30 Twitter tips hath September: Stay on topic with hashtags
In September, we’re offering a Twitter tip a day. Send us your thoughts and suggestions.
[Tweet this tip]
Day 14: Stay on topic by using a #hashtag,
a keyword denoted with a #.
If you’ve seen tweets with #codedwords at the end or in the middle, that my friend is a hashtag. When used sparingly, they can help your tweet stand out in an ongoing discussion about a topic.
Conferences like BlogWorld use a hashtag like #bwe09 before, during and after the event so particpants can find each other and learn from each other. And in the daily world of Twitter, a hashtag can show off a trending topic like #michaeljackson, a chat session like #bhamchat or a daily meme such as #musicmonday.
It’s not difficult. If you’re unsure of the hashtag, search Twitter for your topic and you’ll suss it out. Soon you’ll be able to tell who’s focused on what in the neverending stream of tweets.
Follow @WadeOnTweets for more Twitter fun.
30 Twitter tips hath September
30 Twitter tips hath September: @ikepigott’s 10 commandments
In September, we’re offering a Twitter tip a day. Send us your thoughts and suggestions.
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Day 13: @ikepigott says: Be human. Be humane. Be yourself. Be interesting.
Be brief. Share. Laugh. Listen. Learn. Repeat.
With Ike Pigott’s blessing, I’m reproducing most of his post, “Twitter’s Ten Rules.” I’ve tweeted it before, but it’s elegant and powerful and worth repeating.
Let’s take a closer look at each of them, which apply not just to Twitter but often to life.
- Be human. I don’t want to read robots. Marketers, pay attention. Don’t write me short ad copy; write like you’re flesh and blood.
- Be humane. An Internet comment fight? Yawn. Take the high road when having a conversation, especially among strangers.
- Be yourself. Those with personality are the ones to whom I pay closest attention. If I fire off a one-liner, it’s because I do so in real life.
- Be interesting. Some people cannot pull this off. I feel sorry for them.
- Be brief. By nature of Twitter, it’s 140 characters or the highway. (Ike suggests 120 characters for retweetability.)
- Share. If you find something useful or interesting, please please let us know.
- Laugh. If you really want to stand out, be funny. (Oh how I struggle …)
- Listen. You can’t really have a good dialogue if YOU’RE SHOUTING ALL THE TIME. Breathe, and concentrate on others’ thoughts.
- Learn. We’re all new at this. Learn from others’ tweets.
- Repeat. Or retweet. It’s common courtesy.
Follow @WadeOnTweets for more Twitter fun.
30 Twitter tips hath September
30 Twitter tips hath September: Call a tweetup
In September, we’re offering a Twitter tip a day. Send us your thoughts and suggestions.
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Day 12: Put the social in social networking.
Call a tweetup using Twtvite.com.
Twitter is a great way to meet people online, whether through love of football, recipes or mutual business interests. But wouldn’t it be more fun to meet them offline, too?
An easy way to do it is to call a tweetup, an informal gathering of folks organized via Twitter. (Social Media Birmingham discusses the definition further.) “Tweetup! Meet us at Lou’s Pub at 6 tonight!” Simple, no?
A great tool to organize tweetups is Twtvite, which allows you to add a location and a map, start and end time and an event title. It also allows you to track retweets, guest lists and comments. And, it’s free! Check out one I helped promote from this past summer called the Bottletree Bailout.
Don’t be shy. Call a tweetup, and meet the tweeps in your community tonight!
Follow @WadeOnTweets for more Twitter fun.
30 Twitter tips hath September
30 Twitter tips hath September: Are you auto-following? Why?
In September, we’re offering a Twitter tip a day. Send us your thoughts and suggestions.
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Day 11: Are you auto-following your followers?
Why/why not? Tell us in the comments.
Some Twitterers are using services like SocialOomph (formerly TweetLater) to both auto-follow their new followers and automatically send them a direct message. Others are manually following people based on common interests, geography and other criteria.
For me, I don’t send auto-DMs. It’s annoying and intrusive and fake. I don’t auto-follow either. If I follow you, it’s because you’re interesting fellow, a funny lady, an old friend or someone with vital info. That’s it. I simply can’t read thousands of tweets without getting bored, so it needs to be worth my valuable time.
What’s your policy? How are you adding people you follow? Tell us your thoughts in the comments.
(And vote in our poll on how you tweet from your phone.)
Follow @WadeOnTweets for more Twitter fun.
30 Twitter tips hath September
30 Twitter tips hath September: See links and pics correctly
In September, we’re offering a Twitter tip a day. Send us your thoughts and suggestions.
