December 29, 2008

Get Positive Attention in the Twitterverse and Other Networking Situations

ME Liz Strauss wrote this at 7:43 am

Anyone who’s spent time in the Twitterverse knows that every person uses it in a way uniquely suited to his or her own purpose. That’s the beauty of a great tool. But if your goal is social networking and conversation, you want to have folks around. Conversation without a few and followers is usually called a monologue.

The art of attracting fiercely loyal twitter followers can make the time we spend twittering useful, productive, and significantly more fun! Great Twitter followers are friends, business colleagues, and people who inspire us. Be a great Twitter conversationalist and those followers will bring their friends join in. These traits in a Twitterer always catch my attention.

Want to have new Twitter friends? Here’s how to be one …

  • Have a presence. Make a Twitter home page with some self-expression. Have a name that I can remember, even if it’s not the name your family calls you. Have a picture as your avatar to let me know that you’re serious about being around long to finish a conversation.
  • Don’t wait for people to talk to you first. Follow about 30 people who are interested in these same things you are. Find them at http://search.twitter.com Take a look at their profile or their blogs. Reach out to them using the @ sign and their name to share a comment on what you found.
  • Show up in new places. Sound obvious? Maybe it’s not obvious as we think. Most of us tend to hang where we are. If you want to make new friends, show up in new places and new times and talk to new people about new ideas. New situations stretch our brains.
  • Respond personally. When someone follows you, explore their profile before you say hello. Know who you’re talking to. A statement about something someone wrote will get you noticed in a way that a “Thanks for following” response never will.
  • Share your best ideas and strategies. Get them out there. Let other folks use them too. Everyone likes a generous soul. Generosity come back to you in the most interesting and intriguing ways. Just as @inspiremetoday about that.
  • Showcase great stuff. It’s charming to point to something another person has done well. It shows generosity, gives respect, and adds value to your conversation. Showcase the people you care about. Care about the people you meet.
  • Give credit, give links, give a hand. Be generous of mind and of spirit. People remember and respect generosity. It’s a statement of character. It also gets their attention. You never know who might want to thank you one day or what shape that thank you might take.
  • Treat everyone as an influencer. Everyone wants to feel a part of something bigger than they are. Let your influencers be a part of what you do in every way that you can. Encourage participation. The more they feel they belong, the more they will bring friends along.
  • Be passionate, fun, funny, and human, If you are, other people will feel they can be too.

Be the kind of fiercely loyal, intriguing follower-friends you’d want to have and you’ll find those are the kind of fiercely loyal, intriguing follower-friends who are attracted to you.

But you knew that.

What gets your positive attention in the Twitterverse?

–ME “Liz” Strauss
Work with Liz!!

Get your best voice in the conversation. Buy my eBook.


Filed under Marketing, Successful Blog |



C'mon. Let's talk!

27 Comments to “Get Positive Attention in the Twitterverse and Other Networking Situations”

  1. December 29th, 2008 at 8:18 am
    sandi said

    Liz,

    You have great points, as always. Sad that nowadays you have to “teach” people how to behave in social settings.

    It would seem common sense(to me, anyway…but I’m weird) that if you’re going to benefit from social media (either business or personal benefit) then it stands to reason you should be social and conduct yourself the way you want to be reflected in the community around you.

  2. December 29th, 2008 at 8:22 am
    Roz Fruchtman said

    What a great piece on the Twitterverse and how we should / could use it to connect, help and gain exposure.

    I believe we need to read this stuff more often to keep our heads on straight and on track when it comes to Social Networking.

    It’s an interesting concept.

    Happy New Year Liz. As always, thanks for sharing.

    Roz Fruchtman
    @SayItWithEcards

  3. December 29th, 2008 at 8:29 am
    Melissa said

    Liz,

    Thanks for the great reminders. Lately I’ve been making a concerted effort to say Hi to new followers and really take time to check them out. It makes me feel so much more connected to them!

  4. December 29th, 2008 at 8:37 am
    Richard Reeve said

    There’s that often repeated quote about loving something and setting it free…One of my goals in this space is to help folks get acquainted with Jung’s ideas. It’s fun to introduce things and watch them travel with a life of their own, which is what they, great ideas and great art, do anyways.

    At the New Marketing Summit, one presentation (perhaps it was David Meerman Scott)lauded the Grateful Dead as masters of social media because for decades they allowed people to tape their concerts, they gave it away. I think that fact fits here.

  5. December 29th, 2008 at 8:44 am
    VickyH said

    Hi Liz,

    This is a great list. I don’t see it as a Twitter Beginners list, but more the Been Twittering For A Few Months list. These are great because this is the stuff you forget, because your now addicted to Twitter and tweeting constantly!

    VickyH

  6. December 29th, 2008 at 9:01 am
    Barry Moltz said

    Being new to Twitter, I really enjoyed this post! Thanks

  7. December 29th, 2008 at 9:09 am
    DutchSchoolKid said

    These are the post that really helps me to understand this media tool more and more.
    Is it wise to download some tools for twitter? I see you, Liz, on tweetdeck, would you recommend it? And where is it good for?

