I just don't get Twitter

52 replies
I've spent I don't know how many hours messing with twitter and I just don't understand what value it is. The new tweets come in so fast you aren't going to read any of them. (I'm using TweetDeck) Virtually everything there is a short blurb about some ones business which would be ok except that there are 10,000,000 of them so again I don't see that anyone is every going to look at anything that's linked there. I suppose there may be some value to the fact that there is a link to your site in a high value site like Twitter.

Maybe someone could enlighten me.
#twitter
  • Profile picture of the author Tyrus Antas
    Some nasty little twitter "secrets":
    - most accounts are dead/abandoned
    - those who are not dead are dormant
    - those who participate do it sporadically

    Twitter is popular because popular people promote
    it. It's great for their ego: they have a large number of
    followers to show everybody.

    The problem is that those followers don't feel as
    excited about twitter.

    Check this out:
    TechCrunch (TechCrunch) on Twitter

    One of the links they posted yesterday got a
    whooping 673 clicks:
    http://bit.ly/bWwEBm+

    Techcrunch number of followers? 1,483,814
    CTR: 0,045%

    Tyrus
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    • Profile picture of the author DogScout
      Originally Posted by Tyrus Antas View Post

      Some nasty little twitter "secrets":
      - most accounts are dead/abandoned
      - those who are not dead are dormant
      - those who participate do it sporadically

      Twitter is popular because popular people promote
      it. It's great for their ego: they have a large number of
      followers to show everybody.

      The problem is that those followers don't feel as
      excited about twitter.

      Check this out:
      TechCrunch (TechCrunch) on Twitter

      One of the links they posted yesterday got a
      whooping 673 clicks:
      bit.ly statistics for (Vibrant Media May Be Annoying, But It

      Techcrunch number of followers? 1,483,814

      Tyrus
      And out of those 673 clicks, probably 672 bounced before the page loaded.
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    • Profile picture of the author SRF
      Those are some real nice points, thanks for sharing. You have put it up in the right words...

      Originally Posted by Tyrus Antas View Post

      Some nasty little twitter "secrets":
      - most accounts are dead/abandoned
      - those who are not dead are dormant
      - those who participate do it sporadically

      Twitter is popular because popular people promote
      it. It's great for their ego: they have a large number of
      followers to show everybody.

      The problem is that those followers don't feel as
      excited about twitter.

      Check this out:
      TechCrunch (TechCrunch) on Twitter

      One of the links they posted yesterday got a
      whooping 673 clicks:
      bit.ly statistics for (Vibrant Media May Be Annoying, But It

      Techcrunch number of followers? 1,483,814
      CTR: 0,045%

      Tyrus
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  • Social media marketing is all about providing value (content). You can't just promote your business, you have to give away some free content. To gain interest, I suggest you send out tips, facts, how-tos, etc. Free videos are great, post something on YouTube and promote it on Twitter.
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    • Profile picture of the author ronc0011
      Originally Posted by OnlineMarketingGal View Post

      Social media marketing is all about providing value (content). You can't just promote your business, you have to give away some free content. To gain interest, I suggest you send out tips, facts, how-tos, etc. Free videos are great, post something on YouTube and promote it on Twitter.
      But this just gets back to what I was saying. I go on Twitter and there is this never ending river of "Free" gifts and stuff and the end result is that it all just flows together into this one nameless faceless mish mash of pointless junk. There is no individuality, nothing to set anything apart. For all the time I've spent on twitter I've never actually clicked on anything.
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      • Profile picture of the author Fahmod
        Originally Posted by ronc0011 View Post

        There is no individuality, nothing to set anything apart. For all the time I've spent on twitter I've never actually clicked on anything. [/FONT][/SIZE][/FONT]
        I don't have much experience with Twitter, but it sounds like you jumped into an artificial Ocean of 'all the same' ... and you being one of all the sames, too.

        Be yourself, build your own network, chat, talk, discuss, give tips, throw in a special promotion here or there ...
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    • Profile picture of the author OmarBriones
      You Said It Gal!!

