3 Secrets of the Twitterati.
The Urban Dictionary defines the Twitterati as:
Twitterati: The Tweet elite, whose feeds attract thousands of followers and whose 140-character spews capture the attention of the rapt who doggedly monitor them.Maybe it's not the most glowing definition going, but the point is clear: There are people out there whose tweets hold more interest (and probably influence) than others. I'm not just talking about celebrities or the otherwise famous -- it's obvious why those folks have so many followers -- and I’m also not talking about friend whores or spammers who just add people indiscriminately. I'm talking about the people with actual, real followers. Lots of them. The people I'm talking about are the ones who have a true connection with their followers and make a real impact on them.
It's called social media for a reason, isn't it?
Even though the members of the Twitterati are different people, the same things are being done, more or less, by all of the them. Everyone's voice is different, most have different areas of expertise or special knowledge, and they usually have a unique viewpoint. Still, you can find 3 common elements in all of their tweets if you take a step back and look at the big picture.
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Engage:
Possibly the most important of the 3 E’s, engaging with their followers is what sets the Twitterati apart, and really puts the social in "social networking". To build a list of Twitter followers isn't enough; anyone can get 20,000 followers if you only care about quantity and not quality. The power Twitter users get real people to follow them and learn who they are, find out their interests, talk directly with them, and find ways to get (and stay) connected with their followers as much as possible.
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Expose:
In order to have any appreciable effect on anyone, you have to let them in, even if just a little bit. Show them the real you. Being yourself, opening up, and exposing your strengths as well as your weaknesses helps build a bond between you and your followers. Exposing yourself to your Twitter followers builds trust. And without trust you're no better than a super-tweeting robot.
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Enlighten:
Last but certainly not least is what the most Twitterati do to keep their followers once they get them. The Twitter elite retain their followers by consistently tweeting relevant links, new tips and tricks, inside information on a particular topic, and any other reliable data their followers will find interesting through a tweet. This is the part where they teach a man to fish instead of giving him one.
Honestly, these aren't even secrets. They're common sense and common knowledge. Unfortunately we all seem to lose our way sometimes and forget these things. If you make a point to talk to people, be yourself, and teach them things, you'll build a strong base of friends and supporters.
#Hashtag 101 – What They Are & What They Do.
When used in a tweet, a hashtag is a word, or words, which have been prepended with a hash symbol (#) to assist in organizing information about them. For example, if you wanted to create a hashtag out of the word "Twitter", you'd type it as "#Twitter" (no, they aren't case-sensitive). See how simple it is? With the addition of one character, a new hashtag is born.
By using hashtags, a tweet is given additional metadata that can flow inline with the 140 characters used in it and increase it's searchability by people interested in the topic. But it's not all fun-and-games. Adding too many hashtags isn't helpful, and it's actually kind of spammy. While there's no upper-limit on how many you can use, a ballpark number would be 3-4 hashtags per tweet (plus or minus a couple).
So what does all that mean for the average user? Well, simply put, if you want to gain attention to a particular topic or if you want to make it easier for others to find the things you're tweeting about, adding a hashtag would be the way to go. Hashtags are also calculated into Twitter's trending topics, which are the most active topics of discussion occurring at any given time. The more of a particular tag that are tweeted, the more likely it is to become a trending topic.
If you're interested in finding out more about hashtags and which ones are currently trending topics you can do it in two relatively easy places:
Use Twitter itself. Trends are located on Twitter search (below the search field). If you're logged into Twitter, there's also a "Trending Topics" area on the sidebar, directly underneath the "Lists" area. And... if you're one of the lucky ones, Twitter has recently pushed a new "location-based trends " test to approximately 1% of it's users in the same place as the existing trends within the Twitter sidebar.
A third-party site that's been set up to actively monitor and display hashtags. There are plenty of resources online, and I've got a few examples of ones I've previously used below:
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hashtags.org:
A great starting point for finding trending topics, hashtags.org provides a simple interface to search for tags. Make sure to follow @hashtags to have your hashtags tracked.
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wthashtag.com:
This site uses a wiki to track trending topics and allows viewers to add a definition to the tags. WTHashtag.com lists active tags, categories, and even has it's own search bar that you can install.
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monitter.com:
monitter.com lets you select up to 3 hashtags to watch in real-time. It also has an option to let you choose the distance from a certain area (10-100 km or miles from a specific city, state, zip code, etc.) and only see the hashtags from that area. I like to use monitter.com to find local folks who are interested in the same things that I am based on their keywords or hashtags.
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whatthetrend.com:
Another website that shows hashtags in real-time, whatthetrend.com has a nice, clean page that displays the trending topics in a simple list format. Another great feature is that the hashtags are not only defined, but they can be redefined if necessary.
