Get Started on Twitter the Value-Based Way: 5 Tips

Preface:
This is part two of two postings on Twitter for the three-day weekend. Part one can be read as the previous posting, Learning Twitter with Hawaiian Values.

Why Twitter?
It has become our newest challenge within our Brex initiative for 2008: Brave Experiments with Digital Learning.

Have I convinced you to give Twitter a go?

If you have already been tweeting, are you clear on what your own value parameters are?

As a practical matter, most of us do jump in and experiment with new learning for a while before we make our final decisions on keeping and integrating the subject of our learning into our lives; we get our hands nice and dirty with it! Identifying our key value drivers, and deciding our “for the sake of what” mentioned in part one can come later, within the analysis of our results thus far, and as will organically reveal itself within our into-our-life blending.

So let’s say you are willing to give Twitter a try as a pilot project for part of your own 2008 Brex agenda (you can always opt out again later). Here are some start-up tips, and they do end with the value piece so you aren’t waiting too long to get there!

Ekahi (One). When you sign up, keep your ‘handle’ short. I lucked out on this by default… including a space at the end, @rosasay for me only takes up 9 of those 140-characters others are limited to in a tweet they send me, and I don’t get too many misspellings that I won’t catch (interesting ones for me have been rosassy and rosary!) Two of the co-founders of Twitter are @biz and @ev …they had an advantage with anticipation that should have clued us all in!

If not your name, remember that obvious (or easy to type) for you may not be that way for the others tweeting you directly, especially if your native language is one where a lot of vowels or consonants run together well locally, but look like Greek to others globally.

When I want to send tweets to someone with a long Twitter name, I rely on those good old keyboard shortcuts for copy (ctrl-c) and paste (ctrl-v), especially when we are conversing and I want them at the ready in my clipboard for the same-person tweeting repetition to follow.

Elua (Two). When you start, go “all in.” I think the best way to learn most digital apps is one at a time and completely going for it, resisting other new-learning distractions until you have nailed a good habit you’d like to keep. That’s right – forget that Twitter has been called a distraction, and think of it as the main deal to which other things are distractions!

Another reason for this is that once you get in your groove with Twitter you can multi-task while webbing it, with Twitter open in a desktop client or another browser tab. However there is a difference between multi-tasking and multi-learning, and what I am recommending here by saying go “all in” is that you resist the urge to multi-learn different digital agendas at first. You will also find that there are a ton of APIs (application programming interfaces) connected to Twitter, and you will end up multi-learning to some degree as it is, though you intended to concentrate on just the one learning.

An example: A recent one I found that I think is great for tracking your @replies when they are not at the beginning of a tweet (and thus, will not show up on your replies tab) is summize.com: You type your user name into the search box there, and this comes up. That is how I found this tweet from Wendee when I otherwise would never have seen it so I could reply. Also a good app to keep in mind when Twitter disables the replies tab in their maintenance fixes.

Ekolu (Three). I would recommend you start with a community you already know personally (you can find a lot of people already there) and it may surprise and delight you to discover who in your existing network are early adopters! Not only that, jumping into Twitter with some friends to learn with is fun, and it will encourage you.

Allow your follow-network to grow organically, versus taking the approach of following a lot of people right off the bat, and finding you cannot keep up with your conversations; why give them a poor (and unfortunately inaccurate) first impression of the star you really are!

Then, throw in a few follows for “thought leaders,” people you may not yet know personally, but want to learn from, and introduce yourself to.

If you still find you’d like to be more ambitious with your follows as you get started, take a look at the follow icons we have @JJLhui, the twitter feed we have set up for Joyful Jubilant Learning, for those are the thought leaders on our JJL Advisory Board.

Eha (Four). Don’t game it. Be authentic and willing to be vulnerable. While it is true that people can get a picture of you having no life at first (especially if you take my “all in” advice), to worry too much about appearances isn’t going to serve you as well as investing in the one-time/first-time learning strategy. The other thing to keep in mind is that if they are following you through-out your learning, you are also easing them into a rhythm of knowing when it is best for them to interact with you too: You’ll both win!

Seek to add value for others from the get-go, and any vulnerability you may initially feel will quickly segue into a sharing of the good stuff! Learn to use www.tinyurl.com or www.snurl.com (less characters, but more downtime than tinyurl) and then tweet urls for your best blog posts, not all of them, and for the great stuff you find online. Be generous, and re-tweet what others have shared. Help people celebrate their special days.

Elima (Five). Compose your own set of value parameters sooner versus later. You can build a habit very quickly on Twitter, true to that 21 to 28 days productivity peeps tell you it takes (yep, I’ve hawked the habbit riddle with you too:-). And remember: Those 21 days build not-so-good habits too, another reason to go “all in” (#2 above) and be authentic (#4)! So much easier to keep up with the truth than with a façade!

Twitter for me is extending my conversations; others want to lurk and listen, same as they silently read blogs. Define what your “for the sake of what” is all about, and then pick your personal values which will help you in your own decision-making process along the way. When and if that day comes that you want to converse, your followers will be the right ones already, eager to follow you back because you have so much in common: You will recognize each other by the values you share.

Now, as promised, Bonus Learning Links you can cruise through if you are so inclined:

For more of my Twitter journey through the Brex lens, see:

1. Yes, I’m all a-Twitter too ~ story of why I took the plunge: Initially, I was resisting too!
2. Talking Story and a JJL Twitter Soiree ~ once I do take a learning plunge, I have this habit of pulling JJL into the deep end of the pool with me :)
3. Digital Learning and Choosing Your Learning Communities ~ When you choose some kind of digital learning you are often choosing a community too, and you are rarely learning alone. This was something I gave much thought to after just my 3rd week on Twitter.

