to a specific person that everyone else on Twitter can see too. It’s like talking to one person in a crowded room so other people can eavesdrop on your conversation, and possibly cut in if they’re interested – which in many cases you want them to do.
* Pay it forward. When you see RT in someone’s Twitter post it means Retweet. Use it to send a post or a snippet of a post that somebody else wrote to your own Twitter network. When you RT someone it’s like paying them a compliment because you’re basically telling the world they’ve said something interesting. RTs are good, and the general Twitter rule of thumb is if you RT what other people say often, people will RT you in return, and that will build up your exposure, Twitter followers, people who visit your blog or Website, etc.
* Be picky. Don’t feel like you have to follow everyone who’s following you. That guy with the hairy back, the company selling time shares, the make-money-online scammers – you do not need to follow them. And if they’re spammers, you can report them by forwarding their Twitter user name to @spam.
* Get real. If all of a sudden lots of people start following you, it could be tempting to set up some kind of robo-reply to send an automated response. But that’s cheesy and Twitter users will call you on it. The whole point of Twitter – and all social networks for that matter – is connecting with people, not racking up numbers.
* Hash it out. Twitter users will mark certain tweets with hash tags – they look like this # – when they want to keep track of a particular topic, like the conversations that took place during the Super Bowl or earlier during the presidential inauguration. People who use Twitter for regularly scheduled online meetups to talk about their jobs or another shared interest use hashtags to mark their comments so their fellow meeting attendees can follow the conversation.
* Pick a path. People use Twitter for lots of different reasons – to promote their business, swap shop talk, follow the news, debate the issues, tell jokes or just hang out. If you’re using it for something other than purely personal reasons, it’s good to think about why you’re there and how you want to be perceived, then act accordingly. I’m using Twitter to build a network of sources for the freelance writing I do – much like the LinkedIn network I’ve created. I also use it to let people know when I’ve written a new blog post or if one of my story’s has been published.
What do you want to know about Twitter but have been too afraid to ask? Leave your questions here and I’ll do my best to come up with an answer – and if I can’t, I’ll call on some Twitter-using friends – or should I call them fiends? – who can.
Meanwhile, you can find me on Twitter at @michellerafter. See you there.
Michelle,
I heard somebody else say tonight, and you alluded to it here, that twitter is like going to a cafe or restaurant and being able to listen to everyone’s conversation. You can ignore those you want to, and drop in on those you find interesting. Especially with a tool like monitter.com. And I think as far as anything I have seen on the internet, its the closest to impersonating a real life conversation. Sort of like IM, but with the whole everybody else is listening to what I’m saying thing added in.
I think the potential of twitter is really limitless, were still just figuring out what exactly it is. It seems to me that twitter and bringing the internet down to the extreme hyper-local is the direction that we are headed. And I think its a direction for the better.
Is it alright to use twitter to invite people to visit your website to see your products and services if I think those products and services will be of service to the visitor? It feels like self promotion.
Confession: I’m afraid to sign up for Twitter. I feel like the internet and facebook are already incredible time sucks. But everyone I know (well, almost) is very active on Twitter and seems to get a lot out of it. So, I guess my question is: is it possible to limit the time you spend on Facebook, Twitter, email, the internet, and your cell phone?
Thanks Michelle. This is very helpful. I would like to use Twitter for sources as well. I think facebook is great (are we friends?) but I find it totally overwhelming and an amazing time suck. Also, my friends in Ashland use it instead of picking up the phone and calling. My preference is always face-to-face first, phone second, and internet third. Clearly I am a dying breed.
On a related note, I added this post to my favorites and tried to Stumble it but I’m not sure I succeeded. Argh. I need to spend some more quality time with Stumble Upon I guess. I’d be glad to hear advice about that!
Michelle, thanks for sending me to this great link. Terrific information — thanks for sharing!
Perfect post for those learning the Twitter ropes! Its funny how simple Twitter seems, yet the community has developed it so and turned it into such a powerful marketing tool. It can be a very positive networking source if used in the right way!
I’m so glad you wrote this. I just signed up yesterday even though I had dug my heels in that i would not do it. I was afraid of the “addictive” properties I guess. I’m still not really sure how it works exactly but I’m learning, and blogs like this help!!
Claudine
Glad I found this site – I’m finding the content very useful – thanks!
If I @ reply to someone who isn’t following me, will they still get my comment in their feed?
Thanks for the concise, clear explanation of Twitter, Michelle. I’m a relatively new tweeter. It can be overwhelming, especially, to a thorough person like me. I’ve learned to jump into the twitter stream, participate for a short time, then jump back out, not worrying about all that tweeted before or after.
I use twitter to publicize my freelance writing business and also attract visitors to my blog. In the short month or two that I’ve been on twitter, I can’t believe how much I’ve benefitted. I’ve already picked up a potential writing gig, had offers to guest post on other blogs plus invitations to network with others in my field. I’m convinced it’s an essential tool in today’s freelance writing tool.
this information made me think in a new way to improve my online business. thank you
How do you find people with similar interests? Or those in industries you write about?
Claire, if you send an @reply to someone who isn’t following you, it will not show up on their Twitter home page. BUT, it will show up on their @Replies page so they’ll see it when they check that. (Unfortunately, there are no alerts to new @replies coming in, so people often don’t see them for a while.)
Michelle, FYI, if you use TweetDeck and RT someone’s post including their username (with the @ symbol), it will show up in the Replies column as well. On the Twitter web site, the username has to be at the beginning of the tweet to show up on the @Replies page. But in TweetDeck, if it’s anywhere in the tweet, it goes there. (Another good point for TweetDeck.)
Just found this on a link from another blog and wanted to say thanks! I’ve been using Twitter without really knowing what I’m doing! I especially liked your explanation of tiny url’s – I’ve always wondered how to do that.
Question – someone that’s using an iPhone only to twitter – doesn’t have computer at home – how can they get an avatar set up? Can you use a file saved online somewhere?
@avocadocreation
whats the best way to search twitter. I read in another of your posts that you use twitter to do research or find sources. Are you just searching for keywords?