Everyone who uses Twitter boasts about what a great tool it is. So I tried to get into it, I failed. A few months later I read blog post that inspired me to try again, I failed again. A few more months later, I learned about # (hashtags to follow things of interest, like a conference or an event). This was pretty neat, I thought I would try one more time. This time - it clicked for me.
Now about four weeks later I have over 400 followers, follow almost that many people, and am usually following at least 3-4 keyword ‘twits' at a time. Not only is this great distribution for my blog (Active Rain automatically feeds my blog posts to my Twitter account), but I get invaluable streams of real time information and I am brought into a whole new worlds of conversations.
Now that this Twitter thing has clicked for me, it also clicked why I failed the first times. I didn't really start with a purpose or a goal of what I wanted to get out of it.
- Do you want to build a referral network of real estate agents, then connect with other agents, then talk about real estate.
- Do you want to connect with people (potential buyers/sellers) in your community, then connect with this group, talk about the community.
- Do you want to use it socially to keep up with a personal topic of interest, then seek out this community, then talk about this topic.
- Do you want the latest celebrity gossip, there are many celebs who are twittering multiple times a day who you can follow. (ok, that was a personal interest plug, follow Ashton Kutcher at @aplusk)
If you build of network of people you are following for the purpose of building a real estate network, then all you talk about is your kids' school, people aren't going to find you interesting and you won't be followed back or get read - the whole point of doing this.
The next step of understanding Twitter for me was to download TweetDeck. This allows me to easily group the topics and people that I am following - sort of bring them to the top of everything else.
If you want to get started but don't know how, please read this great free eBook (35 pages, easy reading) that @niknik of MyTechOpinion wrote. The beginning of the book easily lays it all out for beginners.
If you are more experienced with Twitter, start with Chapter 7. From here, she describes all kinds of tools and services to take you Twittering to the next level.
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Sara - since there is no school on twitter or social networking we find ourselves learning on our own. I love the sharing of information to we can learn together!
Sara - Great Post! Its cool that you made the jump and it's working out for you. You might think about posting this article in the Twitter Group on AR for even more exposure.
Thanks for this.... I am going to read the T-e-boo
Hey Sara - Twitter is really hot now, isn't it? I'm getting the ebook, thanks for the suggestion.
Great Post! I have been a Twitter Bird for a short while and I enjoy it. I have been able to get great information and help from many of my Twittier Birds and Twitter Chicks as I call them, from home staging ideas and sites, to more real estate selling techniques. Look me up and I will be more than happy to follow you too!
Thank you! I will check out the Ebook, I am on Twitter for the second time. Like you, didnt get it the first time...second time wasnt looking too promising either, but I will check out your suggestions and hopefully that will help twitterate me...or whatever you would call that. Thanks again!
very cool - love it - thanks for the great write up:)
So thankful for your post, i needed this information.
Tweetdeck helps me too. I don't try to keep up with anyone by any means but I can look at Tweetdeck the way I have it set up and see what is happening locally, in the RE world, in the media and a couple of other "groups"
It sounds like we have been having the same experience with twitter.
I FINALLY am beginning to get "it". :)
Great info . . . thanks
Wow, sounds like my story. First time I checked it out nothing, couldn't find who I was looking for, didn't know what i was doing. Tried a second time and said heck with it.......I am going to try again and read the book you suggested.
Thanks for Sharing,
Kristin
good post cause I am the one who has failed to get it, your post helps
Sara, thanks a bunch....Yeah, I've tied tweeter....once or twice--so this information should greatly help me to get on board!
Oops...I mean twitter...you tweet on twitter...
Thanks Sara . . .
I think the tough part (like with any writing, from blogging to that "Great American Novel") is finding the right "voice" to engage people, without being self-absorbed, arrogant, pushy, boring, redundant, annoying, or downright silly. Which is why I find myself trapped in Twitter silence . . . I'd rather have people think I'm an idiot, as the saying goes . . .
BUT, I'm working on it, and perhaps your resources will help. I'll leave the safety and comfort of the warm nest one of these bright days, and my tweets will be loud and clear! . . .
