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8 Useful Tips To Become Successful With Twitter
Twitter is the new big thing. With everybody from Britney Spears to Barack Obama now on Twitter, it is safe to say the social networking platform has gone mainstream. For many users worldwide Twitter has become a crucial tool for maintaining contacts, exchanging opinions and making new connections. But what does this mean for the service, and how can we, website owners, actually use it for our purposes?
I posted my first tweet in November of 2006, only 7 months after the service launched. For me, it was a way to keep in touch with new friends. It was less intrusive than instant messaging and less formal than email. I quickly became hooked. For the longest time, it was the tool of geeks. My friends laughed at me as I tweeted from the pub; my family stared blankly as I explained the service. However, that has all changed now.
Twitter is the new big thing. With everybody from Britney Spears to Barack Obama now on Twitter, it is safe to say the social networking platform has gone mainstream.
Some time ago I was wrong to lament on Twitter about it becoming a marketing tool; I should embrace it as a tool I can use. Nevertheless, like everybody else, I need to be careful how I use it. I do not believe Twitter users will allow the tool to be reduced to a broadcast mechanism for pimping the latest blog post or special offer.
So how do I use Twitter? I guess the first thing to say is that I am not a huge Twitter success story. However, Twitter is turning into the third facet of my online presence, alongside my blog and podcast. With that in mind, let me share a few tips that have helped me better use this interesting new tool.
1. Above All, Keep It Personal
Although Twitterers like CNN breaking news have been very successful, generally, corporate Twitter accounts are a mistake. Twitter is about person-to-person communication and not a broadcast tool for faceless corporations. To use it in that way is to miss the potential of Twitter.
CNN Breaking News Twitter Page
Does that mean you cannot have a Twitter account for your organization? Not at all. For example, if John Boardley created a Twitter account, you may not recognize the name. However, if he used the name ILoveTypography, you would be more likely to follow because you know the I Love Typography website.
It is not the name that matters so much as the tone of the posts. Tweets should be more than an endless string of press releases and links. They should include personal content and a dialogue with followers.
This is important because it enables you to make a connection with your followers. An open and honest relationship with followers is very powerful. It builds trust, loyalty and engagement. It encourages repeat traffic and word-of-mouth recommendation.
2. Learn From Others
I have learned a lot about Twitter just by reading the tweets of those I admire. Merlin Mann, for example, injects a lot of humor into his posts, and his followers really respond to that. Darren Rowse, on the other hand, strikes a good balance between recommending content others have written and promoting his own posts.
TweetStats.com allows you to build up a picture of how successful twitterers use the service.
In addition to examining the styles of others, you could also examine statistics. Use a tool like TweetStats to examine how often others tweet and how often they reply to their followers. All of this helps to build a picture of what makes a successful tweeter.
There is also a growing number of great websites that give advice on how to get the most out of Twitter. One of my personal favorites is TwiTip, which covers such subjects as “The Merit of Twitter Competitions” and “How to Get Unfollowed on Twitter.”
3. Get A Good Desktop Client
Without a shadow of doubt, the most powerful Twitter client currently available is TweetDeck. This AIR application not only runs on Windows, Mac and Linux, but also provides a range of superb tools for managing your life on Twitter.
TweetDeck is the most powerful desktop Twitter tool available
With TweetDeck, you can create groups, filter tweets, monitor certain subjects as well as post tweets, replies and retweets. In fact, it is so powerful that it can be somewhat intimidating at first. Don’t let that put you off. Check out this short tutorial on TweetDeck’s core features, and you’ll be up and running in no time.
4. Use Twitter On The Road
If your Twitter account is going to be personal as well as professional, then you will almost certainly want to use it on the road. One option is simply to use Twitter’s mobile website. However, if you are fortunate enough to have an iPhone, then there is a wealth of Twitter clients available to you.
I have paid for and tried almost every Twitter client on the iPhone, but the winner hands down is Tweetie. I love Tweetie. It has a clean, easy-to-use interface and yet is packed with powerful features, including the ability to:
- handle multiple Twitter accounts,
- navigate reply chains,
- view Twitter trends and perform custom searches,
- access complete user profiles.
In many ways, it is even better than TweetDeck because it has much of TweetDeck’s power but in a much cleaner interface. If only they made a desktop application!
