[Publishing Tips] Twittering…or is it Tweeting? - October 31, 2008
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Publishing Tips Newsletter
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affordable solutions for writing and publishing projectsTwittering…or is it Tweeting?
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Walt's Notes
So, now I guess I’m an expert on heating with a wood-burning stove. Responded to a Twitter query from one of the freelance writers I follow on Twitter. This resulted in a nice little piece on the Rich’s for the Home blog under the title Saving Money With a Wood Stove.
Not exactly business-related but I did get a mention – right at the beginning – about our Slipdown Mountain Publications LLC publishing company and my View From the Publishing Trenches blog along with direct links to both websites.
And traffic to both websites showed a significant increase in following three days.
So, how did I get those links? Easy. I just asked her for them. How did I get profiled on that blog and nobody else? Because I responded within one minute of her putting out the Twitter message with a brief outline of my qualifications relevant to the subject.
Moral: You just never know when and where you might gain some valuable exposure. It pays to keep plugged in to some of the hot new social media.
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Twittering…or is it Tweeting?
Do you Twitter?
If that question sounds strange to you, I suggest you should learn about one of the hottest social media platforms on the Internet. Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary defines twitter as “to talk in a chattering fashion.” I suppose some might think that describes Twitter.com adequately.
The good folks at Twitter.com provide this answer to the question What is Twitter?
“Twitter is a service for friends, family, and co–workers to communicate and stay connected through the exchange of quick, frequent answers to one simple question: What are you doing?”
The two keywords therein are quick and frequent. Quick because you are limited to 140 characters (including punctuation and spaces). Frequent because Twitter messages tend to be highly transitory, scrolling off the Twitter messages page within a minute or so as more messages (Tweets) are posted. Among the social media crowd, Twitter is considered a micro-blogging platform.
Sounds like a gimmick, doesn’t it? Sounds like one more worthless doodad somebody with too much time of their hands invented, right?
That’s what I thought when I first started looking at it months ago. Then I decided to give it a try. Now, I find it far more entertaining and USEFUL than any of the other social media sites (e.g., Facebook, MySpace, LinkedIn, etc.).
There really is no way to understand how it works without actually trying it out for yourself. You would be surprised at the people you can “meet” with this neat little tool. You can focus on your personal interests or, and this is where Twitter really shines, your business interests.
The last time I checked, there were 207,523 Twitter community members. I currently follow (meaning I see all their postings) 46 people and am followed by 123. That gives a Twitter Grader rating of 84th percentile.
Out of those 123 people who directly follow my messages, there are a half-dozen key people at major publishers (e.g., John Wiley & Sons, O’Reilly, Harper Studio, University of Minnesota Press); freelance writers, editors, and designers; magazine editors; Internet marketing pros; book reviewers; book publicists; and aviation professionals.
I think the best way to use Twitter is to download one of the desktop applications. I really like Twhirl. It’s a small app that I just leave open and running whenever I’m at my desk. I can post Twitter messages with it (and it lets me know how many of those 140 characters I have left) and receive messages with it. It has a built-in URL shortener to help conserve characters in messages. And I can use to reply to anyone else’s Tweets and even direct message them (meaning only they can see those messages).
One thing you can never know for sure is how many people will see your Tweets. Some people watch the real-time scroll of all public Tweets and choose people to follow based on what they’ve posted recently. A lot of Twitterers re-Tweet messages – meaning they forward interesting messages to everyone who follows them (some of the folks who follow me have thousands of followers themselves).
I usually post a Tweet whenever I update my blog or when I find an interesting online article, along with the associated link. I have had occasion to trade information and contacts with people I follow (and who follow me). I have made some solid business-related contacts that have been pursued via regular email.
The nice thing about Twitter is that it takes a minimal investment of your time, unlike a regular blog, but can pay even bigger dividends.
So, the real question is: If you don’t Tweet, why haven’t you at least tried it?
And if you do, be sure to visit my Twitter page and click the Follow button. I’ll be happy to return the favor!
OK, now, all together…let’s chirp or Tweet or Twitter!
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Do you have a question or comment on the above or something else related to publishing, writing or book design and marketing? Email me at Walt@FiveRainbows.com and I may include it, with my answer, in an upcoming newsletter.
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>>View From the Publishing Trenches blog – Latest Posts
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Read more. . .E-Books Make Inroads at Frankfurt
Numerous stories have been published about all the hype and predictions centered on e-books and the future of publishing, and even reading, during the recently completed 60th annual Frankfurt Book Fair. So, are e-books the boon or bane of publishers and booksellers?
Read more. . .Designing for E-Books
While reading the latest print issue of Book Business magazine last night, I came across Andrew Brenneman's excellent article "Does Design Matter in Digital Distribution?" Much food for thought therein.
Read more. . .Quick Reviews of Publishing Books
Unsolicited, I received two books about publishing from Infinity Publishing a few days ago. One was an Advance Reading Copy. Not sure why they sent them to me but, herewith, are my reviews of them.
Read more. . .-------------------
Do you Twitter (or Tweet)? If so, you can follow my Tweets by visiting my profile page at http://www.Twitter.com/slipdown If not, why not? Try it, you might like it. If you follow me, I will probably return the favor.
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October 31st, 2008 at 1:22 pm
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