Archive for Twitter
Using Twitter: Another Look at Sending Automated Direct Messages
Posted by: | CommentsAbout a year and half ago I wrote a post called “Should You Send an Automated DM to New Twitter Followers?” In case you haven’t read it, I was against it.
Shortly after I wrote that post, the number of automated direct messages (DMs) I received declined. In fact, for several months I received almost no automated DMs. Only DMs from people who wanted to send me, and only me, a private message. Now as much as I would like to take credit for this decline in what is essentially Twitter SPAM, I am sure my post is not the only reason for this. 
However, I’m starting to see a rise in automated DMs so I thought I’d revisit the issue.
First, let’s make sure we’re all on the same playing field. What is an automated DM?
A DM (or direct message) is Twitter’s private message service. If you send a DM, only the recipient can see it. This is different from an @reply (an “@” symbol in front of someone’s Twitter user name) which is public. For example if you put @andreastenberg in your Twitter message, everyone can read that message but the @andreastenberg let’s me know you meant that message for me or were talking about me in some way.
An automated DM is different. There are a number of tools that let you automatically follow people who are following you. These same tools often will allow you to automatically send a DM to anyone who starts to follow you. Now on the surface, this sounds like a good idea. If you’re using Twitter to market yourself or your business, why not automate things to make it easier?
Well, another term for social media is social networking. And I’m sorry to say, you can’t automate your networking. You need to put in the time.
Let me show you some examples of what’s in my DM folder right now. Please note, the names/links have been blocked out to protect the innocent (and not so innocent). Read More→
Are Large Corporations Beating Small Business At Social Media?
Posted by: | CommentsSometimes I feel like I’m living a slightly schizophrenic life. As a marketing consultant specializing in social media, I spend a large chuck of my life immersed in the online 
World. I’m connecting with other online experts, and using each of the tools. I’m looking at how other businesses are marketing themselves online. I’m online for hours a day. And even when I’m not talking to other marketing experts, I’m dealing with online business people who know what they’re doing.
But occasionally I need to get off my ass and actually leave my office. When talking to business owners in the real world, I see an entirely different perspective. In the last several weeks I can’t tell you how many conversations I’ve had with business owners were still trying to decide whether or not they need to bother with a website, never mind things like Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.
These two extremes in my life, have got me to thinking. One of the big rallying cries around social media is that it levels the playing field. Because most of these tools are basically free (as in no cash is needed to use them) it meant that solopreneurs and small business owners could easily compete with large corporations.
And on the surface this is true. After all, we can all create a Facebook account and set up a fan page, but only major corporations can run a television spot during the Superbowl.
However, when we dig deeper I believe social media is actually widening the gap between large corporations and micro business. Read More→
Using Twitter: How to Retweet
Posted by: | CommentsWarning: If you are an experienced Twitter user, this post shouldn’t have much new content for you. Proceed with caution.
There are several ways to retweet someone’s original Tweet.
First, if you are logged into your profile on Twitter.com, under the Tweet you want to spread, you can click on the retweet button. That will send this Tweet along to your followers.
In the old days, clicking the retweet button would send the original Tweet to your “What’s Happening” box with an “RT” in front of the original poster’s username. You would then have the opportunity to edit the Tweet or add your comments. This new retweet button just sends the tweet along.
But if you still want to retweet plus add your comments there’s a few ways to do it. From within Twitter.com, simply copy and paste the original Tweet into your What’s Happening” box and add the RT:@username to the front. At the end (if there’s room) add “> your comments”. The “>” lets the reader know the stuff after the > are your thoughts and not part of the original Tweet.
If you’re using an aggregator like Hootsuite, it defaults to letting you add your own comments. TweetDeck lets you choose whether to send the retweet as is or edit it.
Sending a Retweet from TweetDeck
Sometimes you’ll come across something that has been retweeted several times and it looks like this: RT @user1: RT @user2: RT @user 3: RT: @originalposter: Funny saying here.
When you get too many retweeters the original message can get lost, not to mention you can run out of space (remember you only have 140 characters which includes all those retweeters). If you are in this situation and feel it important to retweet this post try this:
Funny saying here. (via @user1: OT @originalposter)
Using this format lets your readers know that @user1 is the person you got the tweet from and the OT lets them know that @originalposter is in fact the originator of that Tweet.
What not to Retweet
Don’t retweet your own stuff. It makes me think of a certain Carly Simon song.
Don’t retweet a post if your followers are likely to have seen it.
Don’t repeatedly retweet the same information over and over and over.
What to ReTweet
Content you personally find interesting or valuable.
Posts you think your audience will find interesting or useful. For example, if I find information about free online tools for using social media, modifying my blog or for running my business, I pass it along because I know a lot of my followers are also small business owners.
If you’re new to Twitter, I hope these two posts helped explain how and why to retweet someone else’s post.
Andrea J. Stenberg
Using Twitter: Four Reasons to Retweet Rather than Copy and Paste
Posted by: | CommentsOne of the ways to be of value to people who follow you on Twitter is to Tweet interesting things: cool apps, new plug-ins, interesting facts, helpful blog posts. However, it takes time to always be finding interesting information.
One way to ensure you have a ready supply of interesting material to pass along to your followers is to retweet.
What’s a retweet? It’s when someone you follow says something interesting so you pass it along to your followers by putting an “RT” in front of their Tweet and sending it out.
Occasionally there are people who will just take the interesting information, copy it and send it out as an original Tweet of their own. However, this is not done in the Twitterverse. Here’s four reasons why you should always attribute retweets: Read More→
