Getting Started With Twitter
By Wesley Craig Green (c) 2009
There's a new web application on the block that has everyone talking and it goes by the name of Twitter. Twitter is fast becoming one of the more popular methods for communicating online and has a large number of loyal followers who stick with it despite the growing pains and competitors. While this article won't cover everything possible with Twitter, it will give you a good starting point on how to start using it and how you can use it for your business.
What Is This Twitter You Speak Of?
So what is Twitter and how can it be of benefit to you or your business? Twitter is a free online micro-blogging application which gives you the ability to send out short messages (up to 140 characters) called "tweets" to people who are following you on Twitter.
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You can send tweets either through your computer or by using your cell phone via a text message. These tweets/messages can be about anything you want and they can include links, as well.
Making Twitter even more useful is the ability to send a direct message to someone you are following (this is done by entering @username at the beginning of your message) or replying to someone's tweet with your tweet. You would be surprised how common it is to reply to someone's message then to have someone who is either following you or the person you sent the reply to reply to your initial message and so on.
People can follow you and your tweets by first signing-up for their own free Twitter account at the Twitter site then adding you to their líst of people they are following. Once you have created your account, you can either check your Twitter page (your personal page which appears after you sign-in at the Twitter home page) for any of your friends' new messages or you can send out your messages. But it is much easier, in my opinion, to use one of the many online or desktop applications which give you the ability to do all of this and more.
Twitter As A Communication Tool
Twitter is a quick and easy way to communicate with family, friends, business associates, and also within a company setting. Being an online service, Twitter is available to anyone with online access. All you have to do is login to your account through any number of third-party applications developed for Twitter or through the Twitter site and you are ready to go.
Within a company setting, employees could have a Twitter account created for them with the option to have their messages protected. This means only people they (or you or the person in charge of creating the Twitter accounts) approve will be able to send and receive messages from them. The same thing could be done using an instant message program but with Twitter, there would be no software to install and it would be accessible from anywhere with an online connection. Additionally, the person who is in charge of the Twitter accounts will have the power to control who is and who isn't part of this private Twitter network.
Even though there are tons of online communication applications available, Twitter can also be used as a way for people who are collaborating on a project to stay in touch with one another regardless of where they are. And depending on which third-party application they are using to Twitter with, these conversations can be saved for future reference. There are even some third-party apps which you can use to send files up to 10MB to anyone you are following as long as they are using the same application, that is. Still, a handy feature to have and one which may become a feature of Twitter if there's a big enough demand for it.
Marketing With Twitter
Herein lies the great thing about Twitter from a business perspective: the marketing potential it offers users. Sure, it is great to send messages and chat using Twitter, but it can also be a great marketing tool if used correctly. Have some breaking news you want to get out quickly? Send it out as a Tweet. Made an important update to your blog or web site? Let people know about it instantly with a Tweet.
Want to promote your project, book, movie, whatever by giving away a free download or preview? Send out a Tweet with a URL to the free download. Only want to market something to certain individuals you are following? Simply enter their username preceded by the "@" and you are set.
Another simple marketing tool available with Twitter is the ability to befriend people who are following someone you already follow. While this practice could backfire on you if you begin to add everyone you find following someone you are following, be picky and just befriend those who either share similar tastes that you do or work in the same field as you or already follow many of the same people you do. Otherwise, you could come off as a spammer which will be a hard image to shake.
Twitter Now And Beyond
Twitter represents a fundamental change in the way people communicate online. There have always been instant messengers and they have their place and purpose but they don't provide the one thing which sets Twitter apart and that is the ability to instantly communicate with either a couple of people or potentially thousands without the need for proprietary software. No need to download this piece of software in order to communicate with this person or that organization.
Much like how blogging has become a staple of today's society, Twitter and "twittering" is on the same path to becoming ingrained in today's culture despite only being around for less than two years. So simple in its execution, powerful in the marketing opportunities it offers, and ease of use, Twitter will be one of the top web technologies to gain worldwide prominence in 2009.
If you like, you can follow me on Twitter by going to http://twitter.com/GeekEntrepreneu and clíck on the Follow button.
About The Author
Wesley Craig Green is The Geek Entrepreneur, an entrepreneur who is a publisher, owner of an online classified ads network of sites, two web sites focusing on independent and digital comics and graphic novels. You can check out his personal blog, Geek Entrepreneur which is dedicated to entrepreneurship, blogging, inspiration, technology, and small business.
P.S You can see what else i am up to at
http://totalwealthonline.com
Friday, January 23, 2009
Friday, January 16, 2009
Take: "The Pit Bull and the Poodle Test"
"It is a funny thing about life--if you refuse to accept anything but the best you very often get it." W. Somerset Maugham
With the new year upon us like Kofi on a big wad of Iraqi oil-for-food cash, a lot of folks use the end of one year and the beginning of a new year to assess their character, their accomplishments and their calling to whatever they are pursuing and to evaluate how they stack up to what they want to be and do.