Sara thanks from me also. I still don't really understand twitter very well.
Thanks for the Twitter Post. I just got started with Twitter this week ao am definitely a newbie and can use all the help I can get.
I have to say that I have tried twitter and I just dont get it. One of these days I may figure it out...
Thanks Sara. I will look at Twitter again, with the new knowledge. This is helpful for sure. And bookmarked.
Thanks! Really helpful info!
Sara ~ I'm still waiting for it to "click" for me. I'm still not sure what I'm doing, except I got the "following" thing down. I'm just trying to figure out what "RT" means at this point! : )
Thanks Sara - bookmarked for rainy day reading - twitter is soo busy lately we've been blocked logging on by over capcity messages sometimes!
it's caught on obviously...now for us to 'catchup LOL
sincerely,
Grace
Another must-have tool for beginners to utilize - once you have a few followers, chech out MrTweet.com. He make recommendations for you to follow, based on your current activities.
Thanks for the comments. I think like blogging here on Active Rain, you just have to jump in and get involved. Also like you blog on Active Rain, you have to have a purpose of what you want out of it, and then write and participate in ways that align with that purpose.
Kathy - RT means Retweet. When you see something you like, you can Retweet it to your group of followers. Think about how huge this is. Say you write a post and it goes out to your group of 100 followers. Then 5 of your followers RTs it to their groups of 100 follows. Now your post has reached a potential of 600 people! This is why writing meaningful stuff is important instead of just always twittering about what you've had to eat all day.
Sara, this blog is so full of invaluable information! I get on and get off of Twitter because I don't use it to its full capabilities.
Thank you Sara! : )
Thanks for the excellent information.
Follow me on Twitter: http://twitter.com/roykelley REO agent in Montgomery County MD
Thanks Sara. I recently got on twitter but just can't figure out what to do with it. Many people are following me so I elected to follow some of them and they appear to not have anything to do except write silly stuff.
Sara...
I am one of those people who gets addicted to stuff. Although I like Twitter I stay away from it for the most part. Every time I sign on I spend waaaaaaaaaaaay too much time there. It's just not healthy for me to be a Twit :)
TLW...TWORE! :)
Great Information. Thank you for your sharing.
Sara, great resources for twitter users. Very useful indeed. Congratulations on the star. Well deserved!
btw: Added Roy Kelley to the Official Active Rain-Twitter Account Checklist
EDIT: Sara we didn't see you on the list so we added you too.
Sara - Awesome post ! I look foward to reading that book. Congrats on your recent growth and use of Twitter ! It is very cool. BTW, just followed you on Twiter and subscribed to you blog ! You have some great stuff.
I watch Mad Money pretty much every night but have not seen that interview yet with J Stewart but heard about it. Will go to your other blog post ! ~ Chris
Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! I've been on Twitter for a week and totally lost!
Sara, THANK YOU for the information. I, too, have "failed" at Twitter and people are requesting to follow me. I need all the help I can get :) Thanks for sharing.
Sara, I've had the same experience with Twitter. You mean there's hope? Thanks for the book. I've downloaded and will make sure to read it. I can't possibly be beyond help =)
Hi Sara -- This is the best post I've read on AR about Twitter. Thank you.
Sara, it took several stops and starts for me on Twitter too. I've learned to simply leave stuff alone if it's not clicking. One day, it made sense. Still don't know exactly what happened. :)
Sara,
I am now following you on Twitter! Thanks for the post and happy blogging to you!
Twitter is pretty cool.. I still need to get more in the habbit. Guess I still need to learn more about it.. Also how to better respond to someone...
Sara - I am just getting into the twitter craze, bur IU have to admit, it's not exactly grabbing me and saying "HEY!" You are the second person I know of that says it works though, so I'm gonna stick to it! Thanks for the encouragement!
Sara - I too did not get it at first, but once I did I love it. The trick is also to connect with people in your local area.
Thanks for the info-I've tried it to, as so many others have, but was never able to get into it. Maybe now I will.
Sara, you have at least made me want to take a second look at twitter. I think maybe I've been approaching it wrong.