These are articles I have read about the Twitter experience others have had, learning from what they had to say:

Amy Palko, author of Lives Less Ordinary, wrote two articles that I found very useful. You will also find that Amy is much more succinct than I am! In the first one, Amy offered her bonus learning links as well.

1. Lessons From My 1st Week On Twitter: “What I’d like to do in this post is explain why my fears were unfounded and to give a few pointers to those either considering trying it out or who are new to it too.”
2. How Twitter Helped Me Meet My Deadline: “I also wanted to use this post to say thank you to the following folk from my Twitter network who held me accountable, gave me encouragement and support, and who have shared in my achievement.”

Maki, author of DoshDosh, shares 17 Ways You Can Use Twitter: A Guide for Beginners, Marketers and Business Owners. This might help you give more thought to what you ultimately want to get from your tweeting, for my two-part series here has been very conversationally driven, and you may want something different. These are the first 5 among the 17 Ways listed (headlines only, read the detail there):

1. Personal Branding
2. Get Feedback
3. Hire People
4. Direct Traffic
5. Read News

Laura Fitton was interviewed on Global Neighbourhoods by Shel Israel, for he was impressed with what he perceived to be the result of her Twitter strategy. He wrote,  “I do find it amazing at the speed of her ascent to prominence and so I began asking her how, after 15 years, she became such an overnight star.” Here are some of the questions he asked her:

---You have posted nearly 10,000 times on Twitter in about a year. This has generated over 2500 followers. What has been the return on investment for you?

---Twitter has been useful to you as an individual, but how do you think larger companies can use Twitter? What do you think of companies using Twitter as brand extensions?

---You posted a blog in which you created the concept of the "Twitter Village." Can you explain what that means? Why should business care?

--- In your Twitter bio, you say you get "really excited and kinda geeky about where all this leads." So, where do you think this all leads? How does the world look because of social media 2,5 or 20 years out?

Her answers make for a very interesting read. Click to Pistachio's Laura Fitton: Twittering her way from Mom-at-home to Global Presence

Then, take a look at this page: Who the heck is @Pistachio? It is the only About Page I have seen so far that someone has specifically written for their Twitter followers. I think it is brilliant (the woman IS a communications star) and need to do the same thing.

[As I said, I do think of myself as a Twitter newbie... if you have seen other examples of great Twitter bios, please share them with us in the comments!]

That is just a start: If you go to Blogsearch.google.com and type in Twitter, a ton of stuff will come up. I will end with a YouTube presentation that Problogger Darren Rowse did, after he sent out a tweet asking his Twitter followers why they loved Twitter. Over 100 of them responded in just a couple of hours, and Darren made a video collection of their answers.

P.S. If you are a blogger, or thinking about it, here is another article done by Darren: How to Use Twitter - Tips for Bloggers.

Ready to get Brexy and Tweet with me?

If you would like to talk story about this in more than the 140-characters you get per tweet, the comments are open! Do you have tips to share?

If you are on Twitter, remember to include your follow address for us to connect with you there.

Otherwise, see you on Twitter! Follow me, and then send me a tweet saying, @rosasay, Read your Twitter 2-parter: let’s talk story! You’ll have 85 characters left to start us off :)

If you missed part one yesterday, here is a quick link, and mahalo for reading!

Comments

[Joanna Young]

@rosasay: I read your twitter two parter and love the way you've woven twitter into your values, and vice versa. So glad you decided to come and talk story with us there!

Thanks for giving me more than 140 characters to reply in the comment box :-)

@joannayoung

http://twitter.com/joannayoung

[Brad Shorr]

@rosasay, thanks for all these Twitter insights. I find the whole thing rather baffling, but you explanations and tips really help!

@bradshorr

[Rosa Say]

Joanna and Brad, thank you for keeping my blog company while I was gone today! Everyone else must be enjoying the holiday or tweeting :)

Joanna, you know you are my Edinburgh bird who tweets oh so sweetly, inspiring me, and Brad I know that you will soon be adding to these tips with some of your own ---and I will be listening closely!

Both of you make my digital learning is such a joy in your company, mahalo.

[Wendee]

@rosasay - this is a fantastic post! I've really enjoyed going through the Bonus Learning Links. I admit that I've gotten so used to reading in bursts of just 140 characters at a time that it takes me longer to settle in and read and really take in all this goodness.
And scrolling down, I go, "Hey! That's me!". LOL. Silly me. Thanks, Rosa for all the aloha and sharing all this great insight.

@hiwendee

[Rosa Say]

@hiwendee yes, that certainly is you :)

And yes, I am not known for brevity with my blog posts... hoping the 140-character training on Twitter will help me, for you do learn to get very succinct there!

I am trying though, and learning more about Flickr has helped me use pictures in that "just one for a thousand words kind of way... like with this post: http://www.sayleadershipcoaching.com/mwacoaching/2008/05/i-am-confident.html

I am glad to know you found those Bonus Links helpful too!

[Ulla]

Rosa,
thanks for your article - I am a newbie at twitter too and have found your words very helpful to me. I especially thank you for your tinyurl link - always was wondering how other people did that. And, at least, I wouldn't know of your blog without twitter!

[Rosa Say]

Aloha Ulla, welcome to MWAC!

Poor Twitter is suffering from some over capacity issues right now (more about those in that Over Capacity, Under Serving trackback above), but I am pulling for them, for as you can tell, I too have become quite a fan, and you are now one of my Twitter gifts too :)

About snipping your urls: I would encourage you to register for www.snurl.com, for there are a lot of extras there (all free), such as keeping record of them when you want to re-copy, and a manage tab that will also show you click-throughs. I will usually try them first, using www.tinyurl.com if their server gets to be over capacity too.

I look forward to our tweeting conversations Ulla, and hopefully more here too!