      Originally Posted by OnlineMarketingGal View Post

      Social media marketing is all about providing value (content). You can't just promote your business, you have to give away some free content. To gain interest, I suggest you send out tips, facts, how-tos, etc. Free videos are great, post something on YouTube and promote it on Twitter.
      Signature
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  • Profile picture of the author howinfo
    Your observations are totally right, lot of marketer send out automated tweets and loads of them.

    You can however get some quality followers who would be actually interested in what you are doing and tweeting but it would take so much time as you really have to be up close and personal and spend lot of time on twitter so you really have to think if you can maybe use your time more constructively.
    Signature
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  • Profile picture of the author Slade556
    I'm with you man. I have a few twitter accounts myself and I am trying to force myself to do more of it but I have shared many of your thoughts. It took me about 5 times of someone having to explain it to me before I even understood what the value of it was. I kept saying "That's it? That's all it does?". I have picked up some useful bits of information on there via tweets and maybe I'll fall in love with it more but as of now I'm a little skeptical of its longevity.
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    • Profile picture of the author hometutor
      Twitters a little different:

      Posting the same tweets doesn't penalize you. Even without networking I'm getting followers. The magic number seems to be once I get over 1000 tweets I begin getting followers faster.

      The backlinks (do not use url shorteners because of this) are even more impressive than the followers I get. Twitter itself may be nofollow but those who grab my rss feeds off twitter for content are both nofollow and follow.

      Rick
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      • Profile picture of the author ronc0011
        Originally Posted by hometutor View Post

        Twitters a little different:

        Posting the same tweets doesn't penalize you. Even without networking I'm getting followers. The magic number seems to be once I get over 1000 tweets I begin getting followers faster.

        The backlinks (do not use url shorteners because of this) are even more impressive than the followers I get. Twitter itself may be nofollow but those who grab my rss feeds off twitter for content are both nofollow and follow.

        Rick
        Are you saying that Google can't see or follow the backlinks if the url is shortened. Actually I suppose that would make sense because the shortened url is a redirect from another site. I had never really thought of that.
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  • Profile picture of the author Gclunis
    the idea behind twitter and even facebook is to promote conversation. HUman beings are naturally social creatures which is the reason for hte social media boom that we are no experiencing. So many people just post promotional ads and such or even just focus on giving out free info. Its not always about giving value or building a brand..its about building conversation and discussion about and around your brand. Using twitter in conjunction with facebook and other social media sites builds up a reason for people to talk about you..they see that you have multiple profiles and get the feeling that you will be around for a while..then when they see that your updates and tweets come off as actual discussions they choose to participate and that puts your brand on their mind everytime they have similar conversations
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    • Profile picture of the author hometutor
      Originally Posted by Gclunis View Post

      the idea behind twitter and even facebook is to promote conversation. HUman beings are naturally social creatures which is the reason for hte social media boom that we are no experiencing. So many people just post promotional ads and such or even just focus on giving out free info. Its not always about giving value or building a brand..its about building conversation and discussion about and around your brand. Using twitter in conjunction with facebook and other social media sites builds up a reason for people to talk about you..they see that you have multiple profiles and get the feeling that you will be around for a while..then when they see that your updates and tweets come off as actual discussions they choose to participate and that puts your brand on their mind everytime they have similar conversations
      I'm the first to admit, if you have time to network in all the social media then by all means do it. People to people is always best.

      Rick
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  • Profile picture of the author jasonmorgan
    But this just gets back to what I was saying. I go on Twitter and there is this never ending river of "Free" gifts and stuff and the end result is that it all just flows together into this one nameless faceless mish mash of pointless junk. There is no individuality, nothing to set anything apart. For all the time I've spent on twitter I've never actually clicked on anything.
    You are following too many people.

    Twitter is not meant for internet marketing. Can it be used for internet marketing, sure, but following thousands of people to get thousands of followers in return isn't going to get you anywhere.