5. Tracking The Results
TweetStats is just the tip of the statistical iceberg. There is an ever-growing number of tools you can use to track your activity on Twitter. However, the ones that really interest me are those that track click-throughs. What I really want to know is, if I post a link on Twitter, how many people click through?
If the link points to one of my own websites, I could use Google Analytics’ URL tagging tool. However, this is somewhat fiddly and only works if I am linking to my own website. What’s more, these URLs can get long, which is a problem when you’re limited to 140 characters.
Fortunately, there is a tool called TwitterBurner, which solves these problems. It shortens URLs and tracks all click-throughs, even to websites you do not run yourself. Best of all, it is now supported directly in TweetDeck (although not in Tweetie, unfortunately).
6. Follow And Be Followed
Always remember that Twitter is a two-way conversation. A big part of successful tweeting is replying to those who tweet you. Twitter is not just about who follows you, either. It is also about who you follow. One service I find particularly useful is Mr Tweet. Mr Tweet provides two type of information:
- first, it suggests people you might want to consider following, because they fall within your broader network (i.e. people who are followed by your friends),
- secondly, it suggests those from your list of followers who you should follow back.
For each of these people, it provides various statistics, including:
- the number of followers they have,
- the chances of them replying to you,
- how often they update.
This is a great way to extend your network of contacts and increase the chances that your tweets will be retweeted. It’s also a great way to meet new people!
7. Integrate Whenever Possible
If you intend to use Twitter for anything other than personal use, it needs to be incorporated in the rest of your Web strategy. That means it needs to link to your other online activity, including your website and other social networks. There is no shortage of tools to help you do this, from the basic Twitter widget to a tool for sending your tweets to Facebook.
One tool that caught my attention is called TwitterFeed. It posts content from an RSS feed to Twitter, which is a convenient way to update your followers on new posts. However, use any tool that automatically posts to Twitter with caution. It can easily become annoying if used too much. Also, it lacks the friendliness of a personal post.
8. Don’t Over-Think It
Of course, the problem with all these tools, statistics and analysis is that they can suck the spontaneity and personality from your tweets. While some of those late-night drunken tweets are best left behind, you want to avoid making your tweets too sterile.
Let me explain. I am naturally a fairly good public speaker. However, once I attended a public speaking workshop. The instructors taught me about all of the techniques that make for an exceptional speaker. However, instead of improving my skills, they made me so amazingly self-conscious that I was paralyzed. I started over-analyzing what I was doing.
The danger is the same with Twitter. Sure, Twitter can be used as a marketing tool, but that doesn’t mean it cannot be fun too. Don’t let articles like this suck the joy out of tweeting!
(al)
Paul Boag is the founder of UK Web design agency Headscape, author of the Website Owners Manual and host of award-winning Web design podcast Boagworld.
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- 2February 3rd, 2009 10:07 am
Some really good tips, thanks. its opened my eyes a little to some of the mistakes I’ve made using twitter.
- 3February 3rd, 2009 10:08 am
I agree with Eddy. It just seems like another site to take up my time when I could be doing other useful things. Like rearranging my sock drawer. But just my opinion. If someone could explain to me what I may gain out of it, I may just change my mind.
- 4February 3rd, 2009 10:12 am
“If someone could explain to me what I may gain out of it, I may just change my mind”
Traffic!
- 5February 3rd, 2009 10:15 am
Haven’t tryed twitter yet (I know, I should have…) but will try to follow some of these great advices when I do!
I really like n.8 (Don’t Over-Think It). Isn’t that the truth… - 6February 3rd, 2009 10:16 am
Twitter requires less commitment than Facebook. Someone might be hesitant to sign up for Facebook because there is so much there, Twitter is just Tweets.
I agree with most of these, but I disagree with corporate accounts being bad. Who cares if they’re not personal? They serve a different purpose than a personal account, and that purpose is 100% legit, useful, and good.
- 7February 3rd, 2009 10:17 am
The CNN account isn’t an actual CNN feed – it’s just a guy, unaffiliated.
