Twitter - Twitter - Twitter
Thinking About Twitter?
Thinking About Twitter?
Twitter is now mainstream and big time, if you have not heard of Twitter yet you must have been hiding in some deep dark cavern. Oprah Winfry, Regis Philbin and Ellen DeGeneris are all talking about Twitter. Nearly every local television news department in the USA has a dedicated Twitter specialist and all your friends with iPhones or Blackberrys are using it, but what the heck is it and how does it help your life or business?
- Twitter is communication on a global scale in 142 character mini messages.
- Twitter is Niche building at its best - Twitter about your niche and your audience will find you
- Twitter is a way to learn what the thought leaders in your industry are thinking and doing
- Twitter is the most productive and possibly the most time consuming social networking application you may ever use
- Every Twitter "Tweet" is indexed by Google - Content you control with your business name
- Twitter can be a customer service tool, a prospecting tool, an advertising vehicle or just a personal messaging interface - you choose one or all
Twitter basically is the worlds largest chat room only you decide with whom you chat and who's messages you see on your twitter application of choice. Each message is called a "tweet". Colloquialisms such as Tweeps (Twitter speak for another slang word Peeps or People) have sprung up around the culture that is Twitter. Twitter can be used directly from the twitter.com website or by downloading any number of different desktop or cell phone applications. I use an adobe air application called Twhirl and sometimes a more advanced tool called TweetDeck (TweetDeck takes up more room on the desktop than Twhirl. On my blackberry I use TwitterBerry but because of the huge popularity of Twitter there are new and exciting applications and tools launched every day (see below).
Follow me - Follow Who?
You can follow anyone on twitter, yet that person may or may not follow your account back. This is OK because say... if you were President Barak Obama and selected "follow" for everyone who followed you on Twitter, the messages would buzz by on the screen at blazing speed. President Obama has almost 1/2 Million followers on twitter yet he has submitted only 264 updates to his twitter followers mostly during the campaign. (Barak should update more - to be of value to his followers, but I digress....). Some popular or influential people have tens of thousands of followers, these people have the power to shut down unprepared websites with a single tweet if they include a url or domain name in the message. Gaining followers is the name of the game on twitter.
Twitter for Business
Twitter is a very interesting tool for business use. Remember though that Twitter is a Social Networking tool, not a Television ad placement. Posting Tweets with simple product information or hawking your wares in an old fashioned marketing manner will gain you little in the way of influential followers. Your goal is to inspire curiosity and trust, not sell a widget with each tweet. Smart twitter users keep seperate twitter accounts for different interests such as business and personal. (You don't want your business followers reading some of those personal tweets - now do you?). I maintain several Twitter accounts under different names for business and personal reasons.
- iBusinessLogic - Is my web development business twitter account - This is also tied in with my iBusinessLogic Blog and will tweet new posts.
- Scott_Pooler - Is mostly my personal account but I do tweet about business there as well (Tied in with the Trading Assistant Journal)
- GlobalLinkUSA - Twitter account of MerchantRun GlobalLink in the USA - This account is used to update users of the software as well as promotion of the Software as a Service eBay Marketplaces management tool.
- BonanzleStore - BonanzleStore is not yet launched but this account is tied in with Bonanzle-Webstore.com to promote the new BonanzleStore platform providing Bonanzle merchants with an enhanced experience for eCommerce sales.
- BonanzleUp! - BonanzleUp! is the Twitter account of BonanazleUp.com a central location for Bonanzle Meetup event organizers to plan and discuss localized Bonanzle merchants conferences around the country.
As you can see, I believe in the use of Twitter for many different reasons and applications. I do not see it as a time waster or simply a fad or passing tool kids use. Twitter is used regularly by Corporate executives and housewives alike, it can be whatever you want it to be yet for business and Internet business in particular it has become the
most valuable relationship building tool I have ever experienced. I converse regularly with people who I have met on Twitter and these people have not only been helpful but they have also sent me referrals and business. Jason Calacanis of Mahalo.com and formerly Weblogs Inc has said that every follower on twitter could be worth a dollar in your pocket. I can state that Jason is absolutely correct in that statement if not possibly understating the value, becuase I have personally seen the Twitter income effect add to my bottom line.