    Successful twitter marketers have a following of people who care about what they have to tweet.

    Here is a tip:

    Promote your twitter account on your website or on your list or where ever you go to reach out to people and let them follow you by choice.

    Let your twitter account grow organically. Don't force it, it's a waste of time.

    Do not auto follow other marketers... you are already seeing the spammy results of this.
    Signature

    I'm all about that bass.

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    • Profile picture of the author NicoleBeckett
      Originally Posted by jasonmorgan View Post

      You are following too many people.

      Twitter is not meant for internet marketing. Can it be used for internet marketing, sure, but following thousands of people to get thousands of followers in return isn't going to get you anywhere.

      Successful twitter marketers have a following of people who care about what they have to tweet.

      Here is a tip:

      Promote your twitter account on your website or on your list or where ever you go to reach out to people and let them follow you by choice.

      Let your twitter account grow organically. Don't force it, it's a waste of time.

      Do not auto follow other marketers... you are already seeing the spammy results of this.
      Great tips! I finally bit the bullet and started tweeting a couple of months ago. I don't have the thousands of followers that other people do, but I have gotten some clients and traffic out of it.

      I use Twitter primarily to promote my own articles (stuff that's both on my site and on the directories). That way, my followers get some useful information, and they're more likely to think of me the next time they need content.
      Signature
      Sick of blending in with the crowd? Ready to stand ahead of the pack? The right content writing services can get you there...
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  • Profile picture of the author SEOExpert999
    Twitter is very good tool for social people. If you subscribe to a hold bunch of business friends then that is what you will see a whole bunch of business ads. If you sign up to talk to your friends then you will get a whole bunch of personal messages from all your friends. Your job as marketer is to develop friends and let them know what you do. The business will come because you are branding yourself through a true friendship. Stop trying to send a sale message every 2 post. Send 2 ads out 20 post and you will get better friends. Send joke, send news, send what you are doing right now, etc....
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  • Profile picture of the author azgigi
    Glad someone else posed the question and appreciate all the comments. I did not and still don't quite understand what all the fuss is about with twitter! Glad to know I am not the only one.
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  • Profile picture of the author Shannon Herod
    Twitter was amazing in its infancy. It was a great place to communicate, get to know people and drive traffic.

    But, that has all pretty much fizzled out.... Now it's just kind of annoying and full of spammers.
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    • Profile picture of the author Brandon Sheley
      Originally Posted by Shannon Herod View Post

      Twitter was amazing in its infancy. It was a great place to communicate, get to know people and drive traffic.

      But, that has all pretty much fizzled out.... Now it's just kind of annoying and full of spammers.
      hmm, i disagree
      but than again, I'm not following any spammers :rolleyes:
      Twitter is still a great resource, 100 million users can't be wrong
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  • Profile picture of the author Fraggler
    Twitter makes it very easy to approach or get noticed by people who otherwise may ignore you.

    Use it as a way to build up a relationship with your peers or your customers and work on it from there. Show interest in what they are tweeting and you'll be suprised at how easy it is to get them to show the same interest in you.

    Networking is very powerful
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  • Profile picture of the author sidd23
    Im the opposite, I think it's a terrific tool
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  • Profile picture of the author NerdGary
    I have to agree... I just don't get Twitter...

    They better get their IPO out there before they implode...
    Signature



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  • Profile picture of the author sbucciarel
    Banned
    If you use Twitter for networking with people it's more useful ... if you use it for blasting out commercial messages, it's less useful.

    I just cleaned out my Twitter account. All commercial messages were unfollowed and now I'm seeing some real conversations going on and people that I enjoy following.
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  • Profile picture of the author tommygadget
    I used to follow a bunch of people and got tweeted to death. That was it for me. Also, the people who used the "follow everyone" method of getting followers also cannot see your tweets in the tidal wave of incessant noise.

    TomG.

    PS - I think it might have some linking value, though.
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    • Profile picture of the author imkevintan
      For me, by using Twitter, I can catch-up with the news (or my niche) and what's hot in the world today.