- 8February 3rd, 2009 10:19 am
“If someone could explain to me what I may gain out of it, I may just change my mind”
Knowledge and alot of freebies from your fellow twitters. I follow alot of designers and developers and I’ve learned twice as much as reading just normal articles. And when it comes to knowledge, depending on who you follow, could become very valuable for your field. Grow your twitter followers and watch your contact link up grow and grow! :) thats only the tip of the ice berg to why you should sign up ;)
- 9February 3rd, 2009 10:31 am
#9 – spell “successful” right
- 10February 3rd, 2009 10:33 am
WOW! This came at the right time. I just signed up for Twitter and was just wondering how to soicalise with similar like minded Tweets.
- 11February 3rd, 2009 10:39 am
Great article and overview. Point eight is my favourite – a lot of “how to do twitter” posts I read are overly serious, but this strikes just the right note.
- 12February 3rd, 2009 10:41 am
I think Anthony said it very well. If you have a large group of fellow designers / developers following you, or you following them, you can learn quite a bit from them. Even more importantly, if you have any questions you need answered, about coding, or where to find free stuff, tweet it and you have instantly asked every designer you know said question. I find it very useful some times….
Although I don’t really care what so and so had to eat 3 hours ago either… take the good and the bad?
- 13February 3rd, 2009 10:43 am
Meh. Tweetdeck. Sure it does a lot of good things and it’s still in beta, but in over 2 years I would have expected a better desktop client to emerge. There are so many little things about tweetdeck that drive one nuts. For what it is, it’s very resource intensive… the textsize and font can’t be changed, profiles are too wide to close without resizing, the refresh button disappears unless it’s maximized, notifications pop up on the wrong screen on a dual monitor setup.. just little things. It needs some serious competition and some tightening up.
Granted, I still use it :-)
- 14February 3rd, 2009 10:46 am
Why should I be successful in using twitter? And what meand successful in this context?
- 15February 3rd, 2009 10:47 am
I don’t know of a single non-nerd acquaintance of mine that uses Twitter. Enough said. Even some of the nerds have stopped using it.
Facebook is useful for keeping up with friends and contacts you have had throughout your life, and you get to share photos, videos, and more about yourself. On Twitter you… Say short things, and follow what other short things other people say?
Twitter is basically Facebook status updates on crack. Wow, color me (and most regular people with a life) unimpressed. I barely care about what my contacts put in their Facebook status update, why in the world would I care for keeping track of them updating that status multiple times a day?
With Facebook, you can find an easy balance between keeping track of your contacts online and living a real life. With Twitter, I find that not to be the case.
Not to mention the fact that 0% of our clients have ever mentioned Twitter, but many of them have shown interest in interfacing with Facebook for business purposes, such as PR value. No, that’s not because Twitter is super-awesome and they just don’t know it yet, it’s because Twitter is lame.
There. I said it. Twitter is lame.
- 16February 3rd, 2009 10:48 am
Hey Paul, nice post! We agree, those are all great tools for Twitter. Have you tested BrightKit.com ? It’s integrated a few of those apps, into one easy to use interface (manage multiple accounts, track stats, rss feed, and more). We’d love to get your feedback!
- 17February 3rd, 2009 10:56 am
I appreciate the tips and services you shared in this article. I was ready to be pissy when I read the first paragraph, as there is little that bothers me more than being told how one should use this or that. I agree that it’s no fun to have faceless corporations on there, but that doesn’t mean it’s not a fantastic marketing tool. I think having the right balance is the trick.
But I see that’s where you were going with it… and your last line cooled my jets. :-) Thanks!
- 18February 3rd, 2009 10:57 am
@George raises several good points.
However, I do NOT agree that Twitter is lame. It has been, and remains a wonderful source of new contacts in the “geek” business. If that is all it ever amounts to, which is unlikely, I certainly cannot certify it as “lame.”
I also like the “equalizing” factor that Twitter brings. There are several industry names that I have met on Twitter. While I probably would have never met them otherwise, it has been nice to have short conversations with some of the names that have written several of my favorite books.
- 19February 3rd, 2009 11:12 am
I just don’t see the usefulness of twitter, mostly because I don’t believe I would have any followers. I mean, who would follow me? It is amazing how popular twitter has become. If only I could make a website application so popular…
- 20February 3rd, 2009 11:20 am
How can you be successful at something that is a big waste of time. That’s like being successful at MySpacing or FaceBooking. That bull is the reason why our economy is failing. People in this country have such low IQs that they take pride in such self gratification techniques as posting messages to the world about what they’re doing. I’m afraid the retards have found the internet my intelligent friends out there.
