Monday, August 20

Posted by Laurel Garver on Monday, August 20, 2012 17 comments
You may be shocked to learn that I have at last started a Twitter account (gasp!). I know I've said numerous times that the very idea of Twitter makes me break out in hives. Well, I've had to pop some virtual antihistamines and dive in, in part because my pals at The Rabble Writers are beginning to plan some fun stuff for the fall, and Twitter will be part of it.

If you wish to follow me, my handle is @LaurelGarver, or you can click the handy button in my sidebar.

My biggest fear has been the "noise level" of this medium, something I seem to be oversensitive to. If I didn't work alone in a quiet office with a door that shuts, I probably would get very little work done. I like to hyperfocus when I work, and find that nearly everything distracts me. Hats off to anyone who can work in a coffee shop. I tend to go to such establishments to socialize, people watch, or work on my movement journal.

For now I'll probably limit myself to short spurts on Twitter (maybe twice a day) and see how it goes. One definite plus is that my tweets repost to Facebook, so I should appear a bit more active there.

What are your best tips for getting the most from Twitter?
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17 comments:

  1. Yes, it is very noisy. Something I struggle with too. I just dip in now and again when something needs to be promoted. I know ... not a very good strategy ...

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    1. I like how Tweets repost to FB--that gets me more voice for my time, so to speak.

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  2. Don't feel bad about coming late to Twitter. I'm not even on Facebook! :)

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    1. I think I needed a good reason to add more noise to my already noisy life. Once the benefits outweighed the "costs," it was time to hop abroad.

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  3. Twitter is easy once you learn the ropes. You don't need to follow everyone back. You don't need to tweet more than twice a day if you don't want to. I'd suggest once you get yourself acclimated to Twitter, then put the Tweetdeck into your favorites bar. Tweetdeck is huge for promotion because they have the scheduling feature. I love it. And with Tweetdeck, it shows you the timeline as it happens. If you make lists using your Twitter account, you can also use those lists on your Tweetdeck so you don't have to talk to anyone you don't want to.

    Just go easy and take it slow. It can be a lot of fun once you get used to it. It took me about 3 months. I'm a lot like you in that I like it quiet when I work.

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    1. Thanks for the tips, Anne! Very helpful. The more I can use tools, the better.

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  4. I just don't tweet enough . . .I'm not good at keeping up.

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    1. I get the sense that some folks jump in with enthusiasm, then burn out. Like blogging and FB, there are times and seasons when it's more easy and fun.

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  5. I'm on Twitter too. Though I do get overwhelmed by it at times.

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    1. I think we all need occasional social media breaks. As a total newbie, I know I will have to take it slowly.

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  6. I find it very easy to be on there as much or as little as you want.

    Lists help me organize the different people I want to follow.

    I get on once or twice a day, respond to my @ messages, tweet a thing or two, watch the stream for a few minutes, and then pop back out. Sometimes I retweet other people's words, have an exchange or two with whoever's on there at the moment. There's no expectation that you keep up with every tweet; that would be impossible.

    There are chats on there where you can follow a specific hashtag (#yalitchat is on Wednesdays at 9 PM Eastern), and those can get crazy with lots of people tweeting. It's a good way to find others of similar interest, but it does take some time (#yalitchat is about an hour long).

    For do's and don'ts, to me the biggest are: Don't tweet an endless stream of book promo; do tweet other things too, whether they're amusing, informative, or whatever.

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    1. Great tips, Jenn. I like the pop in and out idea especially.

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  7. Yes, def. use tweetdeck to keep organized. Retweet your friend's announcements or blog posts, be friendly, pop in a couple times a day and then shut it off so you're not distracted. :) I love keeping in touch with my writing friends through Twitter.

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    1. I think the "get organized" part will be my next order of business. For now I'm tripping around like a total newbie. :-)

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  8. I've got to be honest w/you Laurel, I don't get Twitter. I mean unless it's to be used as the commercial spots between TV shows. You know, announcements where nobody is really there if you reply. I recently learned people "schedule" their tweets. Explained so much... <3

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    1. I don't really get the interface yet--the dropdown menus and such aren't terribly intuitive. I think FB is far more user-friendly. I don't yet know how much I'll use it, honestly. But it seems even a little use is fine for most users.

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    2. Oh! I will have to find you on there! I love twitter! If you don't yet know about #mywana hash tag, then have a look. It's a nice crowd of folks interested in conversation and support. :)

      Angela

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