      And by using Facebook, I can catch-up with the news and what's happening around my friends.
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  • Profile picture of the author Hesaidblissfully
    Originally Posted by ronc0011 View Post

    I've spent I don't know how many hours messing with twitter and I just don't understand what value it is. The new tweets come in so fast you aren't going to read any of them. (I'm using TweetDeck) Virtually everything there is a short blurb about some ones business which would be ok except that there are 10,000,000 of them so again I don't see that anyone is every going to look at anything that's linked there. I suppose there may be some value to the fact that there is a link to your site in a high value site like Twitter.

    Maybe someone could enlighten me.
    You have to take off your "Internet Marketer" hat and put on your "Typical Twitter User" hat.

    People basically use Twitter for 3 reasons:

    1. To follow famous people.

    2. To promote themselves (businesses, internet marketers, bands, etc...)

    3. To socialize with their friends (and in some cases to make new friends).

    Twitter won't work for you unless you adapt your marketing to one of the 3 ways people use the site. If you're not famous, then that leaves options 2 & 3. People who are there mainly to promote themselves aren't interested in your offers, unless MAYBE your offer helps them promote themselves. And even then, they have to see your offer in the first place, and they may not if they're just there to promote themselves, because they're ignoring everyone else's Tweets.

    So that leaves # 3: Socializing. You'll get better results by focusing on following a smaller number of people who actually USE Twitter regularly as a tool to socialize, and who may have a need for your product or service. Follow people who actually communicate and engage in conversations with other people on the site.

    If you're following a bunch of internet marketers hoping that some of them will buy your internet marketing guide if you tweet about it enough, that's not going to work very well (Unless maybe you're a famous internet marketer).

    On the other hand, if you're, say, a copywriter or a graphic designer and you follow a few active Twitter users who might need copywriting/graphic design services, and you engage them in a back and forth conversation and establish a bit of a relationship then they'll be more likely to check out what you have to offer.
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  • Profile picture of the author drmani
    Originally Posted by ronc0011 View Post

    I've spent I don't know how many hours messing with twitter and I just don't understand what value it is. ... I suppose there may be some value to the fact that there is a link to your site in a high value site like Twitter.

    Maybe someone could enlighten me.
    Twitter is the ULTIMATE 'permission marketing' medium - if you
    choose to use it that way!

    If you 'follow' folks willy-nilly in the hope that they will
    follow you back, and thus boost the size of your 'following',
    then be prepared for the natural fall-out... a tweet-stream
    that's crowded, cluttered and clueless.

    But if you pick and choose the folks to follow and enagage
    with, then Twitter is STILL one of the most amazing online
    networking tools of all time.

    I have a personal "Rule of FORTY" - which is the upper limit
    of how many folks I follow on Twitter. It has enriched my
    Twitter experience beyond all expectations, and I suggest it
    to anyone who asks

    All success

    Dr.Mani
    @drmani on Twitter
    .
    Signature
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    • Profile picture of the author paulie888
      Originally Posted by drmani View Post

      Twitter is the ULTIMATE 'permission marketing' medium - if you
      choose to use it that way!

      If you 'follow' folks willy-nilly in the hope that they will
      follow you back, and thus boost the size of your 'following',
      then be prepared for the natural fall-out... a tweet-stream
      that's crowded, cluttered and clueless.

      But if you pick and choose the folks to follow and enagage
      with, then Twitter is STILL one of the most amazing online
      networking tools of all time.

      I have a personal "Rule of FORTY" - which is the upper limit
      of how many folks I follow on Twitter. It has enriched my
      Twitter experience beyond all expectations, and I suggest it
      to anyone who asks

      All success

      Dr.Mani
      @drmani on Twitter
      .
      I couldn't agree more. With the mass proliferation of Twitter tools that are supposedly able to "automate" the process (especially the following part), it has no doubt ruined many people's perceptions of Twitter as a viable and effective marketing tool.