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Day 10: Bef: http://is.gd/37GIh. After: http://is.gd/37GLw.
Use Power Twitter to see all. More: http://bit.ly/xx5r9.
Before:
After:
If you’re using the Web to view Twitter, try installing the Power Twitter add-on for Firefox or Safari. You can click the before and after images above to see them at full size.
It expands links so you can see where those darn shortlinks are going. It expands pics and videos so you can watch in your stream. It shows the most recent tweets when you hover the pointer over another tweep. And more.
Install it, and see if you don’t notice an improvement right away.
Follow @WadeOnTweets for more Twitter fun.
30 Twitter tips hath September
30 Twitter tips hath September: Start a revolution
In September, we’re offering a Twitter tip a day. Send us your thoughts and suggestions.
[Tweet this tip]
Day 9: You say you want a revolution?
Well, you know, use Twitter to change the world.
In honor of 09-09-09 and the Beatles …
You say you got real confusion
Well, you know
I would love to tweet the plan.
You ask me for a contribution
Well, you know
I’m tweeting what we can.
But when you want followers for tweeps with minds that hate
All I can tell is Twitter you have to wait.
Don’t you know it’s gonna be all right
all right, all right.
I tell folks that Twitter is still the Wild West. You can go along with the pack or make up new rules and new uses for this still young medium. For example, check out the 10 Most Extraordinary Twitter Updates according to Mashable. Or this Twitter contest I did for fun.
Be creative and daring. Use Twitter to start your own revolution. It’ll be … all right.
Follow @WadeOnTweets for more Twitter fun.
30 Twitter tips hath September
30 Twitter tips hath September: Begging you to stop begging
In September, we’re offering a Twitter tip a day. Send us your thoughts and suggestions.
[Tweet this tip]
Day 8: Don’t be a Twitter beggar, since adding
“Please RT!” sounds like begging.
Do I dislike the phrase “please RT”? Yes.
Does it seem to be going away? Hopefully.
Do you sound a little desperate when you ask for a RT? Kinda.
(What’s an RT? “Retweet.”)
Can you decide for yourself what to pass along and what to ignore? Absolutely.
Would you “please RT” this charity fund-raiser tweet? Maybe.
What are the chances you’ll “plz rt” this wacky blog post tweet? Iffy.
(You don’t say a lot, do you? Nope.)
Follow @WadeOnTweets for more Twitter fun.
30 Twitter tips hath September
30 Twitter tips hath September: Don’t settle for a bland background
In September, we’re offering a Twitter tip a day. Send us your thoughts and suggestions.
[Tweet this tip]
Day 7: Show your personality or brand with
a customized profile background.
Twitter gives you 12 standard backgrounds for your profile page. Yawn.
You can change out the background image by going to your profile page and clicking Change Background Image. Keep the file size reasonably small (or your readers will be loading and waiting forever).
Take a peek at the current full-size @WadeOnTweets background image.
If you have Photoshop skills, you can make one with a great photo, your extended bio and contact info and some flair.
Need inspiration? Look at the Top 10 Twitter Backgrounds of All Time. And grab a free Photoshop template from Boinblog.
You can also grab some free background images. It’s up to you whether you add more to them (bribe a Photoshop buddy to do it for you).
And if you really need help, try MyTweetSpace’s background generator.
Don’t spend hours and hours, but do make your Twitter profile page reflect your personality and brand.
Show off! Link to your Twitter profile page in the comments.
Follow @WadeOnTweets for more Twitter fun.
30 Twitter tips hath September
30 Twitter tips hath September: Promote your username
In September, we’re offering a Twitter tip a day. Send us your thoughts and suggestions.
[Tweet this tip]
Day 6: Let people know how to follow you on Twitter
by sharing your username.
How can you share your Twitter username?
- Write it on your name badge at conferences.
- Include it on your business card (I bet you use Twitter more than your fax machine).
- Put it as part of your contact info on your Web site or blog.
- And on your other social network profiles (Facebook, LinkedIn, Flickr, etc.).
- Put it in your e-mail signature.
- Heck, rent a billboard.
How do you promote your username? Let us know in the comments.
Follow @WadeOnTweets for more Twitter fun.
30 Twitter tips hath September
30 Twitter tips hath September: Share something useful
In September, we’re offering a Twitter tip a day. Send us your thoughts and suggestions.
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Day 5: Want to stand out? Don’t just tweet your life …
Share something of value.
• “Eating cereal for breakfast. Again.”
• “I’m stuck in traffic and really late.”
