If you absolutely love MySpace, you can now have your updated automatically sent to Twitter http://www.myspace.com/sync This is an attempt to interest the tween generation, who are major the users of MySpace, to join the conversation in the Twitterverse. I have not tested it, nor do I plan to–so if you are a user of myspacesynch.com maybe you could leave a comment about your experience?
Twitter and My Space have synched
What’s Up With Twitter Hashtags?
Twitter Hashtags (the symbol: #) are used when you want to track a subject or trending topic in Twitter. For example, #FollowFriday aka, #FF. This particular hashtag was started by Warren Whitlock (follow him @WarrenWhitlock) and became viral almost immediately after being introduced in the first few days of New Year’s 2009 celebrations.
Another example, #bdivas is from an international group of amazing boomer women who make a difference daily, not only to each other, but to their respective local communities. This group was organized by Beverly Mahone (follow her @babyboombev) from Boomer Diva Nation.
With hashtags becoming more common, people began to find more reasons to use them. I’ve seen them used for vanity purposes, like license plates, and also for favorite causes like clean drinking water. There is a another trend in hashtags in that you pick a night and host a Twitter Chat with anyone willing to join in. One of my favorite weekly chats is #ageop on Thursday nights. #ageop only lasts an hour (9PM ET) but the quality of the chat is worth every minute. You use an aggregator such as www.Tweetchat.com and put the name ageop in for the room (no need to use the hashtag) and automatically follow the discussion. You can use TweetDeck or Seesmic too, but you will have to remember to add the (hashtag) #ageop somewhere in the tweet. Tweetchat automatically adds in onto the end of your tweet. There are other programs that do this, use your favorite.
Today I found something extraordinary that I wanted to share. Robert Swanwick (follow him @spkrinteractive) created a Twitter Chat schedule on a Google Docs spreadsheet and has collected details of each hosted chat for all of us to refer to and even update. I’m thinking he deserves a mighty THANK YOU from all of us that enjoy Twitter Chats. Here is the link to his spreadsheet: http://budurl.com/z88d This is not an affiliate link, just a shortened link to Mr. Swanwick’s awesome document. Check it out for yourself!
Trazzler Buzz
Trazzler Buzz is for tracking popular places on Twitter. So if you’d like some suggstions on where to go then connecting with this site might be the thing to do!
Guest Post: Twitter Etiquette - Seven dos and don’ts
The following is a guest post by Wendy Moore.
Don’t #1: Protected Updates
Protecting your updates is fine but not if you’re on Twitter to expand your network. It’s a social networking site so if you’re there, you’re better off to socialise with as many people as you can. Making yourself available exclusively to close friends only is not an appropriate attitude. It’s like shutting your window of opportunity to other people who may just be able to bring you more potential clients in the future.
Don’t #2: No Pic
Not uploading a photo won’t give you results any at all. Come to think of it, nobody wants to connect with a person they can’t see. Seeing someone at least through a picture gives you the feeling that you’re establishing a relationship with a real individual. So never forget to include a close-up photo of yourself in your profile. Don’t be shy - show yourself to people.
Don’t # 3: No Bio
This is a must. When you create a bio, make it a standout. Be unique by using catchy and descriptive words to let people know what an interesting person you are. Include descriptions that show your expertise in a particular field and the success you’ve achieved. Don’t forget to add details about your human side such describing yourself as a loving partner or doting mother. You being a normal human will draw people to you.
Don’t # 4: No Updates
Perhaps there’s no other social networking site that features frequent interaction like Twitter. That’s the beauty of socialising. You engage in discussions by conversing with the audience and the people who follow you. Frequent updating is essential if you want to have a loyal following so make sure that you always take part in conversations.
Don’t #5: Wrong Type of Updates
When tweeting, think of value. Think of what you can offer your followers that will be useful to them. Your profile page should have information that can positively influence people in their daily lives. Share something interesting, something fresh and funny. If you know of breaking news or trivia that you think has not yet been broadcast, go ahead and be the first to share it. If you can consistently provide value to your followers, they will continue to go to you.
Don’t # 6: Not Following People Back
To follow or not to follow, that is the question. Some people on Twitter are guilty of having more followers than the people they actually follow. This may not be bad at all but later on, you may just find your followers dwindle in number. So how can you solve this issue? Update your profile as often as you can, provide valuable information and follow people as well. Remember that to become a leader, you have to be a follower first.
Do #7: Quantity vs. Quality
While in Twitter, be cautious about getting quality contacts more than the quantity. You may have thousands of people in your list but if they don’t share your interests and don’t understand the things you do, you’re better off with only a fewer number of followers who are more interested in you and your endeavors. The numbers won’t count much if you’re not achieving your twittering goals.
Don’t forget to follow me on twitter too!: www.followwendy.com
By Wendy Moore
Copyright 2009 Savvy Web Women Pty Ltd
Customize your Twitter Background
Check out these free tools and easy to understand instructions to customize your Twitter background. No HTML experience is necessary. Take a look at all three and decide which one will serve your needs. I used Twitbacks to create mine, and Twitbacks will customize your background for you once you reach 5,000 followers or more. I played with Powerpoint for hours one night, but never quite got the look I was going for. (I have little skill in web design or HTML.) Have fun you creative types and post your Twitter ID clickable URL so we can be sure to see the fantastic creations that are now your Twitter backgrounds. Here is mine: http://twitter.com/Teri8D Don’t laugh, I’m just waiting until I get to 5,000 followers so I can get some free professional help!
http://theclosetentrepreneur.com/create-a-twitter-background-using-powerpoint
http://mashable.com/2009/05/23/twitter-backgrounds/
Free Twitter Designer
Need help making your background look more exciting? Then enter FreeTwitterDesigner so you can design your own background.
HooteSuite
HooteSuite claims to be the ultimate toolbox for Twitter users. Apparently you can have multiple profiles on it, track your success, pre-schedule tweets and run searches. I have been using another multiple profile platform but can’t do searches on it so I might just give this one a try. It seems to be in Beta format so looks like it could be a very promising platform to use.
Does Follow - who follows who?
If you really want to know who is following who then you can use DoesFollow. You get a big fat red NOPE if the follow isn’t happening. Fun to play with.
I wonder why people think these things up?
We Fol-low
Twitter runs a small profile on Twitter tools in the right hand menu just under the followers count and they’re always worth checking out. Well, most of the time.
We fol-low will give you a preview of Tweeple who have heaps of followers and you can check them out. Of course you may discover that those who have over 1million followers are following less than 50 people (like Ellen Degeneres) but who’s counting? And Oprah with an equally impressive number of followers follows an even smaller number. But perhaps they’re too busy to see what the rest of us are doing.
Trending Topics
If you’re using Twitter.com and not one of the other platforms, you might notice the ‘Trending Topics’ in the right-hand menu. This is constantly updated and lets you know what the most popular tweet topics are.
This will help you if you’re looking to join in conversations and not sure where to start.