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hashtags.org:
Do You Want a Custom Blog Comment Avatar?
If you're looking to spice up your blog comments a bit, sign up for a (free) Gravatar account. Many websites have an option to display the avatar of your choosing wherever you comment on a blog (based on the email address you use to comment), and it's a great way to add a little something extra when you post. Gravatar plugins are available for most (if not all) major blog software platforms, so there's a heck of a good chance you'll be seeing your new Gravatar the first time you make a new comment.
Setting up a new Gravatar account is easy. Just follow these steps:
Go to http://en.gravatar.com/site/signup/ and enter your email address.
Check your email for the activation email sent by Gravatar.com. Click on the link in the email. (Be careful of line-wrapping if you choose to copy+paste the URL instead!)
Enter the username you want to use, as well as a password. When you choose an available username and click "Signup" your account should be created.
Now you just have to select a picture to associate with the email you signed up with. Follow the directions listed on Gravatar.com.
That's it. Everything else is hands-off for you. And the next time you are on a Gravatar-enabled website and leave a comment with your selected email address, your Gravatar will show up in the comments. Enjoy!
Update: Diana Adams also has great post on Gravatars at Bit Rebels.
Image copyright http://Gravatar.com/
How I Use Twitter Lists.
Twitter lists are a great way to help organize your tweeps into categories, or lists, that you define. Getting started with Twitter lists is easy, but how you use them every day is another story. There are probably as many ways to use them as there are people who use Twitter, but today I'm going to focus on showing you how I use lists.
I've broken down how I use Twitter lists into 4 sections, and I'll go into detail with each of them below.
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Filtering people into lists:
When Twitter lists made their first appearance, I decided to use mine like an email filter. I took a look at the people I was following at the time and started setting up categories based on a few general topics or interests and grouped together everyone who was an easy fit into one or more of my new lists.
These lists allow me to view tweets based on what different people tweet about, generally speaking. For local tweeps talking about local events I check out my NW Tweeps 01 list. If I'm looking to join a conversation regarding development, design, or blogging I go to my Dev Design Blog list. You get the idea.
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Finding new & interesting people to follow:
I used to follow a bunch of other people's Twitter lists, but in the end it didn't work out for me. I found it difficult to sort through all of the different tweets on all of the different lists and make any sense of things as they were. There were too many of one kind of tweet and not enough of others and that made it a big time-killer. My solution? Use other people's lists as a starting point to find new people to follow instead of following their entire set of lists.
Now when I'm looking at someone else's list I look for who the most active tweeters are, see if they look like someone I might be interested in following based on my very exacting criteria (/sarcasm), and then follow them if they do. Lather, rinse, repeat.
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Creating secret societies known only by me:
I'm a nice guy. I don't want to hurt anyone's feelings. But if I'm being honest... I have a favorites list. There are people whose tweets have a higher priority than others do for me, personally, and it's the one list that goes beyond topics or interests like the other lists because it's filled with personal friends, influential tweeters, and the like.
Creating a private Twitter list allows you to keep your cards close to your chest and still be in the game. Whether you're looking to keep your close friends behind the door like I use it, peruse Santa's list of naughty girls (or boys if you prefer) without your co-workers seeing it, or even if you just want to follow the whole "... and keep your enemies closer..." maxim, private lists are the way to go.
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Read but don't necessarily follow:
Sometimes I find that I don't want to follow someone anymore, for various reasons; but I also don't want to unfollow and forget about them either. Or maybe I've never followed a particular tweeter at all, but I want to keep tabs on what they're tweeting because they look like they might be interesting but I'm not 100% sure. Either way, their addition to one of my Twitter lists is essentially a reminder service for me. One list where I do this a lot is my Movies Comedy Music Etc. list.
There are a lot of celebrity accounts on that list, as well as improv groups, theaters, etc., and for the most part I don't need (or want) to catch up with all of them every day. In that case I can use the list to drop by whenever it's convenient for me and see what the latest news is for each of them.
And there we go, my personal Twitter list usage guide. If you've found any of this interesting or you have any questions regarding something specific, feel free to leave me a comment and I'll get back to you ASAP.
10 Essential Twitter Etiquette Tips.
Yes, Virginia, there is such a thing as Twitter etiquette, and whether you're a complete newbie or a Twitter addict, there's a good chance you're making a few mistakes (socially speaking). Every online community has unwritten rules of usage and/or proper behavior, and using proper etiquette on Twitter will keep you from being blocked, booed, or banned.
Instead of learning things the hard way like I did, you can check out this list of 10 tips on Twitter etiquette that I've come up with during my time on the service. A lot of them are common sense and apply to other areas of life, too (much less other social networking sites). I hope you find them useful. You can follow me on Twitter at http://twitter.com/halfbrown.