• “New blog post: [link]”
Me, I’m not crazy about reading these kinds of tweets, even from close friends. You can stand out by writing interesting and useful tweets. Please, for the sake of your followers. Let’s try it again …
• “Eating Cinnamon Chex for breakfast. Love it, not too sweet, not too many calories. Find it at Publix in Mountain Brook.”
• “I’m stuck on I-65 heading north in traffic from a bad accident. Going downtown? Take U.S. 31 — or you’ll be late like me.”
• “Should ex-cons be allowed to vote? I say no way on my blog: [link] (What do you think?)”
Follow @WadeOnTweets for more Twitter fun.
30 Twitter tips hath September
30 Twitter tips hath September: How do you tweet from your phone?
In September, we’re offering a Twitter tip a day. Send us your thoughts and suggestions.
[Tweet this tip]
Day 4: How do you tweet from your phone?
Vote in our poll.
Tweet your life on the go with your cell phone. You can send text messages to 40404, or you can try out one of these apps for iPhone or Blackberry.
iPhone
BlackBerry
Follow @WadeOnTweets for more Twitter fun.
30 Twitter tips hath September
30 Twitter tips hath September: Limit Facebook updates
In September, we’re offering a Twitter tip a day. Send us your thoughts and suggestions.
[Tweet this tip]
Day 3: Using Twitter for Facebook updates?
Selective Twitter Status limits tweets to FB.
Many Twitterers have linked their Twitter accounts to their Facebook accounts; when they update Twitter, it also updates their Facebook status. It’s OK if you don’t tweet that much, but if you’re addicted (like me), it can be a lot of clutter on your FB wall.
While some of you have disconnected the link, here’s an alternative. Try the Facebook app called Selective Twitter Status. Once activated, only tweets with #fb will update both profiles. Otherwise, the tweet goes to your regular Twitter followers.
Give it a spin, and let us know what you think.
Are you using both Facebook and Twitter? Are you updating both regularly? With separate updates for each audience? Are you using a site that updates all of your statuses on every site? Why or why not? Tell us in the comments.
Follow @WadeOnTweets for more Twitter fun.
30 Twitter tips hath September
30 Twitter tips hath September: The limits of @replies
In September, we’re offering a Twitter tip a day. Send us your thoughts and suggestions.
[Tweet this tip]
Day 2: Starting tweets w/ @Jones means only you, Jones and
your shared followers see it in their stream.
Often, Twitterers forget this limitation when sending out a tweet, so instead of being able to widely tweet someone’s news, it actually limits it. So starting a tweet with “@someone” limits it to common followers. If you have 5,000 followers and Jones has 5,000 followers, but only 10 followers in common, only you, Jones and 10 others will see the tweet in their stream (as opposed to 5,001 if you stream if you tweet it out normally).
So if you want to tell all of your followers “@Jane had a baby!!” you have a couple of options:
- “.@Jane had a baby!!” (That single starting period makes it a tweet and not just an @reply.) (But it also breaks the link to the conversation with the “in reply to” feature.)
- “Guess who had a baby? @Jane!” (Again, @Jane will see it in her @replies, as will all of your followers.)
A little more on Twitter’s fairly recent change to @replies in this post.
Follow @WadeOnTweets for more Twitter fun.
30 Twitter tips hath September
30 Twitter tips hath September: Make a good first impression
In September, we’re offering a Twitter tip a day. Send us your thoughts and suggestions.
[Tweet this tip]
Day 1: Introduce yourself in your profile (up to 160 chars).
Include a link to your site, your city and state.
No one wants to follow a ghost. Use your Twitter profile to show off who you are.
How long can it take you really to write a couple of sentences about your job, your hobbies or your personality? And be sure to link to a site, even if it’s your Facebook or LinkedIn page.
Plus, including your city and state makes your profile and your tweets visible in geographically targeted searches. So other Twitterers looking for good people to follow (and good tweets to read) can find you faster.
Follow @WadeOnTweets for more Twitter fun.
30 Twitter tips hath September
Who’s coming to WordCamp Birmingham?
Who’s coming to WordCamp Birmingham 2009? Definitely me, hopefully you.
You can see an ever-growing list on the Eventbrite registration page, but I’ve copied them into the list below.
It’s just a month away, so sign up today. Just $40 for the best in WordPress training, networking and discussions, Sept. 26 and 27 at downtown’s Innovation Depot and Shift Workspace.
Full details on the WordCamp Birmingham site.
In the meantime, check out these great blogs and the bloggers behind them. Don’t you want to meet them next month?
(If your blog isn’t listed, or needs to be corrected, just leave a comment.)