- 21February 3rd, 2009 11:43 am
Nice post,. some very good points!
- 22February 3rd, 2009 12:30 pm
I monitor my incoming tweets very closely. I expect a high degree of quality from them, and if that quality is not there (too frequent, poor content, etc.) then I stop following them. That’s it. I follow several good designers, design blogs, and design related sites (um, BTW, I’m a Web designer), including SM. If the content were not there, I wouldn’t be there in the first place. I have a high quality filter on where I go for resources and continued information, so when I see that a given resource is tweeting, I try them out.
Additionally, FaceBook is blocked at my job, and although I have a decent FaceBook app for my phone (Palm Treo 750p), it isn’t that great, and I can get my tweets directly as text messages. And, I can turn them on and off at will, on my phone. That is a lot of power. I have the ability to stay informed whenever I want to be, and control my incoming flow of information. Besides that, I don’t have to wait to get back to a computer if I decide I want to respond to an interesting tweet.
All in all, I think this is a great tool, it just depends on how you use it.
/.02
- 23February 3rd, 2009 1:10 pm
if i had a quarter for every person IRL that i know that has said tried it and it is pointless.
- 24February 3rd, 2009 1:12 pm
i don’t like all these instant news tools like twitter or whatever – it allways disturbs me getting in my projects
- 25February 3rd, 2009 1:19 pm
“Twitter is the new big thing.”
Are you serious? welcome to two years ago.
- 26February 3rd, 2009 1:30 pm
I can’t believe it. Why everybody thinks that twitter is a great tool ? Well is very popular but for me is not working……
- 27February 3rd, 2009 1:34 pm
I can’t stand it when people use Twitter literally as, “What are you doing right now?” Stuff like, “eating a bagel” is boring and noisy. The more literally you take it, it ends up being, “I am updating my status on Twitter.” Ugh.
A good rule of thumb should be, “What’s your most interesting thought or thing that happened since your last tweet?”
- 28February 3rd, 2009 1:52 pm
how do you measure success when tweeting on twitter? seriously.
- 29February 3rd, 2009 1:54 pm
Great article, Paul! Nice to see you here at Smashing Magazine!
- 30February 3rd, 2009 2:40 pm
A) Great read.
B) I’m cracking up that this is a Paul Boag article, and just yesterday I was listening to that “Hands to Boag” web design parody song you had on Boagworld ages and ages ago. - 31February 3rd, 2009 3:04 pm
What I have learned from tweeter if you keep promoting your posts in the end you will left with spammer as your follower.
So it’s better if you tweet about every good articles and thoughts you are reading. - 32February 3rd, 2009 3:21 pm
awesome…signed sealed and delivered..so to speak.
- 33February 3rd, 2009 3:29 pm
Thanks for the effort but totally not interested.
- 34February 3rd, 2009 3:52 pm
How do you link twitter post to website?? Is there any good plug-ins? And what i mean here is not only for blog site..
- 35February 3rd, 2009 4:51 pm
LOL, mikemike got it spot on, case closed!
- 36February 3rd, 2009 4:59 pm
Great Paul! Good to see Smashing Mag expand aesthetics outwards into social media, too. A fine list of 8, and one that I’d add: use a service like http://cli.gs instead of the default TinyURL so you can track click traffic and know what a difference your tweeted links are making, who’s clicking, etc.
cli.gs has the best free metrics I’ve seen out there yet, and while it doesn’t integrate as easily as the default TinyURL, each cli.gs page has a convenient Twitter link to pass it on. I’m trying it out now and appreciative of the insights.
- 37February 3rd, 2009 5:04 pm
Like always Smashing Magazine provides us something both useful and well organized. For those of you interested in getting your brand or company on Twitter I recommend taking a look at my recent post about Brandjacking Burger King on Twitter.
- 38February 3rd, 2009 5:04 pm
I use Twitter (via Twitterific), I enjoy it, it helps me keep in touch with a circle of friends; I’ve “met” a few people via checking out replies sent to the people I follow or following bloggers; I follow a couple of celebrities.
