I’ve been using Twitter for quite some time now (I am @nipper)…and my blogging (volume) here at The Invent Blog has suffered because of it. Sorry.
I thought that some of my readers here would find useful an explanation of my system for effective use of Twitter. This is the system that works for me, for my goals. Obviously, some people have different goals, and thus will likely disagree with some of the things I say here. That’s fine.
Many of my tips are build around my belief that Twitter, if left unchecked, is “a timewasting fire hose of information.” http://is.gd/fWph (quoting @mathowie (although he was referring to desktop Twitter apps instead of Twitter in general).
My tips for controlling Twitter and making it a killer tool:
1) Do not follow everyone. The old saying goes “Linux is free if your time is not worth anything.” That saying also applies to Twitter, in that I think there are only three types of people who follow everyone that follows them: (a) people whose time is worth nothing, (b) people that are stat mongers (don’t care about building relationships but only care about how many followers they have), and (c) celebrities. If you are not a celebrity…you’re either an (a) or a (b). Be selective in whom you follow.
2) No quid pro quo. You do not have to follow someone just because they followed you. If someone unfollows you, you do not have to unfollow them. If you unfollow someone, you shouldn’t feel bad. Again, Twitter is a conversation. If what I say bores you, please unfollow me. It’s not about me…
3) Cull the herd. Let’s face it…there are only so many people I can follow and not have Twitter be that “timewasting fire hose” Matt mentioned. Thus, I regularly go through the list of the people I follow and consider unfollowing some of them. You need to do it. One easy way to do it is on the fly. If someone is annoying you, unfollow them. If they are blasting you with dozens of irrelevant tweets a day…unfollow them. The easiest way to do that is use a service like http://friendorfollow.com.
4) Define your ideal audience. Effective Twitter use requires you to define an “audience.” Who is it you really want to communicate with? Is it people that live in your city? Is it people in your industry? Is it only your friends? Is it only potential customers/clients? Whatever it is, you need to define your audience and stick to it. If person X follows you and they aren’t in that audience…you should think twice before following them (you MUST control that fire hose somehow). [I have two audiences: people I know via blogging and my local tech community.]
5) Audience participation. If someone you do not follow is regularly @replying to you in a relevant manner…you probably should follow them. They are trying to create an actual relationship…don’t be a jerk. Get to know them.
6) Listen remotely. Use a service like Tweetlater.com or software like OutTwit (Outlook plugin) to alert you whenever someone mentions you by username (Twitter only considers it an “@reply” if it starts with your username, not if your username was mentioned in it (unless I am mistaken))(update, not so anymore). If you listen remotely, then you can SHUT TWITTER OFF at work (get some work done!) and ignore it…only responding to things that you need to timely respond to. [I usually, while watching TV with my wife late at night, go back and catch up on what happened in my Twitterverse that day.]
7) Superstars! It is OK to have favorite people you follow. No one will be offended if you do. Thus, it is OK to (as Justin Foster (@brandmilitia) says) have people that are “cell phone worthy” (following them by SMS messages), and it is OK to set up filters in TweetDeck or OutTwit or Tweetlater (etc) regarding their usernames (so you don’t miss a word they say). No one will ever know…
8 ) Twitter is not a RSS reblogging machine. One way communication is bad. Do not spam people with your Netflix feed, your FriendFeed feed, your blog’s RSS feed, etc. It is rude. Be selective in what you post, and do not hesitate to unfollow someone that spams you with an RSS feed (that’s what I do). [update: I don't hate FriendFeed...I just don't like it when people abuse it (and me in the process).]
9) Direct message does not mean “secret” message. Know when to use a “direct message” (when it is a personal conversation) and when to use a public reply (when everyone else REALLY wants to know). If the world doesn’t really need to see your reply…use a direct message.
10) Describe links. Always provide a description of what it is that you want me to click on (e.g., “This is a funny picture I found today [link]“). I won’t click on something that might be pr0n, etc.
I hope you found this useful… If you have tips you’d like to share, feel free to leave a comment below.