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Don't plagiarize:
If you see an interesting tweet, regardless of whether or not it's from someone you're following or a random post you found online, don't try to pass it off as your own, that's bad Twitter etiquette. Like most web-based communities, Twitter self-polices itself very well, and naughty boys and girls are made examples of swiftly and surely.
Make things easier on yourself and retweet (you may have seen it written as "RT" on Twitter) your find for proper attribution. Not only will the original poster be thankful, but it also helps make you part of the community.
Not sure how to RT? Don't worry, I can show you how to properly retweet on Twitter.
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Easy on the tweets:
Unless you're churning out consistently interesting links, useful information, or insights into your soul, you should keep your tweet stream to a sane amount every day. Believe me, no one wants to hear about the 5 times you went to the bathroom or learn that the reason why you're going so much is because of the big lunch you had at the mobile burrito truck (there's a reason they're called a "roach coach", kids).
Something along the lines of a half dozen or so tweets is probably good if they're of the "blah blah blah, pay attention to me" variety, but there's no hard/fast rule about this. If you're pumping out 30-40 interesting tweets a day you're not going to have much, if anything, to worry about.
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Too many links, whether sausage or website, aren't good for you:
It's very tempting to add more than one URL when posting, but try not to. Any more than 1 link, maybe 2, is begging for confusion in your 140 characters (and for the love of Pete, use a URL shortener like Bitly). If you have multiple links you should think about splitting them up into multiple tweets.
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Let us know you're joking:
Written communication like tweets, IM's, and email can't convey the subtle inflections that the spoken word can. If you're trying to be humorous make sure to let people know it by adding a smiley face ":)", an "LOL", or a well placed "j/k". Remember that the written word always reads about 3 times more harsh to others than it does to you and re-tool your content appropriately.
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Get to know your followers:
You'll have a much bigger impact on your followers if you can find out what makes them tick, learn their (online) personalities, and deliver the content, information, or entertainment they want. The only way you'll do this is by listening to what they have to say in their tweets, their blog posts, etc.
By all means jump into the pool with the rest of the Twitter community, but once you're in the water wade in the shallow end for a while until you get a good feel for how the rest of the folks are swimming. You don't want to belly flop your first time out.
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Know when (and when not) to DM:
Direct messages are a great way to send someone information you don't want publicly available like a phone number or private email address. DM's tend to feel more personal, too, so be sure to not abuse your followers with too many messages. No one wants a stalker. And resist the urge to use an auto-DMing service since they're really easy to detect and it's usually thought of as spammy, and is a huge no-no in the realm of Twitter etiquette.
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One message = one tweet:
Your followers are more than likely going to be hit with a lot of tweets during the course of a day from the group of people they follow. Don't unnecessarily add to the mix by re-posting the same tweet multiple times in a short period of time. It's rude, it's spammy, and it's a waste of everyone's time.
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Keep private things on the DL:
Throwing a naughty little soirée with some friends? Making plans for a special date with your significant other? Maybe you're organizing a get together for after-work drinks with your co-workers to talk trash about the new HR Director? Great! But don't spill too many details on Twitter, otherwise you just might open the door for a real buzzkill by having unwelcome party crashers show up. Tweetups are one thing, but make sure you want to actually have an open invitation out there before you tweet about it.
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Would you want your grandma to read your tweet?:
Even if you have a protected profile, you still have followers who read your tweets, and those people can copy+paste what you write in an email. Never post anything you wouldn't want a beloved family member, your boss, or a local sheriff to read.
Examples of things to keep on the QT are embarrassingly graphic details of your love life, the who's who of your KOS list (those of you who PVP in online games know what I'm talkin' 'bout), or especially what you think of your boss or your job. Things posted online live forever, and there's no way to take them back. Ever.
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Not everyone will read (or follow) this list of Twitter etiquette tips:
You should know by now that the Internet is chock-a-block full of idiots, naysayers, and contrarians. Don't get spun up by their posts and then sucked into a flame war because they're a nut looking to get a rise out of someone. Either ignore them or block them. Problem solved, and you don't look like just as big an idiot for falling prey to their brand of crazy.
That's it. Ten simple rules to make your life on Twitter easier. For the most part you can consider these Twitter etiquette tips more of a guideline than actual rules of the road and of course they can be fudged a bit every now and again, but be careful when doing so. The last thing you want is to be That Guy (or girl) and find yourself in the hot seat by something you do or say.
"Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak out and remove all doubt."
Abraham Lincoln
Happy Twittering!
Image courtesy of http://www.flickr.com/photos/carrotcreative/ / CC BY 2.0
