Archive for October, 2009
Learn the Twitter Lingo
It’s easy to learn the Twitter Lingo
On the one hand, Twitter is pretty simple: send and receive short messages. On the other hand, what’s with all the symbols and weird terms?
In this post, we provide you with the key twitter terms so that you can be prepared to tweet with success
@Username
The @username is the name used to send and receive messages.
Direct Message
A DM or direct message is a private message on Twitter. In order to direct message someone, that person must be following you.
Favorites
Favorites is where you can save valuable tweets sent from another person on the twitter stream.
Follow
To follow somebody is to subscribe to their messages.
Followers
Followers are the people following you.
Following
Following are the people you are following.
Hashtag
A hashtag-the # symbol followed by a term and included in a tweet. This is a way of categorizing all the posts on a topic.
Retweet
RT or retweet is to repost a valuable message from somebody else on Twitter.
Shortened URL’s
Shortened URL’s are used to shrink long URL’s which is great for saving space in your tweets.
Trending Topics
Trending topics are the most-discussed terms on Twitter at any given moment.
Tweet
A tweet is an individual message sent from one person to another.
Your followers may find this post very resourceful, pay it forward by retweeting or sharing the post.
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Are you Engaging or Spamming?
Are you Engaging or Spamming?
Engage on Twitter: You will make more friends and attract more followers by becoming interested in other people versus trying to get other people interested in you. The key to engaging with others is recognizing that even in a group setting, it’s best to relate to people one on one.
Focus on the quality of engaging by making the other person feel important. A great way to connect with someone new is to give them a compliment. There’s always something nice to say about someone. 
To engage successfully remember to keep conversations focused on “safe” topics and away from taboo subjects such as religion, sex, race, and politics.
Here are four proven methods to engage using the simple acronym F.O.R.M.
The “F” is for Family-Friends
(Tweet about their family members, their background, etc)
The “O’ is for Occupation
(Tweet about their business, their profession, organizations they belong to, etc)
The “R” is for Recreation:
(Tweet about their hobbies, what they like to do for fun, online presence, favorite sports team, blogging, etc)
The “M” is for Message:
(Tweet about what is important to that person, what does that person stand for, what are that person’s values, etc)
When engaging with “F.O.R.M.”; it helps you to learn more about that person, its shows sincere interest and opens the door to providing a solution for that persons needs.
When you show that you care and there is a need, a person is more receptive to hearing about your company, products, service and/or opportunity.
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Twitter in Time Out?
Twitter in Time out
Twitter Time Out
Well I guess all the talk about Million dollar search deals between Google, Microsoft and Twitter may be going up in smoke.
I’ve been watching the support tickets flowing into Twitter over the last 24 hours and I must say that Twitter must have forgot to start it’s engines this morning, because many of our @replies and dm’s have flown the coop.
But still no word from Twitter on when service will return to normal, we’ll keep you posted.
So if you are one of the thousands of people, or should I say millions of users on Twitter who seem like they have been frozen in time, you not alone.
Watching out for you, one tweet at a time. (Please leave us your comments and suggestions)
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How Will the FTC Affect Twitter and Advertising?
FTC: How will it affect Twitter and Advertising
Recently, CNN covered FTC targets bloggers, celebrities along with many other media organizations. Basically this rule extends to the internet including bloggers and social networkers (along with celebrities) or just anyone who endorses a product. This is not just an endorsement, but one that involves a monetary exchange.
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) wants anyone endorsing a product for monetary gain to disclose what companies they are working with to ensure the integrity of the product. With the undeniably fast growth of social networks like Twitter and Facebook, as an example, users are turning to monetizing their streams.
Paid to tweet companies like Be-A-Magpie, Sponsored Tweets, and more have popped up in the last year alone. With some tweeps with more than 10,000 followers, these applications allow users to choose what advertisements to tweet. These tweets, if done tastefully are unobtrusive. Already most of those sites require some type of disclosure to allow users to know. For example, perhaps you might have seen #ad, #sponsored, or “my sponsor…” or something similar to those examples.
(Note: The paid to tweet sites listed above are not an endorsement, but an example and have no affiliate links tied to them to give any gain to anyone.)
It is important to disclose tweets that endorse products because it allows the user to keep an honest front with followers, as well as an honest front for the company and the product being represented. However, as the CNN article listed above mentions – the FTC may go after advertisers first before bloggers and social network users so the companies will make sure to provide instructions for product reviewers or even Tweeps to adhere to the disclosure compliances.
How will this affect Twitter and advertising? Well, it would just mean that companies like Be A Magpie and Sponsored tweets will continue to make sure some type of disclosure is issued with each tweet by their users. This will also drive away companies that are seeking less honest ways to advertising products that are questionable. Also, tweeps will now know exactly what is being endorsed.
What do you think of the FTC’s new policy? Do you pay to tweet sometimes? If so, do you use some type of disclosure?
Retweet Power
The power of a retweet on Twitter
Here’s the skinny on the power of a retweet on twitter….
1. A Retweet Provides Value to Your Follower(s)
One of the most important reasons why people follow you is for value. If you can provide value to your followers you will not only make your followers happy, you will most likely attract more followers. Providing quality content is always a great way to provide your followers with value. The first thing that comes to mind is sharing a link to relevant information that is from you or another person.
2. A Retweet Can Benefit Your Personal Brand
Retweeting will help build your personal brand as well as your follower’s loyalty. If you point a follower to an external source that is truly relevant and beneficial to them, the amount of trust that person has in you will increase. The next time you post a link, whether it’s to your website or to an external source, the chances of that person clicking that link are higher than before.
3. A Retweet Can Help You Build Relationships with Others
Retweeting someone else’s content is an act of kindness, and others are likely to do the same for you. This doesn’t mean that you should expect someone to retweet your content just because you retweet theirs. Remember, retweeting is all about providing value to your followers, typically people will not retweet a post of yours unless it’s perceived as informative, helpful or funny.
If you retweet incorrectly (sending Spam), this can actually hurt your personal brand and future traffic. If done right, a retweet can provide value to your followers, build your personal brand, increase future traffic, and build relationships with a lot of people in your niche.
Happy Retweeting~
Please share your retweet stories with us..
Oooh, feel free to retweet this post to your followers.
Get instant Twitter Watchdog Secrets, Tips and Tools that will help maximize both your personal and professional Twitter experience. Just enter your name and email address now.
TweetAdder Review
TweetAdder Review
For nearly one year we have test driven several Twitter Tools to see which one(s) would help us save time and be more productive on Twitter.
So far, Tweet Adder is ahead of the curve. Tweetadder allows you to automate certain tasks so that you can focus on the core values of engaging, building relationships and providing value.
By the request of some followers, Skeeter Hansen created this video to explain the tweet adder highlights so you can decide if tweet adder may be an optional twitter tool for you.
HIGHLIGHTS: Following, unfollowing, locate people, find followers, send scheduled tweets, distribute direct messages, send auto replies, run multiple accounts and more…
Instant Access to the Official TweetAdder Site
Twitter WatchDog has partnered with TweetAdder to provide you a 20% discount on your purchase. Just use the special coupon code: TWD20 to receive a 20% discount. It’s easy to install and is available for both PC and Mac.
CAUTION: Tweet Adder is a powerful tool that must be handled with care and used in moderation. Abuse with tweetadder could result in suspension on Twitter.
