Twitterific in 2010
January 5th, 2010
I became a ‘Tweeter’ in 2009. Most of my contemporaries think I’m crazy. Mind you, we’ve all got kids who used MySpace, Facebook, etc. Text messaging is rampant and our kids are endlessly amused by their elders’ attempts at speedy texting. (Though I’ve greatly improved with my new QWERTY keyboard!) I understand. All that ‘friending’ stuff is, so…so…middle school…a place where no sane adult would ever return!
And yet, literally every small business coach/blog/guru recommended using Twitter. I was already using LinkedIn (sometimes a bit wonky) which has connected me with awesome people/resources. So somewhere back last spring, I signed up for a Twitter account—purely business, as azzcatdesign.
And then I did nothing for 6 weeks. No tweet, not one. N.O.T.H.I.N.G.
Until one evening, I Googled myself. First entry: LinkedIn. Second entry: Twitter. WTF?
I know a bit about SEO. But I didn’t know how—by not even tweeting—I’d managed this kind of Google juice. All I knew is that I’d better damn well start making use of it.
So I did. And…well..it’s twitterific! This week, David Carr of The New York Times, wrote a wonderful article that explains what you need to know about Twitter and why it’s so powerful. He covers just about everything I wanted to say—and is a far better writer.
How I use Twitter
I currently have ~390 followers and ~500 people whom I follow. The list grows, but I work to keep it manageable by grouping the people I follow into groups. I use TweetDeck to organize my groups (favs, gurus, clients, support, #dcth, mentions) and have not yet exported my groups to lists. Lists are a relatively new. I’ve been ‘listed’ 39 times. Which I guess is pretty cool, but don’t really care. (I think maybe lists are a bit middle-school, too. We’ll see.) I use my groups for strictly organizational purposes.
Now, if I was a really heavy user of Twitter, I’d tell you more about hash tags. But the only # I use to any extent is #dcth, or Design Chat Twitter Hours. It’s a weekly design discussion on TweetChat—which I try not to miss—an essential mixer among other design professionals.
The Reciprocity of Following
Emily Post hasn’t written any Twitter rules yet. So you’ll find conflicting guidelines about followers and followees. Some people recommend following every person who follows you. Some even have automatic ‘autofollow’ messages that ‘thank’ the original follower for following and follow in return. (Sheesh…too many follows to keep track!) But, let’s be honest here—there are quite a few loose screws out there. Personally, I don’t want or need such goofballs on my trail. Autofollow? I think not.
That said, I don’t lock down my account. Anyone is free to follow me…initially. But I check out everyone who follows me. Most, I will accept. Many, I will follow in return (curiosity!). Some, I will block. Period.
I will follow you if:
- you are genuine/interesting/talented/inspiring/humorous
- you are a bot that gathers info I need, ie: CSS3 or HTML5 aggregators
- you are a technical guru
- you are a design guru
- you are a client.
I will allow you to follow me, but will not follow in return if:
- you have a web presence, but I’m not interested in your content. For example, a company that specializes in ‘Mommy’ stuff—for mothers of little kids. I’m so past that stage in life. BUT, maybe they follow me because they’re thinking about getting a new website? That’s cool. If they get bored, they’ll stop following.
- you post in non-English. Sorry, but my Spanish is rudimentary, and any other language is hopeless.
I will block you if:
- you are spammy
- you are slutty
- you have no author information/website.
That about sums up my use of Twitter. I thought I might try tweeting from my new phone, but decided not—too much trouble. I don’t use my cell phone like my kids. For me, cell use is about keeping tabs on the family and picking up something while I’m out. (Though I do like my new camera!)
Anyway, it is now 2010. Get with it and start tweeting!
…then 45 minutes after posting…the Twitter downside…Spam, Spam, Spam
…to the tune of Monty Python. WTF? I post and leave the office for 45 minutes, and look what’s in my mailbox:
All without links/personal sites. All with same posts.
All blocked.
May 1st Update:
Seems I’m still on an upward trend: 1000+ that I follow, ~630 following me, and ~76 lists. Clearly, my interest in following others is growing faster than the world’s interest in following me—and I’m OK with it!
I have become positively attached to my buddies on #DCTH and make a point of spending Thursday afternoons chatting with other designers & developers. We have fun and share great tips on work, clients, etc. Quite the wonderful cyber water cooler!
Twitter DM has been a useful addition for one-on-one communications with colleagues.
Additionally, Twitter is the #2 source of referrals to my site. So the Google juice is still good.
Downside
While Twitter is wonderful at keeping me in touch with other designers and developers, to date it has not performed as strongly to bring in clients. This is perhaps because:
- my typical client (small business owner) doesn’t Tweet
- I am not following the right potential clients/business niches
- I am not searching and/or following with the right hash tags (#)
- I am not selling my services clearly enough.
I’m not sure. No one wants to follow someone who is always selling and I sure don’t want to be that person. My gut feeling is that for the most part, I’m on track.