So much to learn about Twitter with not that much time. Hopefully I can be able to use Twitter better. Congratulations on the star. Great post.
I signed up for Twitter a few months back and just couldn't get into it. I'm still baffled about how and why it works but I'm going to check out the link you gave and see if I can figure it out. Thanks for the encouragement!
I have not yet joined Twitter. Thanks for the ling and the ebook. I will look into it.
Sara- Thanks for the post and great information! I have been on twitter a short time and your link to the twitter ebook was just what I needed!! It answered questions that I felt too silly to personally ask! I'm off to check out some of the apps and work on a 'welcome message'....thanks!
Sara ~ you got it! I am learning it the same way. Being globally connected means we jump into some pretty big conversations and that can be a bit intimidating. Keep the faith, trust the force, find your voice within that context, participate and contribute... the magic is sure to appear.
thanks again for a well crafted post...
Rene'
Great post. Thanks for sharing!
Sara,
Thanks for the post and the eBook. I'm just getting the hang of twitter. This is helpful...
Sara,
Thanks for sharing the information!
~Vicki - redballoonagent.com
Have been meaning to sign up for Twitter but am so busy with this blog, have not has the time.
Thanks for the resource -- we have not twitted -- as there is just not enough time.
Sara - I think I am having the same problem you did at first. I really had no purpose in mind when I joined twitter. Now you have made that clear for me to understand. Thanks for the insight. I think it will help me.
awesome share!
Thanks for sharing. I'll have to come back to your post Sunday night.
Sara,
Excellent info on Twitter. I'm still trying to get my arms around it, figure out how it can be integrated into my overall marketing campaign. Your blog just gave more reason to dig deeper.
I've been struggling with Tweeter as well. Seems an awful lot of people are tweeting, but, very few seem to be listening.
Thanks for the info...I was beginning to wonder if I would ever get a clue on how this whole Twitter thing worked. You have taken the mystery out of it. Some of it is still above my head but it will be a great reference source for when I start to become more of an expert.
Hi Sara, this is a great rebuttal to all my friends who think I'm mad to love Twitter. I do. I think the rigor of shrinking your thoughts to 140 characters has improved my writing immeasurably. I love the access to people you'd never hear from via email.
In the beginning, Twitter was lovely just as it was. But as my # of followers grew, it quickly became impossible to manage any semblance of relationships. Enter Tweetdeck. Life was clear once more. I'm interested you use Tweetdeck for topic research. I use Tweetlater for that; they send me a nice synopsis once a day.
All good fun.
What is your thought on following back? D'you believe in automatic reciprocity?
My thoughts on following back - I don't automatically follow back. First I check out the person's profile. If it is blank or unrelated to real estate, I don't follow. If they are in the real estate business I do follow back. As I get to know people better thru following and if they become a favorite, I move them into a group I call 'special tweeters' in tweetdeck, so I can be sure to see everything they tweet. (I make special exceptions for celebrities, per my orginal post..haha)
Hadn't heard of Tweetlater, I'll check that out. Can't imagine Tweetering without Tweetdeck. In fact, I don't have an iPhone (I think I am the only one), but was thinking of getting one just to have Tweetdeck on the go.
<chuckling> That would then make 2 of us without iphones! I like my blackberry - call me oldfashioned!!
Thanks for the free ebook. I've now read 5 books on Twitter and am feeling pretty expert, I must say!! Except that it changes all the time. And then I have to start all over again and adapt. Plus, I'm coming in on 2,000 and I believe that a lot of things change automatically after that. But 2 other tips I've found really helpful.
1. The 80-20 ratio ----- 80% of your tweets are you sharing tools, resources, other people's tweets etc while 20% of your tweets are on your own stuff, positioned as helpful invites
2. Twellow, Mr. Tweet, Twittergrader (it was alarming to discover my most often tweeted word was MY)
and my bonus tip for today? something I stumbled into via Hummingbird's tutorials but it is incredibly useful for all of us
http://www.whostalkin.com
Off to tweet it right now!
Cheers, Sara. Have a twerrific day <er-hum>
Juliet