I guess that is why alcohol sales soar through the roof at this time of year . . . because for some, reality can be brutal. I mean, who wants to appraise his life when he's spent the last 12 months unshorn, sitting on his steel beam-reinforced, duct taped couch watching CNN, while complaining about religion and politics as he grows fatter by the day--but enough about Michael Moore. . . .
Sure, introspection is painful, and a brutal assessment of where we are and what we're really doing is about as appealing as eating a morning Bagel with Joan Rivers while she's tripping on acid after just getting fresh lip implants. Nevertheless, sometimes we have to do the uncomfortable in order to go on to greatness.
Speaking of greatness, having a great family, a successful career or a killer business is not easy. If you and I want to achieve what we dream about in life, then we are going to have to get an attitude--and not just any attitude, but a pit bull attitude. The reason why? Well, life is hard, Dinky, and you and I cannot be thin skinned little tea cup Poodles and expect life to give us what we want.
The pit bull epitomizes courage and persistence. They are little, scrappy warriors who will not back down. They face difficulties with a win-or-die perspective. They love the battle . . . they love the heat . . . they love the fight . . . and everything that is good, praiseworthy and noble comes through difficulty.
As a matter of fact, if you are looking for an easy way to succeed . . . for someone to carry you into greatness, you're in for the shock of your life. It is not out there. And if you think life is going to be trouble-free, you're about to have your rose-colored glasses removed, snapped in two and stomped into the ground--which, hopefully, will improve your vision. There is no easy road to a successful family, career or life.
Yes, the road to success is paved with road kill, and the road kill are all the glassy-eyed, weak, unprepared poodles that're looking for a free ride. But life is a battle where only the pit bulls survive and thrive. Great accomplishments aren't for the thin-skinned, fearful poodles.
So, to assist my readers in assessing what condition their condition is in, I have prepared The Pit Bull and Poodle Test to help us judge and adjust our attitudes. So if last year sucked because we were acting like poodles, this next year won't because we will have taken on a Pit Bull Attitude. Are you ready for this?
Pit Bull Test
1. Do you have a definite purpose backed up by a burning desire to see it fulfilled?
2. Are you continuously in action working on your plan?
3. Is your mind closed towards all negative and discouraging influences from foes, "friends," dysfunctional parents, music, books, tapes, T.V. etc?
4. Do you hang out with people who are greater than you in what they have accomplished and who utterly challenge you to excellence?
5. Are you self-reliant and independent?
6. Do you take responsibility for your life, both failures and successes?
7. Do you hate it when you waste time?
8. Do you look at life as a game to be played and played like a champion?
9. Have you become impervious to the criticisms of pusillanimous men and women?
10. Do you boldly face your fears with faith and move towards your goals?
Poodle Test
1. Do you often complain about your life?
2. Do you avoid association with people who have accomplished more than you?
3. Does your life seem futile and your future hopeless?
4. Do you often feel self-pity?
5. Are you envious of those who excel you?
6. Do you worry a lot?
7. Are you overly cautious and negative?
8. Are you indifferent and lacking in ambition and enthusiasm?
9. Do you constantly use excuses and alibis to explain why you haven't accomplished anything?
10. Do you often fantasize about lying on the front passenger seat of a Cadillac with a pink ribbon in your hair with your favorite chew toy?
Now, tally up the checks that were applicable to you in each category. Which one had the majority? If you checked more in the Pit Bull category, then congrats! I'll see you at the top of the mountain next year.
If most of the checks fell to the Poodle side, and you want to get out of your poodle-funk then hold on to your lug nuts--it's time for an overhaul. You can change. Being a Pit Bull is not about chance--it is about a choice.
You're transformation from being a little Fi-Fi is going to be difficult; however, the life you're about to experience is way better then the stuff you're about to leave behind.
You'll find, Ms. Poodle, as you begin the transformation into a pit bull that you are no longer timid, mousy or backward looking. Instead, you're audacious and courageous and not afraid to confront obstacles that hold you back from what you want from life.
"It is a funny thing about life--if you refuse to accept anything but the best you very often get it." W. Somerset Maugham
With the new year upon us like Kofi on a big wad of Iraqi oil-for-food cash, a lot of folks use the end of one year and the beginning of a new year to assess their character, their accomplishments and their calling to whatever they are pursuing and to evaluate how they stack up to what they want to be and do.
I guess that is why alcohol sales soar through the roof at this time of year . . . because for some, reality can be brutal. I mean, who wants to appraise his life when he's spent the last 12 months unshorn, sitting on his steel beam-reinforced, duct taped couch watching CNN, while complaining about religion and politics as he grows fatter by the day--but enough about Michael Moore. . . .
Sure, introspection is painful, and a brutal assessment of where we are and what we're really doing is about as appealing as eating a morning Bagel with Joan Rivers while she's tripping on acid after just getting fresh lip implants. Nevertheless, sometimes we have to do the uncomfortable in order to go on to greatness.
Speaking of greatness, having a great family, a successful career or a killer business is not easy. If you and I want to achieve what we dream about in life, then we are going to have to get an attitude--and not just any attitude, but a pit bull attitude. The reason why? Well, life is hard, Dinky, and you and I cannot be thin skinned little tea cup Poodles and expect life to give us what we want.
