In accordance with my last post, I had decided to make a follow-up of the first Twitter review I wrote. I’ve been invited to join Twitter many times during the year before. I must admit, I had resisted jumping on the bandwagon at first. It wasn’t long before everybody was talking about it and I just HAD to join. As mentioned before, when adding friends in Twitter, you’d be “Following” them. If anyone else adds you back on the other hand, they’d be your “Followers.” Simple enough isn’t it? The beauty of Twitter is that the page shows what you say as soon as you hit “update.” It’s definitely better than, say, mass emailing your contacts when you have something to say. Here are some observations which could help you start out.

1. The probability of being added back by someone you add to your “Following” list is not always high.

Twitter is a place wherein people can communicate in real time. If you add anyone who adds you back, who’s to tell it isn’t a stalker or a hater who’s come to hang on to your every word so they could blackmail you with it later? If the people you add are people from your niche and you’re a fairly recognizable persona, that’s a different matter. But if you’re an unknown, randomly adding people to your Twitter list won’t ensure you get added back. As a tip, make sure you’re an active comment poster in one’s blog, for example. You could also participate in Twitter profile exchanges to pad your Followers list.

2. People who know each other tend to go into conversations.

Don’t be afraid to jump in. When people on the list you’re following know each other, chances are they’ll get into conversations within Twitter. Don’t be a wallflower and jump in. Offer your insights, be friendly. Communicate and mingle.

3. Including links to your posts in convos could bring in traffic.

Of course, one of the main reasons to use Twitter in the first place is to network and promote your blogs. Hence, include links to your posts on your updates. If you’ve managed to build up a substantial number of followers, you can update them on what currently writing about in real time. You can even ask for their reactions or if they have information they want to share with you and even conduct real-time polls.

4. Updating often is best.

Don’t allow people to forget your presence. Update often during the course of the entire day. I’m not saying you should update your Followers even on bathroom breaks, but if it’s interesting and shows your true character which you think your Followers would find appealing, then do so.

5. Pictures definitely help.

All updates on Twitters would be read in a mish-mash of text. Pictures or avatars really help make you stand out from the crowd so that people know which ones are your updates. It’s a part of branding. If you’re easily recognizable, you tend to be remembered. Just think of advertisements. If you see a particular commercial several times within one day for a few days, you’d know what commercial it is on its first second. If you don’t want to use a pic of yourself, use a caricature or a drawing like I did as you can see on the picture above.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, January 9th, 2008 at 3:50 pm and is filed under social networking. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.

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