You've figured out how to tweet. You've found some people to follow. And maybe, if you are interesting, they'll follow you back.
How on Earth are you supposed to want to sit at your desk always refreshing your browser window to see the updated tweets?
It isn't fun. I went looking for some other solutions. And looking through the pages on Google, there are a lot of options.
This particular blog offers a great synopsis of several options of applications to choose from to better use Twitter.
I personally prefer Twhirl. A free downloadable app, it puts the tweets in a feeder form so that the most recent one is on top and as tweets come in, it automatically refreshes the feed. I have mine set to refresh every 30 seconds. It floats on my desktop instead of having a cumbersome browser window open. I also like that I can change the color scheme to separate out my direct messages, my @replies and my basic feed.
After exploring a bit more (there really aren't viable manuals for most of these things that I know of. You just click the button and hope for success!) I found that I could click on a Twitter ID and decide to follow (or remove) them, see their feeds, reply to them and some other handy buttons.
Another that I am poking around at is TweetDeck. Some may prefer the wider layout and the column style separations of @replies, tweets, and direct messages.
Frankly it gives me a headache.
For anything you might want to do, there is a way on Twitter. You just have to investigate.
For example, I didn't understand "hashtags" which look like this: #
What these do is allow twitter users to find others talking about a topic. They act like a search marker for twitter users. So, for example, if I wanted to talk to a group of twitter friends about my love of the movie "Legally Blonde," I could put a tweet up that looked like this:
And anyone who wanted to would add the #legallyblond in their response. I could then search on search.twitter.com for people who have used that "hashtag" to follow the conversation.
The response might look like this:
And that is just the tip of the iceberg.
Twitter has a wide variety of uses that can go from simply reaching out to others, to defining entire "cults" as our author, Michael Druxman, put it.
Keep at it and if you have questions, you can DM me at Twitter ID WheatmarkBooks.
How on Earth are you supposed to want to sit at your desk always refreshing your browser window to see the updated tweets?
It isn't fun. I went looking for some other solutions. And looking through the pages on Google, there are a lot of options.
This particular blog offers a great synopsis of several options of applications to choose from to better use Twitter.
I personally prefer Twhirl. A free downloadable app, it puts the tweets in a feeder form so that the most recent one is on top and as tweets come in, it automatically refreshes the feed. I have mine set to refresh every 30 seconds. It floats on my desktop instead of having a cumbersome browser window open. I also like that I can change the color scheme to separate out my direct messages, my @replies and my basic feed.
After exploring a bit more (there really aren't viable manuals for most of these things that I know of. You just click the button and hope for success!) I found that I could click on a Twitter ID and decide to follow (or remove) them, see their feeds, reply to them and some other handy buttons.
Another that I am poking around at is TweetDeck. Some may prefer the wider layout and the column style separations of @replies, tweets, and direct messages.
Frankly it gives me a headache.
For anything you might want to do, there is a way on Twitter. You just have to investigate.
For example, I didn't understand "hashtags" which look like this: #
What these do is allow twitter users to find others talking about a topic. They act like a search marker for twitter users. So, for example, if I wanted to talk to a group of twitter friends about my love of the movie "Legally Blonde," I could put a tweet up that looked like this:
WheatmarkBooks: Hey, anybody want to talk about #legallyblonde?
And anyone who wanted to would add the #legallyblond in their response. I could then search on search.twitter.com for people who have used that "hashtag" to follow the conversation.
The response might look like this:
@KatMeyer: ZOMG! I love #legallyblonde.
And that is just the tip of the iceberg.
Twitter has a wide variety of uses that can go from simply reaching out to others, to defining entire "cults" as our author, Michael Druxman, put it.
Keep at it and if you have questions, you can DM me at Twitter ID WheatmarkBooks.
Labels: self-publishing, social marketing, social networking, twitter
posted by Kat G on 12/17/2008
Permalink
5 Comments:
Thanks for the technology update. All of these tools are like learning to ride a bicycle. And I hope these tools/accessories to Twitter will only get better and better and more intuitive to learn. I use Twhirl. Right now it's like learning to ride a high-wheel bicycle. Any day now they should come out with the mountain bike!
The whole point with the bicycle analogy is that once you know it, you never forget. However, with technology, things are ALWAYS changing. There are new things to learn. And once you've got them down, someone will no doubt CHANGE them. Not like riding a bicycle at all IMHO.
I totally agree, Gwen. Technology is always evolving. I don't think, like with social marketing, you have to be an expert. I certainly am not. You just do what you can and hope others will share there info.
Which is not how I learned to ride a bicycle at all. I distinctly remember being pushed down a very (seemingly) steep hill while my friend's dad yelled, "'!@?# pedal!!!"
What I was trying to say is that Twhirl (not Twitter or social media!) is a bit wonky--like a high-wheel bicycle from the 19th century. I am waiting for the mountain bike. Maybe Google (or Apple or Microsoft or Twitter) will come out with a Twitter-enabling tool that is more intuitive and easier to get used to.
I use tweetdeck and twhirl on occasion, but like to have twitter open on my browser and just refresh it occasionally. i have heard that a lot of the twitter apps made specifically for mobile phones work great too.
I think Twitter is a conversation, and the tools you to listen and contribute aren't nearly as important as the acts of listening and contributing themselves.
Post a Comment
Links to this post:
Create a Link
<< Home