      You really have to be selective about the people you follow on Twitter, and this requires some work, if you entrust everything to automation software then you're just shooting yourself in the foot.

      The correct following process on Twitter is not hard or complicated, but it HAS to be executed manually for best results. This revelation may not be something that many will be pleased to hear about, but it is the plain, unvarnished truth that the Twitter automation software creators would rather not have you know.

      Paul
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      • Profile picture of the author dayanthan
        Some great reviews of twitter on here. So many posts that were helpful but I can't point to one in particular. However it definitely gives me a more realistic understanding of twitter and what to expect from it. I am like some of the people here. I find it very impersonal and there is too much noise. I only tweet my articles on there when they get published and very little else. I actually don't read any of the tweets I receive. I have over 200 followers but that means nothing much as someone said earlier as it is more about building a community not an impersonal following.
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  • Profile picture of the author Joshua Rigley
    Banned
    Other people have already said this, but I'd like to chip in anyway.

    Twitter is not an advertising platform, it is a social network. Yet, for some strange reason, so many business people don't understand this concept.

    People don't go to twitter to read "tweetvertisements", anymore than they watch tv to see the commercials. They go there to catch up with their friends, and update their status. It's facebook for those who have no time, or no life.

    Forget about your product or service. You're the only one who cares about it. Just be a normal person and interact with your followers. Tweet about what you're doing, share a funny video. If you post a useful article on your site, tweet about it. From there, you can promote your product.

    Or, you could tweet about a discount for a product you have that is already popular to begin with.

    Think about it. You wouldn't go to a forum just to post ads, would you? Why? Because you would be banned. A forum is a community, not an advertising platform. Those people who interact like normal people and provide good, high quality information are the ones who get the most traffic. Why? Because they understand the simple concept of acceptable social behavior online, and they obey the rules of the community.

    In return, the community rewards them by visiting their site.

    If you act like a normal person on twitter, and consistently provide useful information, people will visit your site out of sheer curiosity.

    If you just spam your ad on twitter hoping to make a quick buck, forget about it. You'll be lost in the crowd of marketers who just don't get it.
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  • Profile picture of the author maidmarion
    Twitter leaves me fazed as well! But as you said, it does provide a valuable link!
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    • Profile picture of the author Vanessa Reece
      Twitter for me is a lead builder which I then follow with Facebook as a relationship maker.

      The trick for me has been to have people from all walks of life and business on my twitter but converse with those that actually are having conversations as opposed to just blasting ad after ad out. I'm not afraid to delete people I see basically don't want a conversation.

      I sign into my hootsuite twice a day, mingle and that's it. If I post on my facebook page it goes direct to twitter -that has its advantages.

      True story: One of my good friends just recently landed a high paid six month contract with General Motors via twitter. They followed her tweets (and the fact she had a mass following in her niche). They approached her on a Thursday - interviewed her on the Friday and she signed the contract on the Monday. 1st class travel - a brand new car and the attendance to top celebrity, music and fashion events.

      Can you imagine her face when they said they'd been following her tweets and because of them she got the job?

      She automates a lot of her twitter content but like me goes on a few times a day and responds to people.

      Whilst she isn't into IM as such she does have the odd affiliate going and again because of the rep she's built it has been profitable when she's added that into her twitter mix.
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      • Profile picture of the author CCGAL
        I love Twitter almost as much as I love Squidoo.

        I use lists to sort people by what we have in common; not all of my lists are public. By using my lists, or my saved searches, or the hash tags, I can "dial in" the Tweet-Stream I want to listen to, much like having a set point on a radio dial.


        I have a lot of conversations, and I share Squidoo lenses that I think are worth looking at. It's micro-blogging and it's socializing. People who only use it as a broadcast medium are missing part of its potential.


        There are people that I've followed and, after seeing that they post useful and relevant information or interesting conversation starters, I've made it a point to go do business with them. THAT's where the magic happens, in my opinion.


