MAKING SENSE OF TWITTER

A guide for those who want to be “in the know”

Prepared by Mark A. Silverhttp://twitter.com/marksilver

What is Twitter?

A micro-blogging site

The blog is 140 characters and called a “tweet”

A real-time search engine

A way to build relationships

A way to find people with mutual interests

And yes, some people will post inane comments like their lunch menu

Things to consider

Here are some things you should consider:

Real-time search results

Monitor something (or someone) you care about

Build relationships

Use it as a personal marketing tool

Give and Get Help

Get news updates

Instantly communicate with friends

Real-time search results

Get search results by-the-minute!

Find out what others say on any given topic quickly, often with Web references

Most news searches only offer daily updates

I use Tweet Deck as a multiple search platform

Tweet Deck uses a desktop alert when new search results or tweets come in

Monitoring

Monitoring people is done by “following” them

You get their “tweets”

You know what they are doing, thinking and feeling

You can follow topics, such as a conference, or a research group

Topic tweeters often use a “#” symbol followed by a word on their topic-relevant tweets (“#GPSEG” might be used about the GPSEG group.)

Build relationships

Relationships is about what you put in, not what you take out

Invest in others through: Personal or professional insights

Mentoring and Coaching

Encourage others to follow a cause

Invite followers to meet in person

Provide inspirations

Share your expertise by Tweeting stories

Interact with others (it’s a very human need)

Personal Marketing tool

Personal Marketing is about building an online brand about you

Brands are built over time using simple and consistent messages: Tweeting about your favorite topic builds a

personal brand that says something about you

For example: Tweeting consistently about volunteer work with children “brands” you as a particular type of person.

Continued…

Personal Marketing tool

Be consistent about your tweets: vacillating between contrary positions weakens your positioning statement:

For example: Advocating for battery-operated cars, but then saying driving a 12-cylinder gas-powered vehicle is contradictory and no one will know what you stand for.

Consistent marketing helps people understand you and what you stand for

Give and Get Help

By reaching out to followers, or on special topics, you can get, and give

Immediate advice and input from experts

Suggestions on where to get help

Experience of others on the same topic

Other considerations to help you think “outside the box”

Instant News Updates

News services now use Twitter to provide instant topical updates

Interpretive data available through Tweetscoop, which highlights hot topics now

Sometimes, Twitter is faster at getting news out than internal PR and the traditional media (sometime speed sacrifices quality)

You can group newsfeeds for convenience in Tweetdeck

Communicate with friends

As family follow you, share instantly what you are doing

Get tweets Via SMS for selected people on your phone, Blackberry or Smart Phone

Tweetup with followers (a Tweetup is a live meeting (meet up) for Twitterers

Get instant updates on your family and friends and organize impromptu get-togethers

Thoughts to consider

Be genuine in your communications (i.e. don’t be contrived)

Building a Twitter community takes time (unless you are a celebrity)

Tweeting is quick and doesn’t have to be a big drain on your time or resources

It’s fun, have fun, and don’t take it, or yourself, too seriously!

Online Case studies

A CEO that uses Twitter

Twitter Becomes the Life of the <snip> Party

Twitter-enabled box alerts bakery customers to fresh bread

Twitter Case Study %u2014 Social Media Optimization

Twitter Case Study of a Commercial Brand – Sugarrae

Twitter case studies - Google Search