19 replies to this topic

[Jill]

Most of you have heard about Twitter at one time or another over the past 6 months or more, and many of you may have even given it a look or signed up for a Twitter account.

More likely than not, you were confused by what it was about and why there was so much discussion about it in the Internet Marketing world.

If this sounds like you, you're the perfect candidate to read this week's guest article from the High Rankings Advisor, "Is Twitter for the Birds?"

It should give you a new perspective on Twitter, what it is and how to use it.

Enjoy!

[jamesfoster]

Hi Jill thanks for the article. All my doubts about twitter are cleared after reading the article

[1dmf]

Didn't know what it was and now I do, thanks.

Only I won't be using it, seems like just another medium to spam people with SMS type messages. Cynical I know, but I just don't get SM sites, I'm not scared of them, I simply can't be arsed!

Another thought....

How many SM sites do you have, Bebo, MySpace, Facebook, Friends Reunited, UBoot, Twitter, etc... etc.. Do you use the same username / password for them all.

Do hackers now have 30 x ways to hack your account, and once they have cracked it on one site, they have the key to ALL your SM accounts...

Or do you have a different UserID/Pword for every web account you have, how do you remember them all, do you write them down somewhere.

All seems to much of a security risk to me, what do others think?

[Ryan Martin]

I realize that this thread is a little old, but since it has already been brought back I will give my 2 cents.

I think that Twitter can be a pretty powerful marketing tool. One of the problems with Twitter is that it's simplicity often baffles new users. I recently posted a video on Viddler explaining how to get started on Twitter. Check it out of you opened an account with Twitter and gave up because you didn't "get it".

www.viddler.com/explore/RyanRE/videos/1/

[BBCoach]

Very good Ryan! As I build out my hobby site I'll definitely be taking advantage of Twitter just as you illustrated.

[Ryan Martin]

Very good Ryan! As I build out my hobby site I'll definitely be taking advantage of Twitter just as you illustrated.

Thanks BBCoach. This was my first post on the forums and I really didn't want to drop self promotion, but a lot of people have said that the video was a good explanation of getting started in Twitter. Personally, I love Twitter, but like Jill's initial post "Is Twitter for the Birds?", I too struggled to figure it out in the beginning. Hopefully the video helps clear things up for the new folks.

[1dmf]

There is another site with the same purpose called LinkedIn

[BBCoach]

You're welcome Ryan and welcome to the forum. Your presentation was very informative for newbies. I've understood Twitter and other social networking sites from their beginning. The "issue" is how can one profit from the time and effort to effectively build up those accounts? Or put another way, is there a significant return on investment in doing social networks and not simply placing ads which have proven very ineffective.

1dmf I'm already there too. However, when I get to doing some of the more important stuff on my hobby site (requires a lot of travel), then Twitter and/or Squidoo might be a very big boon to the success of the site. Twittering is a part of my marketing plan for when I take it from a hobby to an ecommerce site. We'll see how that pans out. It'll be interesting whatever the outcome is.

[Ryan Martin]

There is another site with the same purpose called LinkedIn

I get a fair amount of traffic from LinkedIn too, but I see Twitter and LinkedIn as VERY different types of social networks. As I explained in the video, there is something to be said for a network that allows you to reach out to 20,000 people in a 140 character text message. With all of this said, I agree that one could waste countless hours socializing on social networking websites.

As far as security goes, there is something to be said for mixing it up a little.

[Jill]

There is another site with the same purpose called LinkedIn

They are completely different animals.

[1dmf]

really? then I totally don't get these sites.

I thought they were both professional networking channels?

Is this not the case?

[Ryan Martin]

really? then I totally don't get these sites.

I thought they were both professional networking channels?

Is this not the case?

Is there a difference between Google and Altavista?

[torka]

really? then I totally don't get these sites.

I thought they were both professional networking channels?

Is this not the case?

Not necessarily (especially in the case of Twitter). There are aspects of professional networking in both. Much more so in LinkedIn than Twitter, though.

In LinkedIn, the basic "unit of measure," if you will, is the individual's profile. You really can't do anything there without filling out at least some basic information in your profile and establishing a few connections. Since some of the main sections of the profile have to do with your work experience and references and such, the whole thing tends to be very business-oriented. If you want to get any use out of the site, you have to connect with other people. You invite them to connect, and they have to agree before the connection is established.

On Twitter, the "core unit" is the tweet. The focus is on conversation. You don't need a profile, you don't need followers, you just jump in and start following some people and start participating in the conversation. It's not what you've done or who you've worked for or who you're "connected" with. The "stars" on Twitter are people who can consistently be interesting conversationalists within the context of a 140-character post.

LinkedIn tends to be slower-moving, more static. Like an online resume/CV with some discussion forum functionality (in the Q&A section). Twitter, on the other hand, is fast moving and dynamic. Like an online chat room with archives and a (minimalistic) profile page for each member.

I think of LinkedIn as similar to one of those networking groups, where everybody has to bring a supply of their business cards to share at each meeting, and everybody gets a minute or two to describe their business and they all share leads. It can be excellent for growing your business, but it's not necessarily the kind of place you'd go when you just want to relax and toss back a pint with your mates. LinkedIn is "social" in the sense that you establish connections with business associates, but it's not a place to just go hang out.

Twitter is more like a big room full of people holding various conversations on all sorts of topics. As you move through the room, you can stop and participate in any of the conversations that you overhear that strike you as interesting. It might have to do with business, and it might not. Some companies are using Twitter to provide customer service; others are using it to connect on a more personal level with their target audience. It can be used to promote new blog posts or announce the release of a new product. And it can, indeed, help build business (actual sales, brand awareness, customer loyalty, etc.). But it's primary use is in a strictly social sense -- to maintain connections with existing friends and colleagues and make friends with new people, some of whom turn out eventually to be good business connections, and some of whom may simply be good "drinking buddies."

--Torka

[Hyperformance]

Wow - Really glad I stepped into here....

Nice video Ryan and great coverage and analysis Torka!

I had been to Twitter, and I had left (for different sites I have different MySpace and/or FaceBook accounts for SM, etc.)

Ryan - Your video helped me, I am glad I took the few minutes, Thank you for sharing. I will now return to Twitter (as time allows) to re-investigate the possibilities.

Torka - As usual, I found your analysis spot-on in a number of areas, Thanks for being here.

- Scott

(Excellent article Jill... I had to finish reading it first)

I expect this forum to continue growth in these tougher times just because people want to make the most of their marketing time and dollars online... and anyone here can tell you that you get more than your money's worth at High Rankings! ( silently weeping - makes me feel like I don't contribute enough for all that I get in return sometimes - Thanks Everyone! )

Edited by Hyperformance, 13 November 2008 - 03:16 PM.

[Ryan Martin]

@torka ~ That is a great explanation of both Twitter and LinkedIn. I consider LinkedIn to be my online resume, while Twitter is where I stay in touch with people and bounce ideas. I also meet a lot of new people on Twitter. Some of these people turn out to become new business.

@Scott ~ Thanks for the praise I am happy to hear that my video helped inspire you.