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Tweeting At Twitter Explained
Realizing my last round of Twitter research left my Twitter followers wondering what was wrong with me, I figured it would be an excellent time to conduct research they actually valued. This wasn’t simple. My personal preference to add more followers, at all costs, consumes me.
But this time, I believe I succeeded. Instead of searching ways to add more far more followers through dodgy tactics, I have tested solutions to increase more value to Twitter and be an even better tweeter.
The Sweet Retweet
Even though it’s just a somewhat unique procedure, retweeting is definitely an marvelous technique to help your standing with Twitter.
Has one of your followers updated his or her Twitter stream with an interesting article they found somewhere on the internet? If so, don’t just read the story and go about your entire day, retweet it! I’ve found that when I do so, most of my followers will do exactly the same and along the way, some add my username to their own update, exposing me to their entire directory followers.
Not every articles are created equal, though, so you must ensure that the information you’re retweeting is something your followers basically care about. I discovered the very hard way: it turns out my followers really don’t care about horse riding in Moscow.
To retweet, the accepted practice is to copy the original text into your own Twitter post and prefix it with “RT” or “Retweet” and the originator’s name. As an example: “RT @donreisinger: I resubscribed to the NY Post last week. Delivery was supposed to begin on Jan. 31. I have YET to receive a paper.”
I’m sorry, but no one cares about your dinner
There’s a typical complaint, made particularly by those who aren’t happy with Twitter, that too many of us use the service to tell the globe about things no one cares about. Normally, I think that’s preposterous. But occasionally, I find a few updates like that and realise that maybe those folks aren’t so far off.
Look, it’s nothing personal and contrary to popular belief, I must say i care what you say, but I couldn’t care less about what you had for supper last night or how delicious your chicken salad sandwich is. I’d much rather see it filled with retweets and other interesting tidbits of information that the majority end users actually care about.
You may be asking yourself how I am aware that it doesn’t make you a better Tweeter. Unfortunately, I learned my lesson not long ago. The very hard way.
Respond. A great deal.
I like to shoot the breeze. I am going to actually confess that I like to hear myself talk. As a Twitter user, that is sort of a predicament.
Believe it or not, followers truly wish to believe that you’re listening to them. I understand, I know, it’s not all that easy and occasionally it’s difficult not to giggle at the idiotic twitter posts, but you must exercise restraint and realise that Twitter is a online community where men and women want to have a conversation.
I have had some trouble with that. And if you look at my recent updates, it seems I still do. But I’m getting better. I now understand that people on Twitter don’t relish to just hear what others have to say, they would like to be heard. And the ultimate way to please that want is to reply to their interesting tweets.
Find interesting stuff and post
You no doubt know when I told you that you need to retweet interesting updates you see in your stream? That is lazy. You need to be a proactive user. Get out there and find neat articles and post them in your own Twitter stream for others to take pleasure from. Perhaps they’ll retweet your update and you’ll be exposed to a gamut of new people who would like to know information about you.
Used to do it on a few instances and it worked magnificently. It turns out a lot of my followers love tech talk and discussions on sports. Each time I find a good article on those topics, I post it on Twitter and more often than not, my followers retweet my update.
It’s OK to say nothing
Just because there’s a big box beneath a “What are you doing?” message in Twitter, it doesn’t mean that you need to say anything.
I’m not quite certain the reason why we all get the urge to update as often as possible, but we have to understand that updates from scripts are a waste of every person’s time.
Look, I am really thrilled to learn about your life and what’s happening, but I don’t need to be overwhelmed with things you’re adding to Google Reader or music currently playing on your computer. I’d guess that someone cares, but when I see my stream being flooded with automated updates, it annoys me. Do not do it. Please.
Use hashtags
Have something useful to say on the topic that’s hot on Twitter right now? Be sure to use hashtags — keywords preceded by the hash sign, “#”. Within the last few months, hashtags are becoming a great way for other users to get content instantly.
Hashtags in essence create groupings on Twitter that put together content from the same subject. It appears simple, but whenever you have something really interesting to talk about about a topic that may be hot on Twitter or Twitter Search, it doesn’t damage to position a hashtag right after your own tweet. It can help others find your update that aren’t following you and reveals you to new people who could possibly like what you have to state.
It is more than text
Have you ever taken photos and uploaded them to a service like Twitpic so you could submit it in your Twitter stream? If you never have, your own followers are missing out.
Posting pictures is a terrific way to increase more quality to Twitter and make you a better Tweeter. Afterall: who would like to look at text all day long? Your followers might actually like snap shots better than your regular updates.
That’s why I’ve submitted pictures from my wedding. It turns out my fans would prefer to see pictures of my spouse than listen to what I have to state.
And now, you’re a better Tweeter. You don’t have to thank me. Just follow me. Why not? You know what you’re getting: a user that retweets your interesting articles, won’t talk about his dinner, listens to you, finds interesting stuff for you, doesn’t spam you, uses hashtags, and uploads pictures.
