If the social potential for Twitter isn’t appealing to you, then the promotional aspects should be. Granted, if you use Twitter merely to promote yourself, you’ll lose followers fast.
Twitter?
Check out this video from commoncraft to figure out what the eff Twitter is if you don’t know already:
Note: Twitter nomenclature yields that every Twitter user shall be preceded by the @ sign. I’ll be using this notation in this post for brevity’s sake.
Follow the Leaders
In many ways, Twitter is like high school. Everyone knows about the most popular people using the service, whether they associated with them or not. Likewise, the most popular people have the most sway. One tweet from a Twitter god like @chrisbrogan can rocket your fledgling blog into fame.
And thankfully, most of the Twitter power users are down-to-earth. They will follow you back if you start following them. And they just might retweet a post of yours if they really like. Start following these Twitter maniacs:
Learn from Best
AJ Vaynerchuk is the best when it comes to Twitter analysis. We get to kill two birds with one stone, because he’s also a student blogger.
AJ’s (@ajvchuk) such a pro at Twitter, he’s dedicated a portion of his blog to it. He knows the service inside and out. To keep yourself updated with the ins and outs of Twitter, add AJ’s blog to your blog reader.
Shameless Tweets
Once you’ve connected yourself, it’s time to start shamelessly tweeting out posts. Again, don’t use Twitter only to promote yourself. Once a power Tweeter retweets a post of yours they like, you’ll see a huge jump in traffic. Your server might crash. A few days (most likely hours) later, traffic will return to normal.
But this is not a bad thing. In fact, you should expect it. As with any “-effect,” there’s always a period of severe disappointment. If your new blog somehow makes the front page of digg, you’ll see a huge spike in traffic. But then everything will settle back down to normal. But there might be 4 or 5 people that are sticking around and added your blog to their feed reader. Those people are the most important; they will become your biggest fans and will gladly sport your T-shirt when you get them made.
Stay tuned for tomorrow’s post titled “Connect with Other Students in Your Field of Expertise.”
You just read a post that’s part of the student blogging series. To check out other posts in the series, please visit hackcollege.com/blogs
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on May 1, 2008 @ 4:44 pm
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on May 1, 2008 @ 8:35 pm
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Tommy
on May 1, 2008 @ 11:30 pm
I am so tired of hearing all the a-list tech bloggers/video/podcasters/analysts/pundits/everyone talk about Twitter. It’s ridiculous, especially when all of them say how it’s “revolutionary”. It is, but it’s not, at the same time. For the regular everyday internet user, twitter adds little value besides allowing me to stay updated to some of my favorite web-celebs. None of my actual real-life friends are on Twitter, nor do they have any incentive to join. Regular blogs, Facebook, and Myspace, all allow my friends and I to remain connected. Twitter does nothing. It’s for A-List masturbatory techies.
And I recognize the irony that I leave my Twitter address as my website.
Using Twitter as a Social Network: Track X | HackCollege
on May 2, 2008 @ 8:04 am
[…] you can start using Twitter by following your favorite weblebrities for some possible exposure to your current project, but Twitter is also a wonderful medium for […]
Kelly Sutton
on May 3, 2008 @ 2:03 am
@Tommy
Definitely agree with what you’re saying. I’ve been doing my best to educate my friends about Twitter and get them hooked. It’s not only a networking tool but also a powerful communication mechanism.
Twitter in and of itself is not a community nor a social network. It’s a social messaging mechanism. It sends and tracks messages; that’s about it. Twitter is a cool tool, nothing more.
If Twitter sticks around for a few years, I can definitely holding a place in an average person’s everyday life.
As far as real-life incentives, just look to Twitter mobs. I have started keeping my friends updated on Twitter (and via the Facebook plugin). I already have a lot of people asking about it. If all of my friends were on Twitter, finding a party on a weekend night would be easy.
Shawn Farner
on May 3, 2008 @ 6:00 am
I definitely agree that Twitter is an excellent way to bridge the gap between web celebrities and the normal guy or gal. Twitter has allowed me to talk to people I would have NEVER spoken with otherwise.