Bloggers
- Jason Baker: http://www.lhl.uab.edu/lhlweblab/
- Stacy Blackman: http://stacyblackman.me
- Brandi Bryant: http://willblogforshoes.com
- Travis Bryant: http://headsubhead.com
- Bettina Byrd-Giles: http://theinterculturalpost.blogspot.com
- Dougal Campbell: http://dougal.gunters.org/
- Greg Crisp: http://gregcrisp.us
- Anthony Crumley: http://www.churchatbrierfield.org
- Cindy Davis: http://www.thealbanyjournal.com
- Charlotte Donlon: http://charlottedonlon.com
- Matt Dunaway: http://matthewdunaway.com
- Patricia Dunlap: http://dixiestudios.com
- Jeremy Flint: http://www.jeremyflint.com
- Kira Fonteneau: http://thefonteneaufirm.com
- Philip Gauthier: http://soulsourcelive.com
- Kevin Gilbert: http://wpTribe.com
- Josh Grenon: http://joshgrenon.com
- Blake Helms: http://www.blakehelms.net
- Chris Herdt: http://osric.com/chris/accidental-developer/
- Kelly Housholder: http://fromscratchdesign.com
- Lisa Isbell: http://lisaisbell.com
- Scott Kitchens: http://scottkitchens.wordpress.com
- Eric Lee: http://ericlee.us
- Brit Mansell: http://www.OctaneMedia.com
- Iveta Martin: http://iveta.thinkunique.org/
- Jon Martin: http://geek.thinkunique.org/
- Samantha Masdon: http://www.selectmyspace.wordpress.com
- Matt Mullenweg: http://ma.tt/
- Beth Matter: http://travelerbuzz.blogspot.com
- Henry McBride: http://www.bonsaihacker.com
- Andre Natta: http://urbanconversations.com
- Henry Neff: http://blogs.ebay.com/han-books
- Carol Logan Newbill: http://2fishweb.com/blog
- Marcus Noel: http://fitpast50.blogspot.com
- Tony Oravet: http://www.lib.auburn.edu
- Kelly Phelan: http://www.bachelorgirl.net
- Thom Rigsby: http://www.jtrigsby.com
- Mae Robertson: http://www.maerobertson.com
- Catherine Roden-Jones: http://www.awrn.org
- Emory Rowland: http://blog.clickfire.com
- Emily Rushing: http://www.foundationbirmingham.wordpress.com
- Scott Schram: http://agilebrands.us
- Josh Self: http://www.joshuaselfphotography.com
- Libby Sexton: http://http://blog.bigcom.com/
- Carol Shepherd: http://www.carolshepherd.us/
- Jarrod Skeggs: http://wpTribe.com
- Joe Spake: http://joespakeblog.com
- Christopher Spencer: http://ozarksunbound.com
- David Sullivan: http://thedavidsullivan.com
- Rob Tillotson: http://crypticlife.net/
- Elaine Tindill-Rohr: http://www.paintedpersonalities.com
- Phil Trawick: http://www.cmfprefinish.com/
- Kim Trimble: http://www.livefromthe205.com
- Brooke Uptagrafft: http://brookemd.com/
- Jeff Vreeland: http://www.socialjeff.com
- Daniel Walters: http://socialmediabirmingham.com
- Julie Welden: http://juliesplace.wordpress.com
- Jon Williams: http://jonwilliams.wordpress.com/
- David Willink: http://www.davewire.com
No blog listed
- Travis Almand
- Randy Anderson
- Brian Blackman
- Thomas Brander
- Sarah Ching
- David Dittman
- Zac Gowen
- Lorrie Greer
- Melissa Isbell
- Ed Lowell
- Scott McGrew
- Cindy Monk
- Anna Reynolds
- Wells Spence
- Vickie Tolbert
- Nanette Torre
- William Torre
- Ethan Trawick
- Ryan Trawick
- David Uptagrafft
- Vicki VanValkenburgh
I’d rather spend a day blogging
On any given workday, I’d rather spend it blogging. Not because I have a lot of blogs to maintain (I do), but because it fulfills me in many ways.
For one, it’s a bit of an ego boost. I wrote that. And people will often read it, sometimes leaving a comment to ask a question or make a joke. To me, that’s fun.
And I like to share information. Today, I’ve been writing about Birmingham politics and Election Day. Tomorrow, who knows? (Well, maybe I do …)
And I’m pretty fast, which I need to be given the many things competing for my time.
But when you’re good at blogging, really really good, you start to pick up perks, such as being on the radio or landing a speaking gig or meeting really interesting people (online and offline). They’ll share tips and gossip and smart insights, and they’ll want you to take it and publish it and use it.
In an information economy, they’re making you rich, nugget by nugget.
