Archive for August, 2009
OK, you created an account on Twitter, you (hopefully) completed your profile, added a short but interesting bio, entered your website URL, and are now ready to start Tweeting. But you are still confused about how to use it.
If that describes you, then you’re not alone. The most common question I get from friends and clients when I talk about Twitter, is “How do I manage this constant stream of information?”
Well, we are so lucky that there are many, many tools that have been developed to help us use Twitter better, faster and more efficiently. Every day I discover more and I try to test most of them, but here’s a list of my three favorites. (and they are all FREE).
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Tags: Social Media, SocialOomph, TweetDeck, TweetLater, Twitter, Twitter tools, Twollo
Posted in Social Media, Twitter | 2 Comments »
August 31st, 2009
I attended the Cool Twitter Conference in NYC today. It was a really great group of people in a small venue that allowed a lot of sharing of ideas and getting to know each other. The speakers included a writer, a music exec, a mobile cupcake shop entrepreneur, the social media director of a popcorn manufacturer, and more (see link below for list of speakers). Each one of the speakers had a great story about how Twitter is an integral part of their growth.
Here are 15 “take-aways” that I think are worth sharing especially for any of you “newbies” who are just getting started.
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Posted in Social Media, Twitter | No Comments »
August 27th, 2009
As promised, here are more definitions of Twitter supplied by my friends, my network, and my followers. It seems as if the fastest growing social media phenomenon of our day is incredibly hard for people to describe. Possibly because Twitter serves so many different kinds of purposes to so many different people.
What surprised me most about this survey is that I received some really negative definitions of Twitter…from marketing people! I didn’t reprint them fearing that out of context it would seem as if they came from me (plus there were some four letter words in many of them!) I certainly can understand people who, because they don’t understand Twitter, are skeptical about it. But marketing people…get real!
That being said, I would love to hear YOUR definition. Here are some more definitions that people sent to me. Any of them ring true to you?
What is Twitter (Again)?
- An extremely powerful Internet marketing tool when you have an effective Twitter strategy consistent with your overall brand.
- A filtered real-time human thought custom RSS feed.
- Both a megaphone and microscope. Just don’t put an avatar with a beautiful bikini model, don’t sell Amway and don’t talk about yourself all damn day.
- A micro-blogging platform primarily used to provide status updates as to our whereabouts and activities of interest
- The laziest method of blogging possible.
- Centralized live news feed, offering followers snippets of information of current information, news, trends, topics, etc.
- A short-form messaging platform that allows you to publish messages in less than 140 characters through different mediums like desktop applications, cell-phones, and the web.
- A broadcast medium that is like reading and writing headlines. It is a great way to get to know people and people get to know you – as in all the social communities. I like how fast paced Twitter is and it works with my attention span – getting snippets of news and choosing what you would like to read into more as many people give you links to more detailed information.
- A micro-blog that has enabled the formation of a new breed of online communities to grow and exchange information at a faster than ever pace, approaching real time.
- Twitter transmits twaddle.
- Broadcasting to the world.
- The vain of our existence.
- Electronic stalking for the hyperactive individual.
- The question should be, how do you, personally, use Twitter?
- A great line of communication between companies & clients.
- A way to learn what’s happening and who’s talking right now worldwide. It’s a way to search for and join conversations.
- A little green ego machine.
Tags: Social Media, Twitter, Twitter Definition
Posted in Local Business, Social Media, Twitter | 1 Comment »
August 20th, 2009
I was honored to be part of a panel discussion about Social Media for the event planning industry yesterday at the Oak Room at the Plaza Hotel. So many people want to know more about how to use Blogs, LinkedIn, and Twitter for business. My close friend Elizabeth Beskin and I were the presenters. Here are slides from the presentation. Video will also be available soon!
Tags: Blogging, Blogs, Facebook, LinkedIn, Social Media, Twitter
Posted in Blogging, Social Media, Twitter | No Comments »
August 13th, 2009
The funniest thing about Twitter is that so many people have a hard time describing it. Last week, in preparation for a talk I am doing today on Social Media, I used Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook and asked my connections: What is Twitter?
I got a ton of responses, which range from humorous to downright angry. I will be posting them as they come through…but here’s a few of my fav’s:
1. Letting your network know information important to you in 140 characters in a real time
2. A powerful outlet for instantaneous communication that is very relevant for all businesses
3. A way to share information or learn about a subject from people who are experts or who are talking about what I’m interested in around the world
4. World’s Biggest Chatroom
5. Both a megaphone and microscope
6. Twitter: Fast facts, opinions and news feed if you follow the right people. Be picky.
7. A readily reliable revolution reporter (Iran)
8. The pursuit of the unmeetable by the ’140-max’ Tweetable.“
9. Potential thumb wrecker
10. Twitter hits the nail on the head… a bunch of birds on a powerline, twittering away. Are others listening? Sometimes! But we’re all on the line together - Ric Dragon
Tags: Twitter
Posted in Twitter | No Comments »
August 12th, 2009
I performed a Twitter search this morning for “SEO.”
Here is the list of results I got:
I clicked on this one:
Clicked on the URL, and got this:
So, being of a suspicious nature, I clicked on “about” and got this:
Of course, that’s where I bailed out…but if I hadn’t, who knows? Perhaps I would just be helping an Internet Marketing person drive traffic to their site, but in reality, I suspect there could be more to it (virus, twitter hi-jacking, etc.)
Then I went back to the list and realized that most of the Tweets were from members with
1. a female name
2. a photo of a young woman
3. no bio
4. very few followers
5. a following list of 0
and when I investigated further, I kept getting the same “Congratulations!” page.
How lame! Using Twitter to spread your message the way it was intended is so easy: create a profile, search for people of “like mind”, start sharing info, learn and grow your following. Spammers spend a whole lot of time trying to figure out how to beat the system, but the system is set-up for success already! What a waste of time and energy!
How to report Twitter spam? Click here: http://tinyurl.com/ljacz5<-->
Tags: Twitter, Twitter Spam
Posted in Twitter | 2 Comments »
August 2nd, 2009
Question: I am building an eCommerce site where I will be selling products that appear on other sites, including manufacturers’ sites. If I cut and paste descriptions from one of those sites onto my own, will I hurt my Search Engine rankings? Jonathan Rosen, Give.bz
My instincts are to say “Yes, it would hurt your rankings.” In SEO (Search Engine Optimization), duplicating content from one site to another is never recommended under any circumstances. However, if you are adding lots and lots of items onto your eCommerce site, it sure would make it a lot faster and easier to copy and paste rather than having to create a unique description for every single product.
I’ve done some research, and my instincts were right. It is a bad idea to duplicate content from one website to another, especially when you don’t own both sites. But to make your life easier, go ahead, copy and paste; then tweak the text and make it your own. This will serve to:
1. Protect your hard-won search engine rankings.
2. Your site will have a consistent “voice” throughout.
3. You can make your descriptions more compelling than the original.
4. You will have total control over all the content on your site
For more interesting tips on SEO and eCommerce, click here:
Guide to Optimize your eCommerce Site for Search Engines
Tags: Copy & Paste, ECommerce, SEO
Posted in Facebook, SEO | No Comments »
August 1st, 2009
