Six Traits of a Top Tweep
As more people join Twitter – the free micro-blogging service that allows users 140 characters to answer the question “What are you doing?” – the potential for both amazing collaboration and mind-melting drivel increases exponentially. So, how do you avoid being a bore or worse – a spammer?
- Um, what? While Twitter is gaining in popularity among many early adopters, there are still plenty of people who haven’t jumped on the bandwagon. If that’s you, don’t be ashamed – learn more about Twitter then use this basic tutorial to get started.
- Snoop. When you first join Twitter, seek out interesting people to follow and see what they are saying. Look for local tweeps or those in industries you specialize in (here’s a good list of PR-related tweeps).
Another huge component of snooping is listening to what the Twitter masses are saying about your brand or your clients’ brands. Listening can be as simple as using Twitter Search or could become more complex with a paid service such as Radian6, which monitors across several social networks.
- Work that Profile! It’s your first impression, so use that space. Optimize your bio to make it easy for others with similar interests to find you.
- Table Table Talk. It is tempting to let the world know just how tasty that yogurt was, but be strong. Unless there is something useful (you got it using an online coupon and here’s the link) or hilarious (there’s a typo on the container and here’s a picture) about the yogurt, you can be sure no one is listening (or they are and they are slightly annoyed).
- Where’s the Beef? What to talk about if not your favorite snacks? Try linking to interesting articles, asking questions (Twitter can be an amazing substitute for a full-on focus group) and answering questions. Tweet about what is interesting to you and soon people with similar interests will start to find and follow you.
- Spam is a Four-Letter Word. Although it seems easy and low-maintenance, don’t allow your account to send automatic direct messages to new followers, don’t automatically pull blog RSS feeds into your Twitter stream, and don’t repeat your message over and over to an audience that doesn’t care.
Twitter is a great promotion tool, but you likely won’t gain many followers if you simply blast promotional tweets and never engage your followers. Promote yourself or your business when it makes sense. You would never go to a party and start blabbing about how awesome your work is, you’d talk to people and the conversation would naturally evolve.
- If You Don’t Have Anything Nice to Say…Mom was right, don’t say anything at all. Many have gone before you and tweeted something they regret. Don’t be a statistic! If you wouldn’t want your clients, boss, spouse or Grandma to read it, you probably shouldn’t tweet it.
What other tips do you have for being a better tweep?
Paul Swarthout are discussing. 
Paul Swarthout 8:09 pm on June 30, 2009 Permalink |
8. Twitter is less about “What are you doing?” and more about “What can I do for you?” If you are busy telling me what you’re doing every moment of every day and I don’t really know you, then you’re going to lose my interest quickly. But, if you’re providing me with useful information from your experiences, your life, your time, then I’m likely to stay tuned in. And the really cool part, is that if you are busy answering the question, “What can I do for you?”, then you will be able to sprinkle in the “What are you doing?” and nobody will be annoyed.
Alexson Kane 6:24 pm on July 14, 2009 Permalink |
That is a great point, Paul! My favorite Twitterers give me useful information and a little look into their personality and non-work lives. Too much in either direction looses me real fast.