        The other wonderful thing about Twitter is the potential for a single tweet to, like a pebble in a pond, go around the world by people retweeting it. One really useful, helpful, interesting, kind, or inspirational tweet has the potential to bring hundreds of people to your Twitter Page because your words touched someone, piqued their interest, and caused them to seek you out.


        You also have a TwitWall that you can upload audio and video to, which is a great FREE way to add value and human interest for your Twitter followers. There are literally hundreds of Twitter applications available with more being conceived and developed daily. Tweetdeck is not one of my favorites - I actually prefer the webpage interface.


        That's my two cents ... obviously your milage may vary and all appropriate disclaimers should apply including no Twitterpated Nogginheads (like me, LOL) were harmed during the making of this forum post.


        CCGAL Sings a Twitter Song
        <--- This link goes to my TwitWall, where I embedded a song one day for grins and giggles. You are NOT allowed to throw eggs at me if you don't like it.
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        • Profile picture of the author vicone
          But if you pick and choose the folks to follow and engage
          with, then Twitter is STILL one of the most amazing online
          networking tools of all time.
          One of the 'secrets' is to NOT autofollow others unless you are able to laser target those with an interest in your niche.

          By manually following others, you have more flexibility in approaching those you may not have considered when using keywords as a means of selection.

          And, unless you have masochistic tendencies, don't invite obvious self-promoters to follow you.

          I focus on a particular niche (not IM) and use it primarily as a means of personal branding by sending interesting tweets on a subject of interest to me. This allows me to also test ideas and get a prompt response so that I can refine the material that I use.

          As well, by referring to content on various blogs that I own where I post videos, articles, etc, it builds a good flow of traffic to those sites.

          I regularly look through the tweets I receive. In particular, to see what sort of material I'm receiving - especially the relevance - and to eliminate those with more interest in marketing than with the subject of the niche.

          I also keep an eye out for those who have a special talent for key aspects of that niche. They are often young and with little IM experience, so I can help boost their profile and introduce them to a broader audience by retweeting some of their better tweets. This also provides me with useful, quality content.

          Unlike many, I never participate in 'shoutouts', 'Friday Following', and the like. I'm not interested in having blind followers. However, I'm happy to draw attention to specific tweets that I think have merit.

          Of those that approach me first, I follow back about 10%. These are people who give marketing a low priority. The other 90% are either trying to sell something or their recent tweets are not related to my interests.

          If I send out a promotional tweet of my own, I keep it to fewer than 1 in 10. Originally I had a limit of 1/5 but get better results with fewer promotions. The descriptive material in these tweets is designed to be interesting and relevant to the niche.

          Ivan
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  • Profile picture of the author SantiSantana
    The owner of a bar near my place organises dinners and other events form time to time. He send the invites to his Facebook fans. Then on the day of the event he tweets last minute details. He is making good money.

    There is life beyond IM.
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    Writer for hire

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  • Profile picture of the author infomaniacs
    I'm so glad I'm not the only one who doesn't get Twitter. Everything moves so fast, I wonder how anyone gets their links clicked on, unless they are a celebrity of course.
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  • Profile picture of the author geegel
    Lesson learned

    Having a huge follower base is no excuse for writing crappy headlines. What do I mean? The Techcrunch story in question was called "Vibrant Media May Be Annoying, But It’s A Money-Printing IPO Candidate". I wouldn't want to read that.

    Best regards,
    George
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  • Profile picture of the author MalaMalas
    I hear ya! I just joined FaceBook but really dont get it either - twitter is beyone me! lol
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  • Profile picture of the author EleanorPrior
    I'm also a Twitter Lover! But I didn't get it at first either.

    I Like ITS-V's response there are several great stories like her friends, but it is just like a gold rush lol because everyone hear's about a success and they think they can duplicate it by spamming.

    A great example is @AJBombers in Milwaukee the restaurant is a total Twitter haven where there are Tweetup's held regularly.

