Twitter

I've had a bunch of questions and conversations about Twitter recently, and I've struggled each time to explain it. Here's another shot at it.

Twitter is like your Facebook status, email, and texting all at the same time.

My swimmers give me a hard time when I update my Facebook status more than once a day. My argument is that it's asking me what I'm doing, so I keep telling it what I'm doing.

But it's more than that. It's a community. It's being able to bounce ideas off of other people. It's connecting to people you otherwise wouldn't.

I can give you examples, but you're better off doing it for yourself.

Here's 5 steps to a success Twitter experience.

Step 1: Follow me: DrewSMC. Not because I'm special, just because you need to start somewhere.

Step 2: Follow the people I follow. There aren't a ton. I follow about 75 people, but if you're interested in Web 2.0, and higher education, I follow some hot shit people. Of course, I also follow somebody pretending to be Shaq, Zappos, Burlington Boatyards, IOweYouABeer, a really odd guy from Wisconsin, and plenty of others. The point is, they all update and soon, you'll start picking up on the conversations.

Step 3: Wait and listen. Try using an application like Twitkit or Tweetdeck. Relax. Grab a coffee. Grab a beer. Just chill.

Step 4: Participate. If you can contribute to a conversation, do so. One thing I always do is say, "Good morning Twitter." You'd be surprised how many people will say good morning back.

Step 5: Be a positive contributer to the community. I have learned an absolute ton from being on Twitter. Give back. Whether it be provide a light hearted comment, a useful peice of info, etc. Just be a good citizen and give back to the Twitter community.


As you can see. It took me a while to figure this whole thing out. I think these 5 steps will help. Twitter me with any questions.