But I think trying to “become successful with Twitter” is an excellent way to fail. I don’t follow anyone who appears to be doing one-way communication (i.e., marketing or promotion), and if someone follows me in what seems to be an attempt to get me to follow them back, or to rack up their numbers, I block them. Many of my friends’ tweets are protected. It is, for us, a largely closed system and I see no reward in having thousands of followers or following more than a few dozen people.
For me, this is “succeeding” with Twitter. For you, it will be something completely different. Trying to “succeed” with Twitter is like trying to succeed with the telephone, email, or yes, Facebook.
- 39February 3rd, 2009 6:21 pm
Don’t Over-Think It
Wouldn’t writing a post about 8 tips to become successful on twitter be over thinking it? - 40February 3rd, 2009 6:21 pm
Paul Boag can’t spell Cadbury. :P
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cadbury_Creme_Egg - 41February 3rd, 2009 7:07 pm
I find it very interesting that all the comments about “not getting Twitter” or “Twitter is lame”, etc are from people that somehow took the time to read an article that is exclusively about Twitter, maybe you folks are a bit curious? You should give it a try.
Btw, really liked the article :)
- 42February 3rd, 2009 7:30 pm
En realidad no sabia lo mucho que se podría hacer con Twitter, pero lo poco que hacia me resultaba extraordinario, el encontrar contactos, tener al menos un seguidor y recibir información valiosa, es mucho para mí. Voy a sacarle provecho.
Gracias por los consejos. - 43February 3rd, 2009 7:45 pm
eNjoyed the article very much as it was very well rounded! For those of you who haven’t tried twitter, give it a try – I was instantly hooked!
- 44February 3rd, 2009 9:32 pm
Nice post.. Tiny twitter is my friend when I am on move. :)
- 45February 3rd, 2009 9:53 pm
Excellent post… retweeted and followed you. One area I’m stumped on is how many tweets per day to post. I want to have a small number of good tweets but I also want to reply to everyone’s questions. Any suggestions?
- 46February 3rd, 2009 9:57 pm
For those who still don’t understand Twitter:
Twitter is what happens between blog posts.
- 47February 3rd, 2009 11:21 pm
Does anyone know of a good Twitter app for Windows Mobile? I have tried many, and they are all terrible compared to the awesome ones I’ve seen for iPhone.
- 48February 4th, 2009 1:14 am
With google loving Social Media its no wonder this application is very much catching on. People are expanding their business and creating a nice following of customers, just from being a real person, not a stuffy office jerk.
- 49February 4th, 2009 1:23 am
Really interesting article! It definitely helps for a professional-oriented use of Twitter….However I wouldn’t consider it for a personal use, in which I feel more free to say whatever I want to my contacts & friends.
- 50February 4th, 2009 3:41 am
How long does it take for Mr Tweet to send a DM?
- 51February 4th, 2009 5:00 am
Brilliant article. I tend to avoid following people who follow thousands of people themselves.
- 52February 4th, 2009 5:21 am
Excellent tips!
Utilizing as many social style websites as possible gives the oportunity for free traffic to your own blogs. I hadn’t realized how big Twitter has gotten until I started seeing widgets on some blogs, The saddest thing about it is, as always.. some No0ob or ruthless webmaster / marketer will always find a way to abuse it. - 53February 4th, 2009 5:26 am
That is a really good article! With regards to Tweetburner, there is another tool out now called Twitclick, which is similar to TweetBurner (a URL-shortener with tracking features) but on crack!
- 54February 4th, 2009 8:14 am
I work for a pro-sports team, and many of my peers here use Twitter extensively… great way to interact with fans on a personal level. Have to say I agree with all your tips.
Wow, drama in these comments.
- 55February 4th, 2009 8:15 am
Happy tweeting. Brilliant tips.
- 56February 4th, 2009 8:47 am
I’m so bipolar with twitter… some days it really excites me and other days it gets me really annoyed because I really don’t care what most people are doing.
And I really hate seeing alltop all the time too!
- 57February 4th, 2009 9:52 am
This was great! I’ve been struggling to find a way to make twitter more useful to me. This has helped a lot. Thanks!