    Use sites like Twellow.com a Twitter Directory and connect with people locally. You can see if there are any tweetups in your city by visiting twtvite.com where you can create and find Tweetups in your town and go network.

    This is where Twitter has been most beneficial to me. This Thursday I have a gig with @beathirsty girl for their Live Las Vegas Wine Tasting Event @SushiSambaVegas a cool $200 bucks for promoting and I got 5 tickets to give away to friends so free wine tasting and sushi for me because of Twitter.

    But that is not the only benefit it is a great research tool, referral, testimonial, and a good way to monitor who is talking about your brand.

    I love Hootsuite for scheduling and managing my accounts I have 2 and tend to get overwhelmed I would only recommend 1 twitter account for a newbie. If I had really been planning in the 1st place I'd only have one.

    Follow topics that interest you and use their hashtags. I love Wordpress so I use #wordpress (I've found great plugins this way) and find your cities hashtag, start out slow formulate a 10-20 tweets to use over the week. Set aside 2 - 10 minute intervals during your day and then don't worry about who does or doesn't see your link believe me the important people will. Don't freak out if you miss a day no big!

    I agree with letting your following grow organically, I have tested a couple of services and to my dismay I have never been happy with them, they are very spammy. I find the people that follow me that are of value do so because someone else recommended me that I have a relationship with on Twitter or they found me via a directory and liked my profile.

    Another great experience I've had from Twitter started online withTwitter then went to a tweetup that I had left early from, and missed the representative from Crave Las Vegas had came in and my Tweeps that I interact with that knew me told her she had to meet me and I had to be in the book. So Twitter works for me online and offline.

    I find my success with Twitter is because I have fun using it, I don't see it as my only bank account so to speak just a link back to my site that I use as an invitation to connect with me. Plus lol I will stop throwing up on all of you after this story, I have had success with affiliate links to in Twitter when promoting Blog World 2010 and they where moderately posted and I also publicly thanked people for clicking on them. Not to mention the connection I made before I attended the event so that dreaded cold contact was a warm one, once we met in real life.

    Plus yeah I lied, I can give my friends props! k done ;0)
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    • Profile picture of the author steveshoemaker
      I think twitter is great medium for connecting if approached right. You say you use tweetdeck and your still having trouble finding your messages.

      Create a new column and add your twitter handle as the search term that way you want miss a lot coming through the timeline.

      I read a great expression one time "Twitter should be your billboard, facebook your newspaper and Youtube your tv channel."

      I think that is perfect if you can learn to microblog effectively (140 characters remember) you can get your point across with great success.

      This way you can connect on other social media or your blog if you have one and develop good relationship,build trust then monetize.

      It's certainly not the only way but it shouldn't be overlooked I think. It had an alexa ranking of 12 not to long ago and now has up to 9.

      Not that this is a guarantee of longevity but it certainly seems like the sleeping monster to me.
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  • Profile picture of the author nhieuphan
    Difficult for me to understand it too. Replies above helped me a bit though.
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  • Profile picture of the author Shaun Lee
    In my opinion, I'd better spend the time doing something else productive instead of participating in Twitter. Similar to you, I just don't see the value and/or fun.

    I do like Facebook though.

    -Shaun
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  • Profile picture of the author NerdGary
    The only way I can manage to use twitter successfully is when I jump on a NEW keyword. Basically when a company just announces a new product, I will immediately look to buy a domain name, and start a twitter/facebook account with that keyword..
    This way you can come up first when someone searches twitter for that name.

    But just to start a twitter account with a highly competitive keyword... won't be as successful.

    The whole idea is that when someone wants to follow a twitter account for a specific keyword.. they will join the first few users... so If you are on the 800th page.. you'll never get followed EVERRRRRRRRRR

    Go for the low hanging fruit... low competition... Its like a game. Play it well.
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  • Profile picture of the author OmarBriones
    I hate Twitter just as much as the other guy (cuz of all the spam)... But like everyone here's saying, it's GREAT for creating SUPER FAST new friends & partners...