  8. December 29th, 2008 at 9:26 am
    All Things Metal Clay » Blog Archive » Quiet times online, here’s who’s posting said

    [...] Some twitter tips from Liz Strauss: http://www.successful-blog.com. [...]

  9. December 29th, 2008 at 9:28 am
    Agitationist said

    Although, there is another side you might want new users to know about:
    http://agitationist.com/1500-more-reasons-twitter-must-die

  10. December 29th, 2008 at 9:29 am
    Karen Putz / DeafMom said

    Great tips, Liz and these are a wonderful reminder even after several months of being on Twitter.

  11. December 29th, 2008 at 9:34 am
    Karin H. said

    Hi Liz

    Many thanks for adding a new bookmark to my ever growing list of useful searchers: now I can search twitter - being a newbie there it is a great help.

    Karin H. (Keep It Simple Sweetheart, specially in business)

  12. December 29th, 2008 at 9:40 am
    Kevin said

    Hi Liz,

    Great article and great site. I’m new to the Twitter universe and am liking the opportunity to connect with people with various perspectives…

    I’ll check out your site. Looks like a lot of great info.

    Kevin

  13. December 29th, 2008 at 9:56 am
    Nancy Marmolejo said

    Wonderful Tips, I found this post through a Retweet from @WebSuccessDiva so it’s a perfect example of how good Tweeting is a win-win-win for all.

    :-)
    Nancy
    @NancyMarmolejo

  14. December 29th, 2008 at 10:03 am
    Pierre Fregeau said

    Twitter is a great communication media and should be used as such. Twitterers are not looking for sales pitches, we are looking to connect to others, to express ourselves, share our experiences and findings.

    Viva Twitter

  15. December 29th, 2008 at 4:39 pm
    Mother Earth aka Karen Hanrahan said

    perfect list …

  16. December 29th, 2008 at 11:50 pm
    Lucretia Pruitt said

    I was trying to think of something, anything to add, but I think this is just too darn good. :)

    Maybe just “make sure that when you find amazing people on Twitter, you don’t throw them over for numbers, false popularity, or the illusion that you don’t need to be genuine.”

    But you pretty much said that too. :)

    (((hug)))

  17. December 30th, 2008 at 4:17 am
    David Meerman Scott said

    Richard, Yup - that was me. The Dead let people tape concerts (one of the very few bands that did) and as a result of the World Wide Rave they generated among live music fans, became the most popular touring band for several decades.

  18. December 30th, 2008 at 7:02 am
    ME Liz Strauss said

    Sandi and Roz!
    Welcome!
    Yeah, it’s sad, but also good that we keep ourselves thinking about how to be polite in this new genre. Every culture has to decide it’s own rules of behavior. It’s not so bad that we have to establish ours.

  19. December 30th, 2008 at 7:05 am
    ME Liz Strauss said

    Richard,
    Your comments, insightful as usual, point to the community and generosity of social media we gather to protect.

    Thank you, David, for coming to underscore not only what you said and the example you used. but also the approach to what we’re doing.

  20. December 30th, 2008 at 7:08 am
    ME Liz Strauss said

    #6 and 7
    Barry and Stefan
    You might start with TweetDeck. It’s overwhelming at first, but it allows you to organize what you listen to. Then http://search.twitter.com and Twellow are two others that, if you explore what they can do, you’ll find are quite useful.

  21. December 30th, 2008 at 7:09 am
    ME Liz Strauss said

    Agitationist,
    I debated whether to leave your like. It’s cute, but not lastingly useful as an addition to the conversation. You could have made it so much more … :)

  22. December 30th, 2008 at 7:11 am
    ME Liz Strauss said

    Karin!
    I’m delighted to see that you’re finding this all useful. Can’t wait until our friend joins us here.

  23. December 30th, 2008 at 11:02 am
    Quiet times online, here’s who’s posting said

    [...] Some twitter tips from Liz Strauss: http://www.successful-blog.com. [...]

  24. January 2nd, 2009 at 6:57 am
    Africa Freeman said

    I’m not really sure how to Blog but I’m going to try my hand at it and take all you wonderful advice!

  25. January 2nd, 2009 at 7:14 am
    ME Liz Strauss said

    Hi Africa,
    Just be yourself and write your experience. The folks who listen will guide to the rest. Write for them. You’ll be fine. Be a person … that’s what a blogger is. :)

  26. January 4th, 2009 at 12:53 am
    Carol said

    Do people create automated replies for when someone new starts following them? Just curious…BTW, great list Liz.

  27. January 6th, 2009 at 2:48 pm
    Scot McKay said

    You nailed it with this list. Great stuff.

    I really like the culture of Twitter. For some reason it just seems friendlier and more cohesive than other social network sites. Twitter rocks, and it’s because the people on it rock.

    Scot McKay
    (or should I say, “@scotmckay”? LOL)

Name (required)

Email (required)

Website

C'mon Let's Talk!