Monday

Follow me, where I go

You've set up your Twitter account and are now ready to figure out how it works. So here's how you do it: Follow me. Or more accurately, go to my Twitter account @BlogBookTours , and look at who I'm following in that little icon section at right. Click on View All and you'll get my entire list from the most recent added all the way back to the first. Scroll through and click on any name that interests you. Try to follow a few hundred people very quickly. Ten pages is plenty for one sitting. You'll immediately start seeing updates for those people each time they post. Continue this for a few days until you are following about 500. Then follow people from other sources, too, including Twitter widgets that you'll start seeing on blogs and websites.

Over the next few days, people will start following you back, and can then see your postings on Twitter. So it's important to post several times a day as I described in the previous post, to keep your followers interested in you. Remember, it is only your Followers who will see what you write, so it is important that you have followers. I repeat, only your followers can read your messages. Many people follow thousands, but this just gives you more to read! Those people can't read you until they follow you back. You must understand this, as it's key to making Twitter work for you.

Twitter is difficult to search, so if you are looking for areas of interest, click on the categories at this site. Just Tweetit is by no means complete (@BlogBookTours isn't listed, after all), but, again, it's a good way to get started with connections that interest you.

Next we'll talk more about proactive and beneficial updates. Tell them more than just what you're doing, especially if it's ho-hum. Give them added content and links to visit. That's how you make Twitter work for you.

11 comments:

Helen Ginger said...

And at least three or 4 times a day, provide the link to your blog in your tweet, along with a tweet enticing them there.

Helen Ginger
http://twitter.com/MermaidHel

Dani said...

I have to add, Helen, that I pay great attention to posts of who I follow, because they are such incredible sources of information and links I would ordinarily never find. I love the Star feature at Twitter for just this reason - to keep track of tips and links for future reference. Really, it's such an easy-to-read dynamic interaction, I would be pained to leave Twitter behind.

Dani
http://pdreadful.blogspot.com

Anonymous said...

Interesting. Thanks Dani.

Joan De La Haye
http://joandelahaye.wordpress.com/

BillieJohn said...

Day Two and already I got a great tip from you, Dani! I have been twitter-ing for a while, but had never heard of Tweetit...so right away I had to add OTP! Love it!

Billie
http://otpblog.blogspot.com

Anonymous said...

Thanks for the tips, Dani!

- Helene

http://helenekwong.blogspot.com/

Charlotte Phillips said...

This post explains all those new twitter followers who have been popping up. Guess I better get out there and follow back!

Morgan Mandel said...

I tweet about my daily blog at whatever intervals I can get to the computer - before work, at work on my breaks and lunch, on the train, then at home around dinner time and later. On days off, I go over more often.

Since I'm also on group blogs, I also put in more tweets on the days I'm up, but like to at least post a tweet or two about the other members of my groups each day.

If I see something from another tweeter that interests me I'll do a reply thing, sometimes follow their link and comment on a blog, if that's where they're sending me.

Twitter does seem effective, at least for getting people to check out my blogs. I don't know if it's much help for selling my books, but maybe in the long run it helps.

Morgan Mandel
http://morganmandel.blogspot.com

Anonymous said...

Good fundamental twittering advice in this post. When I get a new follower that looks interesting in ways that relate to what I do I'll visit their site and/or blog, leave a comment, maybe tweet them a couple times with "like what you do" "We have much in common" "let's stay in touch" kinds of stuff - I've gotten a lot of new friends, contacts, readers, and good info & connections that way through twitter.

Unknown said...

I'm what you'd call a chronic tweeter. I put up whatever strikes my fancy: Web links, blog postings, random thoughts, etc. It's actually a great way to get people with similar interests to follow you.

Bob McDonald

http://twitter.com/bobmcdonald
http://www.flagranffoul.com/quest.html

Nancy J. Cohen said...

I haven't ventured onto Twitter yet because it seems as though it's an incredible time sink. I already do Facebook and a blog. How do you get any writing done when you're constantly blogging or twittering?

Anonymous said...

I had thought that if you set up your Twitter account to be public that when you Twit an update you're also visible in the public timeline, and through the search function.