    I did a webinar on how to market on Twitter & actually do it effectively, and wrote a super info-packed 35 page e-work book handout to go along with it... I learned a lot about Twitter during that time...

    * One TIP I would suggest to you, is if you're sick of the spam, like I am, create a list of the people you actually want to follow & learn more about, which you would keep track of...

    And you can just ignore all the other crap going on there, outside of your list(s). Make sense?

    If you're planning to market your biz, or sell stuff on it, you should also consider making private lists of your ideal prospects, which you would REALLY follow up with & connect with.

    (remember, it's all about the relationships you build) - Your Net-worth is dependent on your Network... If you don't have the net-worth you desire, Improve the QUALITY of your Network.

    Hope some of this helped you, and anyone else who needed to hear it.

    And if anyone wants a copy of the webinar & ebook I put together, just reach out to me on facebook or twitter & let me know (in case you can't send PMs here yet)... I'll see if I can hook you up with a copy.

    ~Omar
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  • Profile picture of the author stekys
    twitter is great way for marketing, you have to follow targeted group of people for every niche, i have very good success to bring lots of traffic to my site from twitter, good way to make some money is using sponsored tweets, and growing your account using TA
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  • Trust me, you're not the only one. I might see the point in Facebook (even though I don't use it much at all myself), but I dont see the point at all in Twitter.
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    • Profile picture of the author paulie888
      Originally Posted by Anonymous Affiliate View Post

      Trust me, you're not the only one. I might see the point in Facebook (even though I don't use it much at all myself), but I dont see the point at all in Twitter.
      If you approach Twitter the right way as a social network where you have to give in order to receive, then your opinion might change. Twitter is really ripe with opportunity right now, since with the mountains of spammy tweets making the rounds it won't be that hard at all to distinguish yourself by instead sending out smart, funny and helpful/insightful tweets. People will inevitably want to know more about you and your business if you do this correctly.

      Paul
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  • Profile picture of the author geegel
    Christ, is it so hard to understand?

    Treat your followers with spam and you'll be treated like a spammer. Engage them in meaningful conversation and you'll be treated as a conversation partner.

    You must invest more than just the price of an RSS feeder, you must build meaningful relations. Think of it as a typical ROI problem, only that the currency is different. And please remember, one genuine follower is worth more than 1000 autofollowers.

    Regards,
    George
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  • Profile picture of the author MichaelHiles
    Learn how to follow keywords instead of people.
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  • Profile picture of the author LauraJames
    In most cases, the customers of my company are able to understand the concept of Facebook and a Facebook fan page more quickly and easily than Twitter. We set up customized pages for our customers as part of the process of online branding. Often, customers will end up getting some type of automated system tied to their Twitter accounts. One customer told me that in her opinion, Twitter is gigantic telephone party line, where everyone talks at one and ignores almost every other conversation.
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  • Profile picture of the author theturd
    I feel like i need to put on a webinar for the forum peeps
    twitter can be a dominate earner but there is a method to the madness
    it's not a 1 link no content and make money kind of place
    it is a build a reputation, follow non bots, and proper posting of your offers
    to maximize the visability
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  • Profile picture of the author Andrew_Cheyne
    I personally use twitter mainly to just post any kind of post I make to my blog, any brodcast e-mails from Aweber or when an article gets approved from ezine etc. I set a couple of my marketing tools to auto post to twitter.

    I go on there about once every other day and throw out a tweet about what I am doing lately, or a link to something I am checking out... In all honesty, I have clicked on about two links of other peoples tweets and feel that the majority are spam comments.

    It is the kind of thing that if you set up auto posts from certain tools it doesn't take you too much time. If it was to seriouslly take a couple hours a week it would certainly be a waste of time, but if you spend 5 minutes three times a week on there and throw in a couple autopost from articles etc it may be a good tool.

    I actually recently (about two months ago) tried to do a full promotion only on twitter, to test how many clicks and sales I got. I made only one sale on this, so it is certainly not something that I want to really focus on.
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