You’ve seen it on the news, read about it in the paper, hell even your favourite magazine is accepting ‘tweets’ from readers instead of the normal email. But having taken the plunge and registered an account, you’re just not getting it.
You’re not alone. The profile of Twitter has risen immeasurably in the last six months. Think of the Mumbai bombings, the New York plane crash, or the ongoing debacle over which celebrity twitter accounts are genuine. But what started out as a tool to help people network, has slowly morphed into something that enables you to cyberstalk people you’ll probably never meet. And they certainly aren’t proving useful to you – so what’s the point?
Find out how to use Twitter to your advantage by following these tips (oh, and ditch the celebs – just think of the poor PA tweeting on their behalf):
1. Find your community
Jack Schofield, computer editor at the Guardian, says, “Twitter has millions of users – far too many to handle – but most of us are in groups of a couple of dozen people with common interests, which makes it possible to have rational conversations. The trick is to find the sort of group you want to belong to, follow all the people in the conversation, then make contributions that add value. If you are cheerful, intelligent and helpful, you’ll be accepted; if you behave like an idiot, you’ll be unfollowed or blocked.”
2. Karmic tweets
Schofield advocates a ‘gift economy’, recommending that, “Only by putting out good stuff will you get good stuff back.” This is also something that Jon Yang, author of The Rough Guide to Blogging, encourages, “When interacting with people you don’t know, it’s a great idea to think about what you can offer them or what might interest them. Continually agreeing with their comments or chirping “Great idea!” won’t win you their attention.”
Put out crap and you may just get it back...
3. Network
If you’re looking for work, Schofield recommends searching Twitter for people you respect in your field. When you meet new contacts, check if they have Twitter account – many people have usernames that make them impossible to find unless they’ve told you.
Yang emphasises the importance of introducing yourself to stand out from the crowd, “Take the time out to study twitterers you’ll be following. If you feel like it, even send over an introductory tweet. You’ll be surprised at how accessible people can be, even if they are already very popular or influential. Keep it short and focused though.”