I teach people from all walks of life as often as possible. I start out with about a hundred questions, but it gives me an idea of what you actually want to get out of a Web site.
You can do it, too. Trust me. I met with a friend at office hours last week who never dreamed she’d be blogging and writing and starting a second site in just 6 months. But I knew. And my eyes light up when someone else gets it. When they take what they’ve learned and practiced and go further than originally imagined.
That, my friends, is a great way to spend a day.
(I just wish the days had more hours in them!)
Want to get started? Take a class this Saturday …
Office hours – September 2009
August office hours were jam-packed, so let’s keep it going in September.
I’ll have office hours at coffee shops around town to chat with you and help you with your needs.
This month’s schedule (all Wednesdays from 2 to 4 p.m.):
- Sept. 2: Cool Beans, Homewood
- Sept. 9: Java and Jams, downtown
- Sept. 16: Crestwood Coffee
- Sept. 23: Lucy’s, Southside
- Sept. 30: Primavera Coffee, Vestavia Hills
If you want to guarantee an appointment time, sign up on the schedule (in Google Docs). Otherwise, it’s first come, first served.
(And no, I won’t sign you up via e-mail or comments.)
I’m looking forward to seeing you, whether you’re an old friend or a new face. Let’s chat over coffee.
If your coffee shop or restaurant is interested in sponsoring October office hours, please contact me.
5 reasons I’m attending Social South
Social South will be huge. I mean, mega. It’s a social media conference right here in Birmingham on Friday and Saturday, and if you or your business want to learn from the very best, I suggest you sign up today.
(Tickets are $199, $99 for students, but if you contact me on Thursday, I’ll send you a discount code for $30 off.)
Why should you go? What’s in it for you?
- All my friends will be there. And by friends, I mean old friends, friends I’ve yet to meet, colleagues, coffee buddies and tweetup pals.
- Ask your questions and get answers. No more vague over-your-head pie-in-the-sky answers, but concrete examples and strategies for your organization.
- It’s all about the social. You know how many conferences I’ve attended that were dull dull dull? Not this one. I’m having fun while learning and debating. You should come, too.
- Get to know the experts one on one. I can vouch for many of these speakers personally, having learned from them and worked with them. They’re friendly and smart. Chat with them this weekend and you’ll agree.
- By Sunday, you’ll have 100 new ideas. The only question will be: Which ones will you do first?
Plus,
- 10 Reasons Why Your Boss Should Send You to Social South.
- Birmingham News: “Little local interest in social media conference that kicks off Friday”
Remember, Social South on Friday and Saturday.
Contact me for a discount.
I’ll see you there.
August 2009 media release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Aug. 14, 2009
Wade Kwon
mail[at]birminghamblogging.com
BUSINESSES IN NEED OF LOW-COST MARKETING, SALES
CAN START WITH EFFECTIVE BLOGGING
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Award-winning blogger and Birmingham native Wade Kwon will teach “Beginning Blogging for Businesses,” a one-day course that shows how owners, marketing directors and other businesspeople can get started in social media.
“Many Birmingham businesses have questions about blogging,” Kwon says. “They want to know about the benefits of using social media, but worry about the backlash. We can help them jump in quickly and smartly.”
The class from the BIRMINGHAM BLOGGING ACADEMY is part of SHIFT LEARNING, a series of courses offered by Shift Workspace, a new downtown coworking center, located at 2308 Second Ave. N.
It takes place from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 29. Students must register online at birminghamblogging.com ahead of time.
(In October, Kwon will be a featured speaker at the 2009 BlogWorld and New Media Expo in Las Vegas.)
Kwon started his blog, WadeonBirmingham.com, in 2005 after his employer, the Birmingham Post-Herald, folded. That site led to a new job at Southern Living magazine and an award from the Society of Professional Journalists.
For more information on classes, visit birminghamblogging.com.
Wade Kwon is available for interviews to discuss how owners can start blogging the right way to grow their business. Contact him at mail[at]birminghamblogging.com.
– 30 –
August: Back to school, down to business
What’s this social media I keep hearing about?
Is this you? Or your boss? Or a ghostly echo in the halls of your company?
Maybe your business has wondered about blogging. Is it right for us? Do we have something to say? Can it help us grow? What about nasty comments?
Fear not. We can help.
Introducing … Beginning Blogging for Business.
Our 6-hour course will put your company on the fast track to building your brand and bringing in customers. We’ll make sure you have all the tools you need to build the right blog for your specific business needs.
Join us on Aug. 29 at Shift Workspace in downtown Birmingham for this fresh approach to blogging. Hurry, class space is limited!
Course description
Register today!
• • •
Birmingham Blogging Academy 
