I’m still relatively new to Twitter, at least compared to the A-listers with thousands of followers. But I’m getting the hang of it, and finding real value the more I participate in it.  That said, I was initially a sceptic. I said more than once, “I don’t really get Twitter, what’s the point?” And now that I do get it, I still hear those same words from other communicators.  Here’s the thing: you can’t really get Twitter from the outside.  In fact, it takes a real leap of faith.  You have to jump in, fully participate, before it gives you anything back.  And that’s hard for most of us.  We feel lost, a bit stupid for not knowing the “rules.”  

So I thought it might help to share some of the things I’ve learned in the last few months, a few Twitter tips to help fellow newbies get more comfortable with Twitter more quickly.  Most of this I’ve picked up by observation, following links in other peoples tweets, reading blogs and articles.  Some of it is just personal opinion.  Please join in and add your tips, or links to other resources.

Twitter Tips for Newbies

Getting Started:

  • Set up your Twitter account at http://twitter.com.
  • Add your photo right away (under Settings). The best ones are close-up of your face, since the displayed pic is tiny. Don’t worry about quality of photo, one taken with your phone’s camera is fine. Or crop your face from a holiday pic. You can always update this later, but don’t leave the default graphic even for a day. I’m not a big fan of avatars or other cutesy stuff here.  
  • Add your one-line bio (include IABC in it so fellow members can find you), and link to your blog or website or Facebook or LinkedIn page.
  • Don’t tick the box that says “Protect my updates.” That just means other people won’t be able to follow you or see your tweets unless you grant permission, which pretty much defeats the whole purpose of being there. 
  • You can access Twitter directly at http://twitter.com, but there are several free applications that make Twitter much better, easier to view, more intuitive to use.  My favourite is Tweetdeck, and I highly recommend you download it and use it right from the start.
  • You can also access Twitter via your web-enabled mobile phone, and again, there are apps that make it better. I use Twitterific and Twinkle on my iPhone. (For non-web phones, it’s possible to set up your account so it works via SMS, but I haven’t done it, so can’t offer any tips.)

Joining In:

  • Twitter makes the most sense when you are following people you already know or have something in common with (at least in the beginning, later you’ll expand to new contacts).  You can find a list of IABC members on Twitter at http://twitter.x.iabc.com. 
  • To follow someone, click through to their profile page and click on the Follow button.  You can always un-follow later if you want to.
  • When you follow someone, most of the time they’ll click to your profile and blog to see who you are (which is why the photo & bio mentioned above are important), and usually will follow you back, so you’ve got the beginnings of a Twitter relationship.
  • You initial goal is about learning the ropes and building a few relationships, so don’t worry about gaining big numbers of followers right away. Friends and fellow IABC members will be more supportive of your initial fumbling, and will be patient answering newbie questions.  Don’t go for quantity until your tweets are adding value.
  • Once you’re getting the hang of things and want to start building more of a following, the easiest way to gain followers is to follow others.  As mentioned above, lots of people will follow you back, either manually or automatically.  Remember, though, if they find your tweets annoying or worthless (to them), they’ll unfollow just as quickly.

Messages:

  • Messages on Twitter are called Tweets. They’re limited to 140 characters. While that means you have to get creative to get your message across, most people (at least the ones I follow) don’t use the same kind of over-abbreviation more typical in SMS text messages.
  • Any time you reference someone, be sure to use their @twittername (like: @Barb_G). That way the message shows up for them as a reply, so they’re more likely to see it.  It also makes the link clickable, so that others reading it can click through to their profile.  When you reply to someone’s tweet, it automatically includes their @name.
  • If you want to send a private message to someone (known as Direct Message, or DM), instead of @, place a D followed by a space before their twittername (like: D Barb_G), then type the message.  (If you use TweetDeck, it’s even easier.)
  • Don’t be all business.  Twitter is not an advertising medium, it’s a networking medium. People are connecting with other people, and that means that letting a bit of your own personality shine through is a good thing.  Just like at an IABC meeting, you’ll talk to people about serious business topics, and also about frivolous personal topics.  The personal stuff – the things that help build rapport – facilitates bonding and builds relationships.

Cross-Pollinate:

  • If you have an eXchange site or other blog, you can set up a TwitterFeed so that every time you do a blog post, the headline and link show up in your Twitterstream.  This can drive traffic to your blog, and is a great way of sharing useful content and building a following.
  • You can also set up a widget on your blog that displays your latest tweets (if you’re reading this post on my eXchange site, you can see this in the right-hand column).
  • If you have a Facebook page, you can set it up so that your Twitter updates populate your status updates there.  Half the work, twice the presence.

There’s much more I could add, but I don’t think you’ll need it.  Once you get started, you’ll easily learn the same way I did (and still do).  Take the leap, join the growing ranks of IABC members on Twitter and expand your network in ways you’ve never imagined.