- 58February 4th, 2009 10:07 am
Really nice tips! Valuable advice
- 59February 4th, 2009 10:14 am
Thanks for these tips – I’m just starting out and have embraced twitter to the max! Check out my new site foodess.com – even had to use of the cute tweet icons you guys released.. :)
- 60February 4th, 2009 12:49 pm
I love Twitter because it’s so easy to got on there, say what I want, and get off and go about other business. I also love reading tweets from other members with valuable links.
- 61February 4th, 2009 2:57 pm
Thanks a lot for this one, I am really new to twitter and this can really help out a lot.
- 62February 4th, 2009 3:20 pm
Twitter is a tool, useful for some kinds of communication but not all communication. I’m getting really tired of people promoting their blogs on Twitter. I think there’s other better tools for aggregating and sharing, such as Friendfeed.
- 63February 4th, 2009 3:26 pm
What on earth could one learn from reading 140 characters? Even ‘creatives’ are expected to read more. Twitter is dumb, so is Facebook. Interactive communication started with SMS and ended with emails.
- 64February 4th, 2009 3:39 pm
really not bothered about twitter at all. how many things do u wanna update in the virtual world every day for god sake. go to the pub! tell people what your doing to their face!
- 65February 4th, 2009 10:05 pm
Some really good tips, thanks!
- 66February 4th, 2009 10:07 pm
Mahalo (thanks) for the great post.
What do I get out of Twitter? Besides new connections all over the planet, from those that I follow I am getting the greatest education of my life! Always get the latest news if I desire to click thru. Lovin’ it and grateful I am over that initial addiction of it .. LOL
- 67February 5th, 2009 5:42 am
I love tweetie too , way ahead of any other Iphone app , and they keep me in the picture .
- 68February 5th, 2009 8:03 am
Great post, my organization is just getting started on Twitter and I’m going to include this as a resource for our staff across the country. You synthesized everything really well.
But WOW, all the commenters are so anti-Twitter! I just got on Twitter for my personal account a few months ago, but it’s great. It’s the best source for tons of information and great blog posts I wouldn’t have found otherwise. It’s more useful than an RSS feed actually.
And it’s so much more than Facebook on crack. The real beauty of Twitter is the ability to engage in conversations with NEW people vs. Facebook where you’re keeping in touch with old friends.
Anyway, thanks for the easy-to-read instructions. Our staff will appreciate it.
- 69February 5th, 2009 9:53 am
My modifications:
1. Tell me what you’re thinking: I want to know more about what others are *thinking* rather than doing. And I think this is especially important in the context of Twitter: there are people who still don’t understand why Twitter is important, and I think this is largely due to the fact that it is still marketing “What are you doing?” Unless you’re a close friend, I really don’t care what you are doing. But I bet I’m interested in what you’re thinking about!
Let me give an example of an uninteresting and pretty useless tweet “status update”:
muckp: I’m at Parlor’s.
Unless a friend is close by, this is not interesting to the rest of the Twitter Universe. So, please, don’t bother tweeting about it. (But do update your status on Facebook, Brightkite, and Latitude! That’s more useful to your friends!)
Here’s an example of an interesting and useful tweet:
muckp: At Parlor’s Ice Cream shop, they have a new strawberry flavor!
This tweet is useful in the sense that it gives us new information about the store. Or, how about the following tweet where the user tells us what he’s thinking and gives us a link to show us:
muckp: I was at Parlor’s, strawberry flavor gave me inspiration for this design. [link]
4. I love Twitterfon: cuz it’s got a handy RT button.
6. Follow retweets (RTs): I still think Mr. Tweet has a long way to go to figure out who’s relevant to you. In the meantime, just follow other people’s retweets: it’s people sharing similar thoughts and discourse.
7. Don’t integrate with Facebook: This has to do with issue no. 1: I don’t care about people’s “status updates” in Twitter. But, I do care about what people are thinking in Twitter. Twitter: Tell me what you’re thinking. Facebook: Tell me what you are doing.
- 70February 5th, 2009 5:45 pm
I’ve tried it. It was a heavy burden. Dumped twitter. Useless information for the most part. Who has time to wade through bazillions of tweets? Not I.
- 71February 5th, 2009 11:46 pm
just test
- 72February 6th, 2009 11:03 am
Well done! I’m going to RT it :)
- 73February 6th, 2009 7:25 pm
Glad to see Smashing finally write something about Twitter. Which is ironic as I saw a retweet of one of yours the other day.
