Twitter, a tool that we use every day where we post everything from what we are doing, where we are, who we are with, sharing articles, good news, bad news, breaking news – just about everything we can think of that may interest our followers or to gain new followers. A myriad of information is shared every second for hundreds of thousands of people 24 hours a day. Twitter being just 4 years old has changed the way that we communicate and share information and also build an online community. Searching for people who share the same interests, industry, and ideas through chats helps to develop new relationships and come together with new people we would have not had an opportunity to be exposed to. How often do we check out own Twitter stream to see what we really are sharing and what this tells people about us? We all have gone back and looked and said Oh, did I really say that? or see a conversation that is not easily understood by others as they only see half of it. As we look for new ways to use Twitter for business or for personal with a new season of sports starting and neew people to connect with, let’s look at what our Twitter stream really tells people about us.
1.Name. Your Twitter name tells a lot about you. Using the company name, real name or a interest oriented name lets people know who you how you want them to get to know you. In business the struggle is to have your name or the company name. For small business owners you want the company out there but, people do business with real people. Determining your Twitter name especially when you have a common name can pose a challenge so thinking about how best to represent you and your company could be a bit of trial and error.
2. Avatar. Our avatar is what people remember. We know when you change your photo (as not only can we see it but the mentions about it) , are weary of someone with a generic/non-personalized avatar and somewhat hesitant with a logo avatar. We like to see real people as we know there is a face behind the tweets.
3. Background. A personalized background is the chance to showcase a bit more about you and your company, an extension of your website or blog. A templated background tells that you are not as interested in letting people know about you. Resources are available for a customized background with just about any graphic designer or advertising agency.
4. Likes. We know what you like from sports teams, food, restaurants, people, ideas, thoughts, new products, old products, good days with your kids, etc. For example, I love forums and spend a good amount of time there. I want new people to come over to the forums to get to know more about each other and also see where I can help and how they can help me.
5. Dislikes. Just as we know what you like, we are pretty clear on what you do not like. We know when a bad day is erupting, the ugly side of business and who is treating you not so nice in the blogosphere.
6. Friends. We know who you are talking to, what you are saying, how frequently you talk, where the relationship started, how often you see one another and really the basis of the relationship whether it be business, personal or one that started as personal and moves to business or vice versa.
7. Reading. We know who and what you are reading with tweets and retweets of articles. We know if you are only tweeting or retweeting articles that you have commented on, when you customize a reweet and what you find interesting and worthy of sharing.
8. Writing. You post your blog in your stream to share with others for readership, shares and comments. We know what you write about, how frequently you post and how often you promote. A good rule is 4-6x in a 24 hour period.
9. Chats. We know what chats you are taking part in as your twitter stream is very active for an hour or so and also the hashtag. The chats are a great way to share what you know and find new people to follow and build relationships with. Common interests lead to new thoughts and ideas.
10. Charities. We know who you support and want others to consider supporting. Sure you post what you are participating in as that is important to you but also you want others to see it and think about it as well, especially when trying to raise money.
11. Location and Weather. We know where you are for conferences or when you are at your home base. We know the climate there and what you like and dislike about the climate. Ie I do not like wind and rain.
12. TweetUps. We know which events you attend, with who, who you meet and who you keep in touch with.
13. Conferences/Webinars. You get it …we know this too. Posting this is a great way to reach out and meet new people at the event or during the webinar with hashtags.
These are just a few of the things that people share each day on Twitter. The point is to see what you are telling people about you to see if you are portraying the image you want to – letting people know what you want them to know. When you go to follow people, take a minute to see their profile and what they tweet to see if it is a good mix for you and provides value to you. When looking to grow your network, look at your current followers and see if they are friends with people you would like to be and ask for that introduction. I introduce people to each other that I think would benefit from one another. I am always looking for new blogs to read and comment on so when someone send me a new link to a blog it is appreciated.
Twitter is a tool that helps us talk to people, find new articles, get news, build friendships and business relationships but we know it can be gone tomorrow. How well do you know your core followers and how much have you engaged with them outside of Twitter?
photo credit: SashaW