The pit bull epitomizes courage and persistence. They are little, scrappy warriors who will not back down. They face difficulties with a win-or-die perspective. They love the battle . . . they love the heat . . . they love the fight . . . and everything that is good, praiseworthy and noble comes through difficulty.
As a matter of fact, if you are looking for an easy way to succeed . . . for someone to carry you into greatness, you're in for the shock of your life. It is not out there. And if you think life is going to be trouble-free, you're about to have your rose-colored glasses removed, snapped in two and stomped into the ground--which, hopefully, will improve your vision. There is no easy road to a successful family, career or life.
Yes, the road to success is paved with road kill, and the road kill are all the glassy-eyed, weak, unprepared poodles that're looking for a free ride. But life is a battle where only the pit bulls survive and thrive. Great accomplishments aren't for the thin-skinned, fearful poodles.
So, to assist my readers in assessing what condition their condition is in, I have prepared The Pit Bull and Poodle Test to help us judge and adjust our attitudes. So if last year sucked because we were acting like poodles, this next year won't because we will have taken on a Pit Bull Attitude. Are you ready for this?
Pit Bull Test
1. Do you have a definite purpose backed up by a burning desire to see it fulfilled?
2. Are you continuously in action working on your plan?
3. Is your mind closed towards all negative and discouraging influences from foes, "friends," dysfunctional parents, music, books, tapes, T.V. etc?
4. Do you hang out with people who are greater than you in what they have accomplished and who utterly challenge you to excellence?
5. Are you self-reliant and independent?
6. Do you take responsibility for your life, both failures and successes?
7. Do you hate it when you waste time?
8. Do you look at life as a game to be played and played like a champion?
9. Have you become impervious to the criticisms of pusillanimous men and women?
10. Do you boldly face your fears with faith and move towards your goals?
Poodle Test
1. Do you often complain about your life?
2. Do you avoid association with people who have accomplished more than you?
3. Does your life seem futile and your future hopeless?
4. Do you often feel self-pity?
5. Are you envious of those who excel you?
6. Do you worry a lot?
7. Are you overly cautious and negative?
8. Are you indifferent and lacking in ambition and enthusiasm?
9. Do you constantly use excuses and alibis to explain why you haven't accomplished anything?
10. Do you often fantasize about lying on the front passenger seat of a Cadillac with a pink ribbon in your hair with your favorite chew toy?
Now, tally up the checks that were applicable to you in each category. Which one had the majority? If you checked more in the Pit Bull category, then congrats! I'll see you at the top of the mountain next year.
If most of the checks fell to the Poodle side, and you want to get out of your poodle-funk then hold on to your lug nuts--it's time for an overhaul. You can change. Being a Pit Bull is not about chance--it is about a choice.
You're transformation from being a little Fi-Fi is going to be difficult; however, the life you're about to experience is way better then the stuff you're about to leave behind.
You'll find, Ms. Poodle, as you begin the transformation into a pit bull that you are no longer timid, mousy or backward looking. Instead, you're audacious and courageous and not afraid to confront obstacles that hold you back from what you want from life.
winning
"Come Join Me At The Finish Line..."
One person can only do so much. But If he gathers a group of people around him who are committed to the same goals, if he galvanizes them and inspires them and taps into their inner drive, they can perform miracles together.
It takes courage. A lot of people will try to tell you it's impractical or impossible. They'll tell you to lower your sights. They'll tell you business can't be benevolent.
Remember: You'll be left with an empty feeling if you hit the finish line alone. When you run a race as a team, though, you'll discover that much of the reward comes from hitting the tape together. You want to be surrounded not just by cheering onlookers but by a crowd of winners, celebrating as one.
Victory is much more meaningful when it comes not just from the efforts of one person, but from the joint achievements of many. The euphoria is lasting when all participants lead with their hearts, winning not just for themselves but for one another...
"Success is sweetest when it's shared."
-Howard Schultz, CEO, Starbucks
Author of "Pour Your Heart Into It"
One person can only do so much. But If he gathers a group of people around him who are committed to the same goals, if he galvanizes them and inspires them and taps into their inner drive, they can perform miracles together.
It takes courage. A lot of people will try to tell you it's impractical or impossible. They'll tell you to lower your sights. They'll tell you business can't be benevolent.
Remember: You'll be left with an empty feeling if you hit the finish line alone. When you run a race as a team, though, you'll discover that much of the reward comes from hitting the tape together. You want to be surrounded not just by cheering onlookers but by a crowd of winners, celebrating as one.
Victory is much more meaningful when it comes not just from the efforts of one person, but from the joint achievements of many. The euphoria is lasting when all participants lead with their hearts, winning not just for themselves but for one another...
"Success is sweetest when it's shared."
-Howard Schultz, CEO, Starbucks
Author of "Pour Your Heart Into It"
Friday, January 2, 2009
You can now followme on TWITTER
http://twitter.com/Steve_Hoffmann
come an see what the buzz is all about
http://twitter.com/Steve_Hoffmann
come an see what the buzz is all about
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