Seeing many of the comments above mine are from people new to twitter, feel free to ask me any questions at twitter.com/ariherzog.
- 74February 7th, 2009 2:36 pm
Does anyone know of a good Twitter app for Windows Mobile? I have tried many, and they are all terrible compared to the awesome ones I’ve seen for iPhone.
pocketwit is pretty nice (for windows mobile, that is)
- 75February 8th, 2009 5:42 pm
I was also a little puzzled about the title of the article. But then I saw a little down in the article where Paul Boag not consider himself as a huge Twitter success story.
So I take this as helpful guidence.
I’m also a little puzzled about the effect of following Mr. Tweet. Have not got a hole lot of information from him as I would consider as helpful so far. But I might have to look more around on his website and blog and figure out if I might be missing out on something.
I’m not quit sure yet on how to define success on Twitter. Is to get a bunch of followers? Is to Tweet like crazy? Is to get a bunch of retweet? When will I be considered as a Twitter authority?
Hey I’m still learning.. So I take time ask all the Tweety questions..
Cheers…
- 76February 8th, 2009 11:38 pm
really nice post! congrat! keep going!
- 77February 9th, 2009 8:36 am
I strongly disagree with “Integrate Whenever Possible” for both reasons you mentioned; “It can easily become annoying and lacks the friendliness of a personal post.”
I don’t understand how people can’t take 10 seconds out of their day to post a Tweet.
- 78February 9th, 2009 2:06 pm
8 useful tips to became retard…
- 79February 10th, 2009 4:56 am
Great article and informative I had never heard of Mr. Tweeter and will use it in the near future.
Adrienne
WSF Radio - 80February 12th, 2009 6:44 am
Very nice post on getting (and giving) value within the Twitter community.
- 81February 13th, 2009 5:19 am
What the hell is twitter?
- 82February 15th, 2009 10:37 pm
Twitter is not for everyone. I resisted for a long time, and joined it recently after realizing that I was finding a lot of breaking news leads. As a result, I am better able to keep my news-oriented blog more up to date. I can also add links to my own blog posts and thereby drive traffic to my site. However, if you’re just looking for information aggregation, there are are better sites, such as Addictomatic.com and spy.appspot.com to name but two of dozens out there.
- 83February 22nd, 2009 6:06 am
For once, Smashing Magazine has come up with a silly article. There are much better articles out there about tools for Twitter. And come on now, URL shortening is such a basic feature since 2001 that toting it as a new Twitter related functionality is just plain stupid. The service you plugged, Twurl.nl, is down and out now: “Account page is disabled as it’s giving some trouble with the database.” Right, so much for url tracking. Among the many excellent resources is one from listified: http://snipr.com/twitter_tools
- 84March 20th, 2009 10:40 am
I’m still on the fence with Twitter… I think it can be useful, but are enough people beyond the age of 13 using it. And, if so, is anyone really listening?…
- 85April 2nd, 2009 2:32 am
Hi,
very nice tips. Tanks.
Best regards,
Miguel (Utilnet) - 86April 8th, 2009 8:39 pm
Interesting…..counting on my younger colleagues to walk me through this.
- 87
- 88April 16th, 2009 12:45 pm
Nice artical, you give importantant information of using tweeter and with good websites Thanks :)
- 89June 12th, 2009 5:08 pm
On the subject of integrating, I wanted to be able to create Retweet Links easily, where the user clicks a link and a pre-defined message appears in the status box at Twitter.
So I came up with this:
http://RetweetLink.comI hope someone will add it to their arsenal of Twitter tools, especially since this one is simple and easy to use.
- 90June 21st, 2009 2:35 pm
Nice! Thanks for taking the time to help us newbies.
- 91July 27th, 2009 5:03 pm
jolly fine Mr Boag, tx
- 92September 14th, 2009 12:55 pm
Great tool to use if you want to help your business
- 93September 18th, 2009 2:43 pm
Very nice article. I found it easy and enjoyable to read. I am now following you on Twitter! Thanks.
- 00
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Never really seen the advantages to Twitter, what makes it so different from other social networking sites, like Facebook?